On the heels of a wild, topsy-turvy, triple overtime win over Boston College on Saturday, Syracuse men’s basketball (11-13, 5-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) visits conference basement-dweller Miami (5-18, 1-11 ACC) with a chance to solidify its position in the ACC Tournament field with seven games remaining.
Miami, put simply, has had a nightmare season. Just two seasons removed from a trip to the Final Four, the Hurricanes saw their roster decimated by transfer portal departures and, after a troublesome start, longtime head coach Jim Larrañaga stepped down mid-year. In his place, veteran assistant Bill Courtney hasn’t fared any better. The ’Canes are 1-10 in 11 conference games since Courtney took over for Larrañaga.
“Scoring has been our issue,” Courtney said last week. “We just haven’t been making our shots and we’re turning the ball over a little too much.”
Jim Larrañaga on why he’s stepping down:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 26, 2024
"I'm exhausted... What shocked me beyond belief, was after we made the Final Four, 8 of my players said they were gonna leave. You have to ask yourself, as a coach, what is this all about?"pic.twitter.com/KQ7mU5ykfN
The lone ACC win for Miami came last week, at home against Notre Dame – a team against which Syracuse split a pair of games this season. Matthew Cleveland, the team’s leading scorer at 16 points per game, led the way with 21 against the Fighting Irish.
Meanwhile, Syracuse picked up a key win for its ACC Tournament hopes – remember, only 15 of the league’s 18 teams qualify for the postseason – against Boston College Saturday. With a win against Miami on Tuesday, SU can extend its cushion for the final ACCT spot to three games over BC.
Against the Eagles, Orange guard JJ Starling took over down the stretch. The junior scored 22 of his 28 points after halftime. Center Eddie Lampkin Jr. added 14 points and 18 rebounds of his own. SU secured a 95-86 win after three overtimes.
“I thought everyone that stepped on the court contributed,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said after the win. “I’m just so proud of this team and the resilience. We made some mistakes but they never wavered.”
Against Miami, SU center Naheem McLeod could be a candidate to earn increased minutes of the bench. The 7-foot-4 senior has appeared in only nine of his team’s 24 games this season, but has played in each of the last three contests. He scored a season-high 10 points against Duke last Wednesday, and appeared for five minutes against BC on Saturday.
Miami’s tallest player, 6-foot-10 Lynn Kidd, contributes 11 points and seven rebounds per contest. McLeod, with a six-inch height advantage, could play a key role in Syracuse’s plan to limit Kidd’s impact.
When SU and Miami faced last year, an instant classic ensued at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange prevailed, 72-69, after guard Quadir Copeland drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer as time expired. The Hurricanes were 12-6 at the time.
Syracuse and Miami tip from the Watsco center in Coral Gables at 7 Tuesday. WAER’s McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff begins at 6:30 on 88.3 FM and waer.org.