Jai Lucas Joins Elite Company In His First Year as a Head Coach
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — No one expected the Miami Hurricanes to be this good so fast except for one person, head coach Jai Lucas.
Now 25 games into the season, the Canes have had their best start in a decade with Lucas leading the charge. He has also become the fastest first-time head coach in the ACC to reach 20 wins since Bill Guthridge at UNC during the 1997-98 season.
Lucas expected to happened when he put this roster together.
"This is what I thought we could be," Lucas said. "I felt like we could also be in better position right now than we are. But it's part of the season, it's part of growing, it's part of becoming a team. Some of the stuff we've done and been through has prepared us to be in this moment where we are right now. But we're right on course, maybe a little bit of behind where I thought we would be."
Jai Lucas is the fastest first-time head coach in the ACC to reach 20 wins since Bill Guthridge at UNC in 1997-98 📈🙌 pic.twitter.com/TzlR0Db7Vn
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) February 15, 2026
Even through the Hurricanes struggles, Lucas also knows that the team is still playing at a high level and can beat anyone on any given night.
Lucas has already gotten his signature win of the season against No. 11 North Carolina, but now he prepares for more after the "Carolina week" victories.
"We haven't done anything yet," Lucas said. "We're in fourth place in the league. It's not like we're at the top of the league or anything. So we have to go out and take everything that we want. We have to continue to battle. We got a tough schedule left coming up. So, it's not anything to be satisfied or be complacent about right now."
Lucas turns his attention to a scary Virginia Tech team that likes to force turnovers. The Canes have been clean in that margin for the past number of weeks. However, he also knows they have to remain that way to stay winning.
"We took care of the ball," Lucas said. "We took care of the ball against North Carolina, we had eight turnovers and against North Carolina State, we had nine turnovers. And if we can have 11 or less turnovers, I feel that we can beat anybody. On the games that we have lost and the games that we have struggled in, we've had 13, 14, 16, somewhere high turnovers. If we take care of the ball like we did these last two games, I feel like we'll be fine coming down the stretch."
How to Watch: Virginia Tech at Miami
Who: Miami Hurricanes and Virginia Tech Hokies
When: Tuesday, Feb 17, 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Fla.
TV: ACCN
Radio: WQAM 104.3
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
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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.
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