Jai Lucas Focuses on These Areas of Improvement for Miami Basketball in February
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes have struggled to snap back into form after their nine-game winning streak earlier in the season. Sitting at 17-5 and 6-3 in conference play, the Canes have a long February ahead.
Head coach Jai Lucas is going through this first rough stretch of the season, dealing with the idea that his team has find a way to be better all around.
It starts on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive ace Tru Washington wasn't with the team during the last game against Stanford. Having him on the floor, regardless of the offensive slump he was in, would still prove positive for the Canes.
They allowed the most points a team has scored on them all season (86), and now Lucas is focused on doing one thing better in February.
"I think of guarding the ball," Lucas said. "We've got to guard the ball better; we've got to find the ball better. I mean, usually we're the ones that shoot 32, three throws, and 34 free throws. I mean, they got 32 and 34, and whenever a team that's with us on the time, it's going to be tough. It's going to be tough. But even with that said, we want to win that one play, a week from winning."
Washington was out due to personal reasons, and there is no indication of when he will return. It could just be for a game, or it could be something long-term. However, the Canes still had a chance to win the game. It just came down to missed free-throw shots.
"I mean, whenever you, I think we missed like five in a row or something like that. It's just one; it drains you, drains the team, and drains the momentum," Lucas said. "Put two of the three points. You know, and this is something we've dealt with all year. We shoot them, we practice them, we work at it. So, you know, I'm not going to hang my head because if it was something up here, we weren't going to get better at it, then I would say, yeah, but, you know."
The Hurricanes consistently find themselves at the free-throw line thanks to their style of play. They are not the best three-point shooting team, so getting extra points at the line has to be key. They just missed them and have been missing them throughout the season.
However, Lucas still likes the team's effort, and that won't change. They have to focus on getting better defensively and knocking down the easy shots, and they will get back on track to close the season.
"I thought our desperation was there," Lucas said. "I just didn't think we were playing ahead of the ball defensively. I thought we played with great energy, great effort. It wasn't a desperation thing tonight. We just had we struggled to contain the ball, and it happened against Florida State. It happened in this game, and you know, we did a good job in the last game against Stanford with the court, but this one was different, where we needed to really contain the ball, especially down the stretch."
The Canes will head back on the road to face Boston College on Feb. 7 on the ACC Network.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.