The Greatest Turnaround in College Basketball Wasn't a Surprise, It was 'Expected'
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Sit and think about what it takes to win as a basketball coach. You need the players, the right staff, and the right circumstances to fall into place for everything to turn around in your favor.
Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas entered his first year as a head coach with no roster, no coaching staff, and a struggling fan base that just witnessed a 7-24 season. He had to start from the ground up, yet he still had expectations of a great team and one that could make the tournament.
Now, near the end of the college basketball regular season, Lucas has put together one of the best rosters in the ACC, a sleeping tournament team, completing one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in college basketball history.
Moreover, if you asked him, this wasn't a surprise; the Hurricanes are exactly where he expected them to be.
"To be honest with you, did I say I expected to win 20? Yes, I did," Lucas said. "And that's why you come to this place, because it gives you the opportunity to win and compete for championships. Now, just because I say that doesn't mean it's gonna happen? Absolutely not. So I am grateful and thankful to everybody who's been involved to get us to this point, but as you said, we want more, you know, we want more.
"We want to be as good as we can be and see what comes with that, you know, and of course, like, just coming down the stretch, you know, you put yourself in position where you're in position for something crazy could happen at the top of the league, and, you know, so about losing Shriek away from being right there. So we just got to continue to keep chipping away. And then when everything's said and done, just see where you're you are. "
The Canes now have a 21-5 record with a third-place conference record of 10-3. Lucas also has a ranked win under his belt and looks for another as the Canes prepare to take on No. 14 Virginia, riding a five- game win streak.
However, Lucas isn't focused on the number of wins and the rankings of opponents; this turnaround is about sending a message. He knows that the team is right where they need to be to force themselves into new rooms and conversations.
"I feel like, you know, we have grown and we've had to go through some stuff in the season that has put us here, but I felt like we should either be here or be a little bit ahead at this point with what we have and my expectations and standard of them and what we can build. So, you know, we're right where we need to be right now."
Ahead of UVA, the Hurricanes have a 3-3 quad-one record, and with another victory could push them inside the top 25. These are the moments that the Canes have been working towards all season, and they can't let anything slow them down. They are on the hunt for greatness because, in their minds, they still have not done anything, and Lucas is leading the charge.
"When we're in those moments like North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, where there's no quit, you know, where it's still the whole time, it's thinking about how can we win, find a way to win, find a way to push through," Lucas said. "And in these moments, you know, for us and for me, still haven't done anything. You know what I mean? Like, it's nothing is set in stone.
"You know, everything we want, we still have to go get and we have to go take, and that's just game by game. You know, like I said before, it's not like we're sitting here in 1st place. It's not like we're sitting here a top 10 team. You know, it's not like we're sitting here as a one seat. So if you're not in those situations, you can't rest on anything and especially us, like we can't rest on anything. We have to be the ones that always hunt."
The Hurricanes will face the Cavaliers at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Saturday, Feb. 21.
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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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