2019-20 Miami men's basketball preview

Overview: Last season was a struggle for the Hurricanes, who after losing to Loyola-Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, failed to make the Big Dance and had their worst record since the 2006-07 season. Although the record may not show it, Miami was above the national average in points per game and three-point percentage. The backcourt of Lykes and Vasiljevic will maintain the shooting touch, with Lykes finishing 10th in the conference in scoring with 16.2 points per game despite his 5-foot-7 stature, while Vasiljevic shot 36.7 percent from deep last season. The addition of McGusty, who sat out last season after transferring from Oklahoma, will bring additional size and shooting to the guard position—the 6-foot-5 redshirt junior shot 40 percent from deep in Big 12 play.

Although there are questions at center with the departure of Ebuka Izundu, Larranaga will have the benefit of depth to address the problem. Miller and Gak are both returning from last season and will have a shot to play the 5 position. Waardenburg is a dynamic stretch-4 who, despite his 6-foot-10 stature, can step out and shoot as well as rebound and jockey for position in the paint.

One thing that needs to go right: A star emerges in the frontcourt and the Hurricanes return to the middle of the pack in the ACC.

One thing that could go wrong: There is no reliable go-to-guy like Miami has had in the past with the likes of Lonnie Walker and it loses a handful of close hard-fought conference games.