No. 22 Miami's Postseason Success Starts With Two Role Players
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CORAL GABLES — No. 22 Miami (23-6, 12-4 ACC) has continued to be a team under the radar before it started getting recognized this week in the latest polls.
Now more eyes will be on the Canes than they have over the past two seasons, as they prepare for the postseason.
However, for a team that wants to go deep in the tournament, some have had to adjust their roles due to several injuries. Others have seen playing time increase and shrink during the season. Moreover, if the Hurricanes want to have a deep run in the playoffs, it starts with their depth.
Noam Dovrat, The Forgotten Sniper
The Hurricanes have been without a sure-fire star from beyond the three-point line. Even with Timo "Threemo" Malovec, the Canes still struggle if they need to switch up the offensive game play. However, Noam Dovrat showed against Boston College that he can be a player Jai Lucas could throw in at any time for those needs.
"We've got to use everybody," Jai Lucas said ahead of SMU. "Noam, with his minutes against Boston College, of course, you know, earned some more minutes, but he hasn't done anything to kind of put himself, I guess, in that position. It's just kind of the flow of games and, you know, styles make fights and make games.
The Hurricanes are treating this week as a tournament week, starting with SMU. Style does make fights, and Dovrat's style fits perfectly for the level of defense the Canes will see in the postseason.
"This one is a good game for Noam too, because they play a little bit of their own zone," Lucas said. "So it gives you the ability for him to stretch it, stretch the court, it'll give you some different looks. But we need everybody, you know, and we've had guys that have played a lot of extended minutes."
The X-Factor, Tru Washington
It's not hard to see why the Hurricanes struggled without him during those three games missed. When Washington returned, he added a spark to the bench once he had adjusted to the move.
"Let him do Tru things, and that's what's the best part about Tru and who he is, and why I wanted him here and why he's been a big part of our team and a big part of our success this year, because he can do so many things well," Lucas said."
"He's like a utility guard. He can play with the ball, and he can play without the ball. The offensive rebounds, he gets fouled, he makes shots, he does a little bit of everything, you know, and so, for the way the team built, he's perfect for that role in that position, because he will play a certain amount of minutes, and he looks down, and he's got 12, six, and five."
Washington has continued to be one of the best defensive guards in the country, and the best in the ACC. It also helps when he is shooting the ball at a high level, when he doesn't force those shots.
"When he shoots and takes the right ones, he's gonna catch and shoot threes, he's like 48% almost, when he's shooting and makes the right ones, and that continues to show," Lucas said.
Leaning on those two players can be the key to the Hurricanes' success for a deep playoff run. This is a team built not just be a one-and-done team, but to surprise several teams in the future.
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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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