Miami Basketball Sets Exhibition Match With Rising SEC School
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Jai Lucas has done right so well in year one, now they are setting themselves up to for the future with compeptition hiring than ever.
The Miami Hurricanes and the Vanderbilt Commedores will face off against each other in Coral Gables at the Watso Center for an preseason exhibition matchup between the two rising programs.
The exhibition is set for Friday, Oct. 23. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and admission is free for all fans. All seating in the Watsco Center will be general admission.
First practice basketball work for Miami. #miamihurricanes | #GoCanes | #collegebasketball pic.twitter.com/HsxqwdDOfF
— Eye of the Hurricanes (@CanesCentralSI) September 21, 2026
Vanderbilt was one of the best SEC teams in the country, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, similar to the Hurricanes. The exhibition features two teams ranked in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25. Vanderbilt is coming off a 27-9 season. Miami finished 26-9.
This is the direction that Jai Lucas is heading towards with the program. With so many new targets on their back, the Hurricanes are embracing the change, adding to what can be with a new focus and level of teams.
"You know, with the tournament expanding and the seeding going to come down to the schedule," Lucas said in his first availability for his second season. "I guess some more primetime games will help, and the conference schedule that we have will give us more information and experience for stuff like this."
Miami will open the season against Florida in Tampa, so against the Commadores, it is the perfect time to see where the team is ahead of real consequential losses.
Moreover, after the first practice, the Hurricanes look physically ready for the next step. Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen look slimmer and faster. Both phyically strong while the rest of the team continue to work in and around them.
Miami has had an easier time this season getting everyone on board, thanks to what they are trying to do, and it starts with those two leading the charge.
The Hurricanes have one of the best-constructed rosters in the country, and having them all around building themselves towards is what Lucas has been focusing on.
Miami continues to get better each passing day, allowing games and ideas like exhibitions against an SEC team to prepare for where it believes they belong ahead of the season. The season is near, and Miami is excited about the target on their back.
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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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