Miami Basketball in No Position for 'Trap Game' Talks
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes schedule will ramp up after they face Boston College (9-13, 2-7 ACC) Feb. 7, at 2:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Moreover, thanks to the Golden Eagles, many are already putting a W in the record book with all attention on No. 14 North Carolina.
Head coach Jai Lucas doesn't see it that way.
Not only is he focused solely on Boston College, but he hasn't even looked at or talked to the team about the Tar Heels yet. That will come after the game win or loss.
"We're not in any position to be worried about a trap game," Lucas said. "Every game for us is important, every game in the season is important. And so we haven't even, I haven't even thought about North Carolina yet, to be honest with you, I haven't watched them, I haven't done anything.
"I'm just focused on Boston College and everything around me has been Boston College. So, for us, I think at least I anticipate us firing on all cylinders Saturday. And then after that happens, we'll move to whatever's next."
What's next is a litany of quad-one games for the Hurricanes to look at. If they can go on a bit of a run with UNC, Virginia, SMU, and Louisville coming up, they could lock in their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Nevertheless, Lucas continues to focus on the day-to-day operation. That is the system he has set to not get ahead of himself and build some excitement for the future.
"It's really a day-by-day, practice-by-practice, game-by-game thing (in February)," Lucas said. "You got to try to eliminate the big picture because in February a lot more people start paying attention to college basketball. There's a lot more noise with everything so how do we just keep them focused on the process and what's the most important thing in the moment?
"That's my job and I feel like if we do that we'll be able to be fine and to be honest with you. This is why you play college basketball. You want to play games that matter. You want to be in situations that matter. You want to play in big games. You want to go on the road and you know have to win and come back and protect your house. So this is exciting. This is what it's all about."
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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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.