After tough road losses, UM teams look to bounce back
CORAL GABLES Ahead of his team’s sixgame, monthlong road trip, Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga stressed the extended time away from home would be a necessary test for his young players, a chance for the Hurricanes to learn a little bit more about themselves.
After going 4-2 on a trip that took them to the nation’s capital, Hawaii, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, the 15th-ranked Hurricanes discovered they’re a group with talent and potential — but they’re still a team that has to develop its chemistry and find some offensive consistency now that play in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference has arrived.
And, as guard Bruce Brown noted after the Hurricanes’ tough 64-54 loss to unranked Georgia Tech this past week, the Hurricanes are a team that has to remember to enjoy itself out on the court.
“I think we need to play a lot faster. We’re not a halfcourt team. I don’t think we are,” said Brown, a sophomore who is averaging 10.9 points and is Miami’s second-leading scorer. “We just need to get out in transition, get easy lay-ups and dunks and have fun. One key is it doesn’t look like we’re having fun out there. Once we start doing that, I think we’ll win a lot of games. … We’re fighting the defense out there and not doing things we need to be doing — attacking, getting in transition, rebounding the ball. … Just focus on the big things.”
Added Larrañaga, “I see a lot of mistakes being from inexperience, guys who have not had that kind of responsibility before at this level. Unfortunately, there’s always a domino effect. If someone dribbles too much, then the next guy tends to dribble too much. … We’ve got a lot of growing up to do.”
For the Hurricanes, trying grow and regain their footing after Wednesday’s loss to Georgia Tech — which entered the game with a sub-.500 record — won’t come easy. Though Miami will on Sunday return to the Watsco Center for the first time since a Dec. 5 win over Boston University, the Hurricanes (12-2) will host a tough rival in No. 24 Florida State.
The Seminoles have opened ACC play with a pair of tough efforts against two of the conference’s powerhouse programs. First, the Seminoles came up just short in a 100-93 loss to No. 2 Duke in Durham last Saturday.
That was followed by an 81-80 win Wednesday over No. 12 North Carolina in Tallahassee, where the Seminoles (12-2, 1-1) built a big lead early and then held off a Tar Heels charge to secure the win.
Miami has yet to notch a win against that kind of competition, the Hurricanes’ biggest victory coming on the road in November to a then-unbeaten Minnesota, which has since fallen out of the AP Top 25.
A win Sunday over the Seminoles, Larrañaga knows, would go a long way in helping the Hurricanes build their confidence.
“I think they’re playing at a very, very high level right now. I thought they had a great chance to win on the road at Duke. … But Florida State, was right there. They were ahead, I think it was 88-87 with just under three minutes to go,” Larrañaga said. “And then they beat Carolina by a point. They’ve played a tough schedule and they’re going to be a handful for us Sunday.”
Like the men’s team, the Miami women are a young group looking to keep pace in the ACC.
Entering the year, coach Katie Meier wasn’t sure what to expect, with the Hurricanes losing their top three scorers in veterans Adrienne Motley, Jessica Thomas and Keyona Hayes.
But through the first part of the season, the Hurricanes (11-4) have proved a pleasant surprise for Meier, with freshmen Mykea Gray, Endia Banks and Kelsey Marshall all contributing significantly and veterans Erykah Davenport and Emese Hof growing into the leadership roles Meier envisioned.
While the Hurricanes came up short in an 83-76 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame last week, Miami had won six in a row ahead of that, including a 51-48 upset of No. 14 Duke to open ACC play.
Now Meier is hopeful her team’s growth continues, especially with road games at Florida State and Clemson looming after Sunday’s game against the Demon Deacons (9-6, 1-1).
“Our team, we’re not going to win pretty,” Meier said. “Last year’s team, I think, wanted to win pretty a little bit. We were aware of our own stats and stuff. This year’s team is just like, ‘What do we need to do to compete and to be a player in the ACC race?’ and that’s been fun.”
ccabrera@sun-sentinel .com, Twitter @ChristyChirinos