’Canes prepare for UNC with Lykes still doubtful

Miami Hurricanes preseason All-ACC guard Chris Lykes has been out for a month with an ankle injury, and there is no swift return in sight with Miami set to host North Carolina on Tuesday night at Watsco Center.

“[Lykes] hasn’t practiced a single moment, so not anticipating him playing [Tuesday],” UM coach Jim Larrañaga said on Monday.

Again without the senior guard who first injured the ankle on Dec. 4 against Stetson, Miami (4-4, 0-3 ACC), which already has frontcourt players Sam Waardenburg and Rodney Miller out for season, tries to avoid its first 0-4 start in ACC play in the 8 p.m. tip on ESPN against the Tar Heels (6-4, 1-2).

On top of having no update on Lykes, fellow senior guard Kameron McGusty is “sore, beat up,” Larrañaga said, after returning in Saturday’s 66-65 loss to Clemson from missing three games due to a hamstring injury.

“Whether or not we’ll have him for [Tuesday], I’m not sure yet,” Larrañaga said. “He’ll do very little [Monday] hoping that rest is a better way to treat that injury than having him get on the court and strain it again.”

Without Waardenburg and Miller, the Hurricanes are down to 7-foot center Nysier Brooks, forwards Matt Cross and Anthony Walker and reserve power forward/center Deng Gak in the frontcourt. They will have to face a Tar Heels front line that recently sent ACC Preseason Player of the Year Garrison Brooks to the bench for an expanded role for standout freshman Day’Ron Sharpe and also starts 6-10 Armando Bacot and brings 7-1 Walker Kessler off the bench.

“We’re not going to grow any taller, and they’re not going to shrink,” Larrañaga said. “It’s a matter of they have the advantage in size. What we have to do is, instead of one guy guarding them, the whole team has to guard those big guys. We got to surround them. We got to try to rebound with them.”

In the past two losses, by a combined 3 points to Clemson and Virginia Tech, UM has fallen behind early and had to come from behind. It was also the case in the Hurricanes’ 58-54 win over Purdue on Dec. 8.

“The common thread is we start to dig ourselves in a hole early in games,” Larrañaga said. “For us, with the roster as short as it is, everybody’s got to play well right from the very beginning to really give us the best chance. … One of our hopes is that we can get off to a better start and play from out in front one of these nights.”

While famed ESPN analyst Dick Vitale will be on the call from his home on Tuesday night, without fans in the arena due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there won’t be the same big-game atmosphere in Coral Gables as there usually would when UNC comes to town.

“I will be ready, and I know our team will be ready,” said sophomore guard Harlond Beverly, who has been elevated into the starting five since Lykes’ injury. “We will bring our own excitement and camaraderie, and just really excited to play.”

While injury-riddled, Miami recently had senior guard and Stony Brook transfer Elijah Olaniyi gain immediate eligibility four games ago and debuted freshman Earl Timberlake, who was out to start the season with an ankle injury, three games ago. With Olaniyi starting and Timberlake coming in off the bench, both are averaging 8 points per game.

“Just trying to be the team’s Swiss Army knife right now until we can get the full team back,” Olaniyi said.

Lykes