Miami was a five-seed in the NCAA tournament in March. They made a run to the Final Four with wins against the first-seeded Houston and second-seeded Texas along the way. And that’s after an Elite Eight trip the year before. This season, the Miami Hurricanes will look to stay strong despite their losses. They lost their two best players and contributors, but luckily, their other three starters returned. Because of that, they can still contend for an ACC title.
Check out my previous team here.
Preseason College Basketball Rankings: #23 Miami Hurricanes
Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller are both gone. That is a massive blow to Jim Larrañaga’s squad. But luckily, their other three starters returned. Norchad Omier had zero problems adjusting to ACC basketball after transferring from Arkansas State. He has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in all three years of his collegiate career. Nijel Pack returns to run the point. Together, he and Omier form one of the best inside-outside duos in the conference. Pack’s numbers decreased a little after transferring from Kansas State, but that was because of Wong and Miller. He is still their best-returning shooter. Wooga Poplar also returns. He played well a year ago after taking on a far bigger role. Bensley Joseph is going to be counted on to take a step forward in the backcourt.
Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland is the X-factor for this team. He was a high-volume scorer and rebounder out on the wing for the Seminoles the last two seasons. He is also the guy that Larrañaga is counting on to make up for the losses of Wong and Miller. Cleveland won the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2021-22 season. He should also help the team be a lot better on defense, something they struggled with last season.
A problem that the Hurricanes will have is their lack of size. Omier is really good, but he’s six-foot-seven. And they’re starting four guards. One of the young guys will have to step up to provide depth in the post. Power forward AJ Casey was a four-star recruit last year but only played 6.4 minutes per game as a freshman. Incoming freshman center Michael Nwoko is also a four-star recruit and is another option they have.
Miami Hurricanes Projected Lineup
PF – Norchad Omier (13.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG)
SG – Matthew Cleveland (13.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG)
SG – Wooga Poplar (8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG)
SG – Bensley Joseph (5.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG)
PG – Nijel Pack (13.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG)
