Miami Men's Basketball Ranked as the Biggest Disappointments so Far This Season
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Where to begin with the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team this season.
They have been ranked as the most disappointing team by the College Basketball Report and started before Jim Larranga stepped down as the head coach of the Hurricanes.
The biggest surprises and disappointments in college basketball so far 🏀 pic.twitter.com/j4Cem4YFuR
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) February 20, 2025
Look first at the injury of star guard Nijel Pack. he was listed as part of the pre-season All-ACC First team but only playing in nine games was not the plan for him or the Hurricanes. Add in the fact that without him the Hurricanes had to go young and use freshmen that were not ready doesn't help.
Pack's injury was disappointing, especially after he just came back from injury as a season, but one of the bigger issues was the wasted money spent in the transfer portal. Many of the Hurricane's roster came from the portal with only three players from last season returning. The additions of Lynn Kidd, Brandon Johnson, Jalen Blackmon, and Kriee Huie were not worth the money they spent in NIL for those players.
Johnson and Kidd have had moments but have not been game-changing additions to the rotation. Blackmon was supposed to come in and be a sure-fire scorer but hasn't seen the court since the five minutes he played against Notre Dame. Huie was injured for most of the season and now that he is back, the paint protection he was supposed to provide has been lacking.
The only transfer that has played well and up to his billing is A.J Stanton-McCray.
Everyone will identify that once Jim Larranaga stepped down, this was the end of the season for the Canes but it started a lot sooner.
Now they have the worst record in the ACC and one of the worst program delines in recent History. two years ago they were in the Final Four battling for a National Championship and now, they are in rebuild mode.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at justice.sandle111@gmail.com or follow him on 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.