Miami: 24-6, 13-5 in the ACC
Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga
Leading Scorer: Sheldon McClellan (15.7 PPG)
Season Recap: ACC Coach of the Year Jim Larrañaga and his Miami squad are poised to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013, but the Hurricanes have some unfinished business to take care of in the ACC tournament first. Miami could have clinched a share of the regular-season title with a win Saturday against Virginia Tech, but instead suffered through a sloppy performance against an upset-minded Hokie squad, finishing the regular season tied with Virginia for second place behind North Carolina.
But that should not phase the Hurricanes, who enter the postseason with wins against Duke, Virginia, Louisville and Utah under their belts, and are a deep, experienced team ready for a run in March. A major reason why is the team’s talented backcourt. Redshirt senior Sheldon McClellan is one of the most dangerous shooting guards in the nation, posting 15.7 points per game and a 49.5 percent clip from the field, and Angel Rodriguez is a scrappy point guard that has a knack for getting by his man and dishing off to teammates around the rim. Center Tonye Jekiri is a force to be reckoned with in the paint, shooting better than 50 percent from the field and pulling down 9.1 rebounds per game.
All the pieces are in place for Miami, but a major question is whether it can avoid a major letdown like it did on Saturday in the loss to Virginia Tech. This has to be an area of concern for Larrañaga, whose team has also suffered disappointing losses to Clemson, N.C. State and Northeastern earlier in the season.
How they make a run: It's little wonder why the Hurricanes joined Virginia and North Carolina as the tournament's top three seeds—all are veteran-laden squads who have played in big-time games before. With Rodriguez and McClellan running the show and junior Davon Reed playing some of his best basketball of the season, Miami can score with anybody, but will have to clamp down defensively as they try to aim for a title in the Verizon Center, where Larrañaga's George Mason squad punched its ticket to the Final Four 10 years ago this month.
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