Miami Can't Let This be the Highlight: Hurricane Bracketology Report
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If you're just now hopping aboard the Jai Lucas train, get in line.
The Hurricanes have been up and down throughout the year, but if last night's home court win against North Carolina proves anything, it's that Miami can beat any team that lines up across from them if they dont beat themselves first.
However, what the Hurricanes, and Miami fans in general, cannot allow to happen is for the win over UNC to be the final highlight of the season. Now deeply entrenched in the ACC gauntlet, many more opportunities lie ahead for a Hurricane squad whose destiny is still not set in stone.
What The Brackets Say
If Selection Sunday is the goal, then Miami helped itself out in a big way with the UNC win. Nobody would debate that point, but it's more than worth noting here on the morning after that UNC was pencilled in as a 4-seed in most brackets.
Before the win, Miami sat at the 11-seed mark, and was one of the last four in to Lunardi. However, the NET rankings tell an interesting story. Coming into the night, Miami was 37 in the NET compared to UNC's 22. I don't see the two swapping places, but Miami should be flirting with the low 30's to high 20's range on Wednesday morning.
That position is fairly typical of a lower-seeded power five team, but here's where things get interesting: Miami's schedule is just heating up.
The next matchup against NC State is also a Quad 1 matchup, with NC State holding strong at 29th in the NET going into last night. Couple that with the game being a road matchup for The U, and there's another real opportunity to climb into the top 25.
The Virginia Tech matchup won't be Quad 1 unless something drastic happens, but Quad 2 wins won't hurt by any stretch of the sense. Those are the games in which you prove you belong in the upper-echelon conversation by handling business.
Then, another Quad 1 opportunity presents itself on the road at Virginia. The Cavaliers have been dynamite at home this year, and there's little to no signs of that changing from now until they see the 'Canes.
Florida State, Boston College and SMU all offer Miami a chance for a breather if the Hurricanes play to their standard, but ending the regular season at home against Louisville? That's where the Hurricanes can cement themselves as a dark horse in the ACC, and where they can truly stamp their ticket to the big dance.
The stars are aligning for Jai Lucas's squad in his first year at the helm. But one thing is for certain: they can't let off the gas now.
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Tanner Marlar is a contributing writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI who has covered collegiate athletics at the local and national levels for nearly a decade, including at Cowbell Country, Mississippi State On SI, Boston College On SI, and Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. As a former beat writer, Tanner strives to give thought provoking and exciting coverage to readers who want to know the very best current information about their team.