Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes get statement victory with 22-point rout
CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes got out to a quick fivepoint lead in the opening moments against Duke, and the game never got closer.
Facing off against the Blue Devils in primetime in front of a packed Watsco Center and a variety of sports stars in attendance (including the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm and Hall of Famer Rick Barry), Miami blasted its way to a big, early lead and never looked back. The No. 19 Hurricanes sunk Duke (17-7, 8-5 ACC) 81-59, picking up their third win in a row and 13th consecutive home victory.
“Any time you hear about college basketball, the names that come to your mind are Duke, North Carolina,” forward Norchad Omier said. “Then to come play for Miami, beating them — I mean there is not a better feeling than that.”
The win was the Hurricanes’ second-largest victory over Duke, eclipsed only by a 27-point win Miami notched in 2013.
Miami (19-5, 10-4 ACC) came out firing, with Omier opening the game with only his second threepointer of the year. Guard Isaiah Wong stole Duke’s next possession and slammed it home, and the Hurricanes were off and running. They began the game with a 13-1 run.
The Hurricanes extended their first-half lead to as much as 17 points, and the half ended similarly to the way it began: with an Omier slam to put Miami up 14 at halftime.
The Hurricanes did not cool off in the second half, going on a 7-0 run to start the second period and extend their lead to 21 points, and they kept the margin above 20 for much of the second half. Duke cut into the lead late but the Hurricanes extended the lead back over 20 points before the final buzzer sounded.
“Quite honestly, I was pleasantly surprised [Duke never came back],” coach Jim Larrañaga said.
“It’s hard to do, especially against a team the quality of Duke. They’ve got like three McDonald’s All-Americans in their starting lineup, guys that are going to play in the NBA . ... So when a team has that much talent, it’s very hard to expect a run like we had. I’m never thinking, ‘OK, this game’s over. We’re blowing this team out.’ It never happens.”
Omier finished the game with his 11th double-double of the season, racking up 17 points with 10 rebounds. Jordan Miller added 16 points, while Wooga Poplar had 14, and Wong had 11.
Miami’s defense was firing on all cylinders, as well, forcing 21 Duke turnovers.
“The activity was tremendous,” Larrañaga said. “We made a point of saying we have to be impactful on the ball screens. We were. We have to clog the lane, which we did. And we have to rebound a miss or force a turnover, and we did both.”
The Hurricanes have a chance to further extend their home winning streak when they host struggling Louisville on Saturday.
“Coach L always says, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,’ ” Miller said.
“You’re going to lose some games down the stretch. But it’s how you bounce back is what’s going to decide what kind of team you are. And honestly, most importantly, it really doesn’t even matter how you play until it’s the end of February, March. Obviously, winning games at these moments helps, but we just want to make sure by the end of the season, we’re playing our best basketball, and I think we’re on pace for that.”