Miami's Big Game Offensive Struggles Strike Again Against No. 9 BYU
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From an offensive explosion to struggling to play in big games. That is the early story this season for the Miami Hurricanes (5-2) as they drop their second top-ten game of the season against No. 9 BYU, 72-62.
The issue isn't on the defensive side of the ball. Miami has proved time and time again to have one of the best defenses in the country. Offensively, they continue to struggle against teams that force them to play a game they are not used to. It was going to take some time for this team to gel, but that is an understatement for another terrible offensive performance against a quad-one team.
It started early in the game with starting guard Tre Donaldson, leading the Canes in shot attempts but also missing a lot of three-pointers. At one time, the Hurricanes were 3-8 from three with Donaldson shooting 2-6 from beyond the arc. His shooting didn't improve, nor did the rest of the team.
The 62 points were mostly through transition while they shot 38 percent from the field, 22 percent from beyond the arc, and 41 percent from the charity stripe. The Hurricanes have been awful from the free-throw line in games that matter, a trend that has to stop if they want to try to be a team that makes the NCAA tournament.
Donaldson finished the game 4-16, finishing with 12 points and shooting 3-11 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Malik Reneau led the team in scoring with 14 points, followed by a rough shooting night from freshman Shelton Henderson.
However, the one thing that they can hang their hat on is holding this electric offense to 72 points. Projected top-three pick AJ Dybantsa was only held to 16 points, on 5-14 shooting. He was neutralized by Tru Washington and the rest of the team.
Defensively, Miami is elite, especially Tru Washington. https://t.co/k2GWKknvcI
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) November 28, 2025
Richie Saunders was limited in his play, but other players began to show what they could do. The Hurricanes are going to have to play better if they want to try to get a win this season against these better teams. They have a chance as they return to action Friday at 7 p.m. against either Dayton or Georgetown. The game will be aired on either ESPN or ESPN2.
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.