Miami
2017-18 record: 22-10, 11-7 in the ACC
Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga
Tenure at Miami: 8th season
Career Coaching Record: 604-387
Starters: G Chris Lykes, G DJ Vasiljevic , F Anthony Lawrence II, F Dewan Hernandez (formerly known as Dewan Huell), F Sam Waardenburg
Bench: G Zach Johnson, C Ebuka Izundu, F Deng Gak, G Anthony Mack
Overview: A Loyola Chicago buzzer-beating 3-pointer ended Miami's 2018 NCAA tournament campaign much earlier than Hurricanes fans wanted or thought probable in the first round. The offseason offered Miami fans little comfort, as their 2018 recruiting class remained vacant and they lost their two most productive players to the NBA Draft and a third starter—Ja'Quan Newton—to graduation. Among the little positive news Miami fans got this season was the arrival of Zach Johnson, a graduate transfer from Florida Golf Coast, who averaged 16.1 points per game last season and dropped 37 in the Atlantic Sun championship game.
Although Miami lost 36.8 percent of its scoring from last season, it retained some significant experience, as its returning three starters—DJ Vasiljevic, Anthony Lawrence II and Dewan Hernandez—have a combined seven years of ACC play under their belts, and both sophomore guard Chris Lykes and senior center Ebuka Izundu saw significant minutes last season.
Lykes and Hernandez should continue their upward trends in production on a Miami squad with less potential NBA talent than in years past. The offense will run through Lykes this season, who should have plenty of help in the backcourt from Vasiljevic, who was No. 12 in the ACC in 3-point percentage, and a proven scorer in Zach Johnson. The knock on Lykes last season was his at-times indiscriminate shot selection, but this should improve as he gets more opportunities in the flow of the offense.
Hernandez nearly doubled his scoring output from the 2016-17 campaign last year and saw about 10 more minutes of action per game. If he’s able to improve on this leap and become a star forward in the ACC, Miami will have a reliable post option and rim protector and Hernandez will have a favorable spot on NBA Draft boards this spring.
One thing that needs to go right: Lykes and Hernandez prove to be sufficient scoring threats to keep Miami in games late and open up Vasiljevic and Johnson to fire from beyond the arc, pushing Miami to a finish in the upper tier of the ACC and an NCAA tournament berth.
One thing that could go wrong: Miami’s veterans fail to fill the scoring void left by their departing talent and their offense stagnates, featuring frequent forced attempts by Lykes.
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