Big Monday Matchup
Feb. 1 | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Watsco Center | Coral Gables, Fla.
Miami (6-10, 2-9 ACC) vs. Duke (7-5, 5-3 ACC)
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – While fans might get particularly excited for big games, coaches cannot approach any one outing as more important than another.
When fans of a college basketball program see the letters D-U-K-E on the schedule, they certainly look at it as an exciting contest. For the University of Miami men’s basketball team, the Blue Devils are up next on their slate.
Inside the Watsco Center, though, the Hurricane coaching staff knows it is imperative to not treat this game any differently than if those letters were F-A-U, U-C-L-A, T-C-U, U-M-K-C, or anything else.
“Quite honestly, when you’ve coached as long as I have, every game is a big game, whether it’s a Big Monday game or some non-conference game,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “People tend to think, ‘Well, this is a big game because it’s Duke.’ That indicates that some big games are not nearly as important and that’s just not true. Every game is important and every game is a big game.
“If you don’t approach it that way and you send a message to your players that [a certain outing is not a] big game, then there is a very good chance they will not perform at their highest level because you’ve indicated to them, ‘Ah, this is no big deal,’” Larrañaga continued. “So, the answer to the question is—do we want to beat Duke? Yes, but we want to win every time we take the court. And if we lose, we want to learn from that experience so it can help us for the next game.”
Inopportunely for the Hurricanes, they have just six available scholarship players at the moment due to a rash of injuries. Even one of those six, leading scorer Isaiah Wong, departed Saturday’s 66-54 setback at Wake Forest with a right ankle injury with 2:17 to go.
With so few bodies available, Larrañaga will not be able to even run a real practice in the lone day his team has between the Wake Forest game and the Duke game.
That does not mean, though, the Hurricanes will not find other ways to get ready to take on the Blue Devils Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Watsco Center.
“Well, we’re always dealing with the same four things and it’s the four levels of commitment: the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual,” Larrañaga shared. “The physical is, the guys need to be in the training room treating their injuries. The mental is watching video and studying the opponent and putting together a game plan that we think will help us be successful tomorrow night. The emotional is to keep the players from getting so down about losing these games that they can’t get themselves up and allow themselves to perform at a high level. Spiritual is about team spirit and having guys who are not in the game, who are injured and not even in uniform cheering for their teammates, showing that they care about the results even if they can’t compete.”
Unfortunately, seven of Miami’s 11 scholarship players have missed at least game due to injury this season, giving many of them the chance to showcase their spiritual investment.
While all of them have tried to demonstrate their commitment to the team, two who have been out for a consistent, extended period of time have really impressed Larrañaga in how they have done so.
“Yeah, I think Chris Lykes and Sam Waardenburg in particular,” the two-time ACC Coach of the Year said. “I know fans have reached out to me and said they really have enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm by Chris and Sam. Rodney Miller Jr., has been involved, although recently he’s been on crutches and can’t really bounce around. So, that [spiritual commitment] been good to see.”
The Hurricanes have registered ample success against the Blue Devils in Larrañaga’s tenure, winning five of the first eight meetings and currently owning a 5-7 ledger over his nine seasons in charge.
Prior to Larrañaga’s arrival, Miami was just 2-15 against Duke, as the Blue Devils hold a 7-22 edge in the all-time series, including a 5-9 mark in Coral Gables.
Although his teams have fared well against Duke, Larrañaga knows the recipe for success this time around might be a bit different since his team is so shorthanded. Nonetheless, he knows there are essential areas his team can focus on when it takes the court on Big Monday.
“What’s really the most important is, is there a way we can control the tempo and slow their offense down? [We can do that] by taking good care of the basketball, being very selective at our offensive end, not turning the ball over and putting them in positions where we can score or get fouled on a consistent basis,” Larrañaga said. “Because, from a defensive standpoint, the way they play, they’ve got a number of guys who have gone from not playing up to their capability to now playing at a very high level. They’ve actually turned the corner, they’ve improved. They’ve got a group of young guys really playing with a lot more confidence and we can’t just get into a run-and-shoot game with them.”
Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt is leading Duke with 18.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, good for fourth second- and fourth-best in the ACC, respectively.
It is an even younger Blue Devil, though, who has Larrañaga’s attention as he gets his team ready for Monday’s affair.
“I think the whole key to their team has been the emergence of Jalen Johnson, who is an outstanding freshman. He’s probably going to vie for Rookie of the Year,” Larrañaga commented. “He’s so athletic and he’s a very difficult matchup for anybody, but very specifically us. We don’t really have anybody quite like him, so that it becomes a really good matchup. So, we’re probably going to have to figure out some strategy to counteract his athleticism.”
On the offensive end of the court, Miami will look to continue its recent 3-point barrage against the Blue Devils. The Hurricanes are shooting 18-of-39 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc over their last two games after going 25-of-110 (22.7 percent) in the prior six contests.
Against the Demon Deacons, Miami shot a season-best 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from long range. Redshirt senior guard Kameron McGusty went 3-of-4 from deep on his way to a game-high 17 points, while Wong, a sophomore guard, hit a career-high four 3-pointers and scored 14 points.
The Hurricanes’ other double-digit scorer in the game, sophomore forward Anthony Walker, made his third long-range shot in a span of two contests after logging just two previously in 2020-21. He finished with 13 points in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“The most significant thing is having Kam McGusty back. He’s a threat,” Larrañaga said of the uptick in 3-point shooting. “That helps Isaiah Wong because yesterday against Wake Forest they basically double-teamed him. Every time he tried to drive, there were two or three guys on him, which oftentimes led to a shot opportunity for Kam. When he starts making shots, then that opens up more things for Isaiah. And if Anthony Walker can continue to score the ball and Harlond Beverly can continue to distribute the ball to those guys and we get a little more balance in our offense, then that makes a major difference. Just having one more guy can who make a 3-pointer helps.”
Beverly indeed excelled at finding the open man Saturday afternoon, registering a career-best nine assists. That mark is the most by a Miami player since Lykes, now a senior guard, logged nine on March 8, 2019, at Virginia Tech late in his sophomore season.
Although Beverly eclipsed six assists for the first time as a collegian, his coach has actually seen him pass just like he did on Saturday many times before.
“He’s had a lot of games like yesterday where he got the ball to the open man, but the guy just couldn’t make the shot. So, if you don’t make the shot, [your teammate does] not get the assist,” Larrañaga said. “Yesterday, the guys were making the shot. He gets nine assists and only two turnovers, as compared to games where he had six turnovers and only two assists when, if the guy had just made the open shot, his assist-to-turnover ratio would be much better. What I tell the guys repeatedly—all the time—is in order to get an assist, just throw it to the guy who can make that shot. Unfortunately, he was throwing it to the guy and the shot just wasn’t going in. It’s so much nicer to have another 3-point shooter out there.”
In addition to facing a powerhouse opponent Monday, the contest will also serve as the Hurricanes’ #Fight4Literacy Game, promoting childhood reading and seeking to raise funds for CARE Elementary School and The Children’s Trust of Miami.
The coaching staff will wear #Green4Literacy wristbands and lapel pins in support of the #Fight4Literacy in Miami, where 59 percent of students do not read at grade level. Fans can visit https://pledgeit.org/miamifflw21 to donate, with every $10 providing two books to local children.
The action will be televised live on ESPN HERE, with Sean McDonough and Jay Bilas on the call. Compass Media Networks’ Bill Rosinski and Chucky Brown will have a national radio broadcast of the game, as well.
Joe Zagacki and Danny Rabinowitz will have the radio broadcast on 560 The Joe WQAM HERE, while action can also be heard on WVUM 90.5 FM HERE and in Spanish on WMYM 990 AM HERE. Live stats for the contest can be found HERE.
Following its game against the Blue Devils, Miami has five days before it squares off with No. 20/19 Virginia Tech, with action scheduled for Saturday at noon, live on ACC Network from the Watsco Center.
To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The 2020-21 Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball season is presented by First National Bank.
