Miami Basketball "Prepares for War" against No. 10 Florida
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It's only one way to know if a team is differnet. The Miami Hurricanes are 3-0 to start the season with back to back 40 point victories over their last two opponnets. However, those opponnets where not to the level of the monster that the Canes will face next —the defending national champions No. 10 Florida.
The Hurricanes marched into the paint against the Stetson Hatters for 56 paint points in the 102-61 victory. However the Gators are on the best defensive teams in the country.
The Hurricanes are expecting a war against them and are prepared to fight to their last breath to get the victory.
"I'm expecting a fight, a war," Malik Reneau said. "Like coach said in the locker room, it's not going to be a lot of basketball; it will be a war out there, so I'm expecting to go out there and give [Florida] all I got, you know, blood, sweat, and tears. I hope they're ready too."
It is the same message from head coach Jai Lucas. The Hurricanes have started 3-0 in back-to-back seasons, but this season feels different. Lucas knows that this is the first real chance to see how the team compares across the top brands in the country.
He loves his guys and knows that they have a chance at the upset.
"I mean, how can you not be excited to get that opportunity to play the defending national champion, a top 5 team? And, you know, like I told the guys, it's not going to be a basketball game. It's a fight," Lucas said. "You know, they're built a lot like us. It'd be the first time we see somebody whose size and physicality kind of match.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to play well, so they're excited for the opportunity for our guys to see how good we really are and see how these stack up against the top 5 teams. You know, I like my team, I like my guys, and this first early test would be a good one for us. So I'm excited."
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.
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