Canes’ Lykes could return vs. No. 16 Virginia Tech
The Miami Hurricanes had their first reason for optimism in two weeks come on Monday when they upset Duke, 77-75, as 11-point underdogs with seven scholarship players available.
On Thursday, preseason All-ACC guard Chris Lykes, who hasn’t played in two months due to a left ankle injury, returned to practice. UM coach Jim Larrañaga said there is a possibility Lykes could play when the Hurricanes face No. 16 Virginia Tech in a noon tip on Saturday at Watsco Center.
“For the first time in a very long time, Chris Lykes did practice most of the time,” said Larrañaga before the team’s Friday practice. “Whether he’ll play on Saturday will depend on how he recovered from [Thursday’s] workout and how much he does [Friday].”
Larrañaga said it will be a gametime decision to determine if Lykes can play against the Hokies.
“If he feels good and he says to me, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go,’ then he’ll be in uniform,” Larrañaga said. “He won’t be in the starting lineup, but he’ll be in uniform and he’ll play
accordingly. … After two months of not playing and having maybe two practices under his belt, I have no idea what to expect and neither does he.”
Fellow senior guard Elijah Olaniyi, who led Miami with 21 points in Monday’s victory after missing the previous game with shoulder injury, only participated in non-contact drills on Thursday and didn’t go through a full practice.
“He wasn’t in there preparing for Virginia Tech like we would’ve liked,” Larrañaga said. “He didn’t practice leading up to Duke, and he played pretty darn well against Duke, so we’re going to wait and see on that.”
While appearing optimistic about Lykes and Olaniyi, Larranaga is already ruling out freshman guard/forward Earl Timberlake (left shoulder).
Following the win over Duke, Larrañaga alluded to a team meeting the day before that lifted Miami’s spirits. He feels that momentum has carried over in the week since, after the team took Tuesday and Wednesday off, and so do his players.
“The energy from the Duke win, it’s carrying over for sure,” said sophomore guard Harlond Beverly. “With Chris being back, it’s Chris Lykes. Y’all know who Chris is. We’re just excited to have him back. That’s our leader. That’s our point guard.”
Added sophomore forward Anthony Walker: “That Duke game gave us a huge confidence boost and a huge energy boost. … Having [Lykes] would be a huge help. It’s like he hasn’t missed a step [in practice].”
The first time the Hurricanes faced Virginia Tech, they lost 80-78 on Dec. 29 in Blacksburg. The Hokies are led by junior forward Keve Aluma, who is averaging 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
“He’s having the best season of any player in our league,” Larrañaga said. “He impacts the game at both ends of the court. He can score his brains out. He can hit threes. He can drive the ball. He can post up. He makes free throws. He can defend. He can block shots. He gets rebounds. He’s a really complete player. He’s an NBA guy.”