Hurricanes
ing,” he said. “We got caught up. We had a couple of fast breaks where we hit under the rim because the defense was swiping at the ball and we were not in control.”
Walker, the 6-foot-5 wing, showed glimpses of his highlevel athleticism but shot 4 of 14 and missed all five 3-pointers he tried. Fellow newcomer Chris Lykes was 3 of 11 and missed four 3s. Combine their shooting stats with those of redshirt freshman forward Sam Waarden- burg (1 of 2), sophomore forward Dewan Huell (2 of 8) and sophomore guard D J Vasiljevic (2 of 6) and UM’s first- and second-year rota- tion players went 12 of 41 from the floor.
A pair of veterans had better nights. Senior guard Ja’Quan Newton, his con- fidence high and attitude changed from a midseason slump, had a team-high 17 points (7 of 16) andtied Huell with seven rebounds. Junior forward Anthony Lawrence Jr. — who said he was OK after playing through a tweaked ankle — had 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Both he and Newton went 2 of 2 from downtown.
But the Hurricanes, who were tied with the Heels at 50 with 10:42 to go, fell apart down the stretch. Despite the finish, they are a safe bet to be picked for the tournament for the third year in a row. They will not be near the top of the bracket.
Beginning this year, the committee will select at-large teams using a quadrant system. The most important of four quadrants is Quadrant 1: a team’s performance in home games against teams in the RPI top 30, neutral-site games against top50 teams and road games vs. top-75 teams. In those games, Miami, 26th in RPI, is 5-6, with its most important win coming at UNC (No. 5) on Feb. 27. That, plus an 11-8 mark in a tough ACC, makes for a middle-of-theroad resu m e. As of Friday afternoon, CBS Sports pegged the Hurricanes as a No. 6 seed. ESPN, The Athletic and TeamRankings put them on the 7-line.
“I think there’s only three teams in the ACC — no, four teams in the ACC with winning road records, and that’s Virginia, Duke, Carolina and Miami,” Larranaga said. “So, I think we’ve got as good a chance as anybody, even though we’re young and we do lack experience; but this will be our third trip [in a row] to the NCAA Tourna- ment, and that makes me and my coaching staff feel good no matter who we match up with.”
Miami might get a boost if standout sophomore guard Bruce Brown returns from a stress fracture in his left foot. Brown, who has missed the last 11 games, will be reevaluated Monday. Regardless of his availability, UM is confident it can last longer in the NCAA Tournament than it did at the ACCs.
“We can beat anybody,” Newton said. “Whoever we play, it’s going to be a battle.”
Added Lawrence: “We’re a young team, but we’re also good. No team’s going to be able to sleep on us.”
Walker said he was “humbled” by Thursday’s loss, calling it a “dagger in my heart.” He vowed it would make the Canes hungrier.
He compared the degree of heartbreak he felt to what he felt in 2016, when his Reading (Pa.) High squad lost in the state semifinals.
That’s evidence of his youth, of course. He had no Sweet 16 experiences or collegiate shining moments to which he could refer. That prep loss did, however, fuel Walker’s engine.
He led Reading to a state title the following year.
“As a wise man once told me,” Walker said, “the good thing is you’ve always got another game.”