Miami's Road Losing Streak Continues as the Hurricanes get Swept by Florida State
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The Miami Hurricanes (6-20, 2-13 ACC) drop to 0-12 on the road as they fail to avoid the series sweep against the Florida State Seminoles (16-10, 7-8 ACC) 74-66.
It wasn't the prettiest game from either side but the Noles outlasted the Hurricanes in a true battle of attrition.
It was one of the worst offensive performances between two ACC teams all season. The Hurricanes only made four shots behind the arch while they continued their away turnover struggle. Moreover. FSU was trying to give the game away to the Hurricanes. It was another case of not being able to take advantage of opportunities. One of those reasons is senior Gaurd Matthew Cleveland has gone ice cold these past two games,
Cleveland was on a seven-game stretch of averaging 26.4 points but in his return to his first school, he finished with 14 points and 3-14 from the field. Seven of those points came from the charity stripe. Jaili Bethea has improved defensively but offensively he also had a rough night shooting 2-7.
Lynn Kidd was the best offensive weapon for the Canes during this rough offensive night finishing with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. His issue is that he throws bad turnovers once he gets doubled, and tonight he had four.
Another issue that has started to be seen is the slow progression of freshmen like Bethea, Austin Swartz, and Divine Ugochukwu. The latter finished the game 2-9 from the field and had three costly turnovers. Notably, Ugochukwu is a great on-ball defender but once he is sent off, he can get lost and struggle to find his man leading to easy points.
Swarts sparked a small comeback for the Canes in the closing minutes but never got within five points.
Another key is the paint defense of the Hurricanes. They lack any paint protection despite Kidd being 7 feet tall. FSU sophomore forward Malique Ewin was perfect from the field scoring 24 points while 10-10 from the field.
The Hurricanes will return home for their next two games. First, they will take on Virginia Tech on Saturday before prepping for a showdown between No. 3 Duke at the Watsco Center.
More Basketball News from Miami Hurricanes On SI:
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How to Watch: Miami at Florida State
Miami's Haley Cavender's Near Triple Double Not Enough Against No. 23 Florida State
An Off-Miami Hurricanes Drops Another Road Game Against The Pitt Panthers
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.