The Miami Hurricanes have started February with a bang. After losing three of its final five games to end January, the team took care of business on the road, beating lowly Boston College to improve to 18-5. The Canes need a great final month of the regular season to stay alive for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
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Today, the team took a step towards doing so. Despite playing a 2-7 team in ACC play, Miami didn’t have its way with the Eagles early on. In fact, UM went into halftime with a measly 34-33 lead. Despite having one of the worst offenses in the nation, Boston College’s scrappy defense gave the visiting Canes fits.
In the first half, the team got off to a sluggish start, as they shot 12-for-29 (41.4%) from the field. As has been the case all season, UM also struggled with turnovers, committing eight giveaways in the opening 20 minutes. Through the difficulties, Miami was still able to establish its strengths.
The team dominated on the glass, outrebounding BC 25-16, even collecting seven offensive boards. As has been the case all season, Jai Lucas loves to score using his bigs, and the Hurricanes were able to rack up 18 paint points. In the second half, UM was able to get an efficient performance from Malik Reneau.
After starting the game poorly by going 4-for-12, Reneau would make five of eight shots to score 10 second-half points. He would finish with 23 points and eight rebounds, leading the Canes in scoring for the 14th time this season. Also, Tre Donaldson turned on the aggression meter when needed once again.
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The floor general would only score one point and miss all four shot attempts in the first half. In crunch time, Donaldson would score 13 second-half points on 4-for-5 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. He would finish the contest with 14, eight, and seven.
Their most efficient performer was Shelton Henderson. The freshman continues to develop his game, and he put together another outstanding performance. Henderson would shoot 8-for-11, score 19 points, and collect six rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
Other than the Hurricanes’ top three options, the team also received solid outings from Dante Allen and Timo Malovec. Allen ended up starting in the backcourt as Tru Washington continues to sit out. Today’s game was the second he missed due to an unspecified personal matter.
Allen played 35 minutes, contributing a bit to each area on the score sheet. He would score seven points, dish out three assists, and grab six of his own rebounds. Malovec would make two 3-pointers as well.
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Jai Lucas briefly spoke about Washington’s situation, without giving much detail, during the pregame press conference. “He’s still dealing with some personal stuff, and we’re just here to support him, and whenever he’s ready to come back and rejoin the team, we’re here,” Lucas said. “We’re taking it day by day.”
The loss of Washington was felt in this contest, as the Canes had problems running away with this game. Their depth was mightily tested. UM was up by 10 points on two separate occasions and lost both leads. After leading for nearly the entirety of the game, BC’s Donald Hand Jr. gave the Eagles a 58-57 advantage with 5:31 remaining.
That would be the only time Boston College would have a lead, but they wouldn’t expand on it. However, they would hang around and, with 3:50 left, would tie the game at 61 with a 3-point jumper from Boden Kapke, who would end the afternoon as the Eagles’ second-leading scorer (18 points).
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Fortunately, UM would break open the game from that point. The visitors would go on a 14-4 run in the game’s final 3:30 to grab the victory. The final dagger would come on a trademark Ernest Udeh alley-oop from Donaldson with 30 seconds left.
With the win, Miami is now 13 games over .500 and has improved its ACC record to 7-3. As of now, the team is still in the hunt for a top-4 seed in the ACC. They trail both NC State and Virginia by one game, as both of those teams stand at 9-2 in the conference. UM is three games back of first place in the league.
With this win in their back pockets, the team heads back home for what promises to be the biggest game of the season. Miami will welcome the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels at the Watsco Center, as Miami is still searching for its first win over a ranked opponent and a team that’s currently ranked in the top 60 in the KenPom rankings.
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That game will take place on Tuesday. The atmosphere will most likely be the best the building will have all season, as the university will honor the football team for their Cinderella run to the CFP National Championship.
