Miami Adds Another SEC Team to Its Championship Contending Gauntlet
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During the Jim Larranaga era, the Miami Hurricanes basketball team tends to play a lighter schedule at the start of the season to allow the team to gel and grow heading into conference play. Since he stepped away from the program and handed it over to Jai Lucas, there has been a clear difference in approach.
Miami's first game of the season is against the 2024 National Championship Florida, then they are playing in the Players Era 16 Tournament, will battle in the ACC/SEC Challenge, and now they are adding a third SEC Team to the mix.
The Miami Hurricanes are reportedly set to play the Texas Longhorns in Houston, according to CBS's Jon Rothstein. The battle will take place at the Toyota Center, where both teams will likely have high rankings next to their name in a massive early-season battle.
NEWS: Texas and Miami are finalizing an agreement to meet next season in a neutral site game at the Toyota Center in Houston, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/vmbH5xOYAr
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 22, 2026
The Hurricanes will have plenty of quad one and two level games to start the season, showcasing that they are building a championship level condender with early battles against teams who have Final Four asperations.
Texas, on paper, has one of the best teams in the country and plenty of high-end talent who can match up with a player like Shelton Henderson.
It also helps that everyone is starting to pull out of the NBA Draft, solidifying the roster that Lucas dreamed up.
Source: Miami’s Acaden Lewis has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to school next season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 22, 2026
Transfer from Villanova.
The Future that Jai Lucas is Building
The Hurricanes' future grows bright with Lucas calling the shots. There is a clear direction that the program is headed, playing like a team that wants to be talked about at the top of the league and around the country.
Lucas is taking some of his lessons from Duke, Kentucky, and Texas and pushing it all together in Coral Gables for the Canes.
Even with the Canes reaching the Elite Eight and the Final Four, this feels different. There is a true attack to be one of the best teams in the country, and proving it early in the season. With the changes around college basketball, the Canes being active and playing these resume-boosting games will only help them in their favor.
Miami's resume continues to grow and only gets better as Lucas continues to guide the program to new heights.
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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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