Hey, remember us? The guys who posted three game recaps and a couple game previews before going MIA (no pun intended) for the last week? Life happens and we weren’t able to post for the last couple games, but we’ll try to do better going forward (no promises). Anyways, let’s check out Miami’s matchup with South Carolina State tonight.
Courtesy: University of Miami
Opponent Breakdown
South Carolina State is not very good. The Bulldogs hail from the MEAC, and bring an RPI ranking of 228 to the table. Prior to defeating the Vorhees Tigers of the NAIA last week (a win that literally doesn't count), SCST had lost four in a row, including 92-50 and 101-59 drubbings by South Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. SCST does have a top 20 SOS to date, but the Canes should take care of business on home court.
South Carolina State ranks 331st in points per game, 345th in rebounds, and 340th in points allowed. SCST only has two players averaging double-digits in points (senior guard Eric Eaves and junior guard James Richardson) and no players averaging more than 5 rebounds per game.
What to Watch For
Miami should win this one big, but it will be interesting to see if the Canes can put up a consistent performance for 40 minutes, something Miami has yet to do this season. The last two games against soft opponents Rutgers and Wofford saw Miami pull away after mental lapses allowed each opponent to climb back into the game during the second half. Consistency from Amp, Quan, Reed, Murphy, and pretty much everyone else has been hard to come by this year. While the Canes have gotten away with it for the most part against inferior opponents, the ACC will be far less forgiving.
One other area to keep an eye on is Ja’Quan Newton’s approach on the offensive end. While we won’t delve into the Great Ja’Quan Newton Point Guard Debate here (that's for another time), it appears Larranaga agrees with many Canes fans and has begun to utilize Newton on the wing more often.
Expect Larranaga to come out with the same lineup as the past few games: Newton, Reed, Brown, Huell, and Murphy. Dewan Huell should continue to develop and have a big game against a substantially outmatched SCST frontcourt. If all goes well, our boy Mike Robinson will hopefully get some burn and maybe even get on the score sheet for the first time this season.
Looking Ahead
Miami finishes the nonconference schedule out with winnable games against FAU, George Washington, and Columbia before starting conference play against NC State at the Wat on New Year’s Eve. All four of Miami’s remaining conference games are extremely winnable and are good opportunities for the Canes to continue to work to improve (especially on the offensive end) before facing the gauntlet that is ACC conference play.
How to Watch
Where: #PackTheWAT – Seriously. Tickets are dirt cheap on StubHub so go support the boys if you’re local
When: December 6th at 7:00pm
TV: ACC Digital Network (check our Twitter for updates on how to watch in your local market if available)
Stream: WatchESPN.com
Tweets: @HardwoodU – Remember, even if we’re slacking and aren’t able to get anything up on CIS, we’re always on Twitter talking about every game.
Courtesy: University of MiamiOpponent Breakdown
South Carolina State is not very good. The Bulldogs hail from the MEAC, and bring an RPI ranking of 228 to the table. Prior to defeating the Vorhees Tigers of the NAIA last week (a win that literally doesn't count), SCST had lost four in a row, including 92-50 and 101-59 drubbings by South Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. SCST does have a top 20 SOS to date, but the Canes should take care of business on home court.
South Carolina State ranks 331st in points per game, 345th in rebounds, and 340th in points allowed. SCST only has two players averaging double-digits in points (senior guard Eric Eaves and junior guard James Richardson) and no players averaging more than 5 rebounds per game.
What to Watch For
Miami should win this one big, but it will be interesting to see if the Canes can put up a consistent performance for 40 minutes, something Miami has yet to do this season. The last two games against soft opponents Rutgers and Wofford saw Miami pull away after mental lapses allowed each opponent to climb back into the game during the second half. Consistency from Amp, Quan, Reed, Murphy, and pretty much everyone else has been hard to come by this year. While the Canes have gotten away with it for the most part against inferior opponents, the ACC will be far less forgiving.
One other area to keep an eye on is Ja’Quan Newton’s approach on the offensive end. While we won’t delve into the Great Ja’Quan Newton Point Guard Debate here (that's for another time), it appears Larranaga agrees with many Canes fans and has begun to utilize Newton on the wing more often.
Expect Larranaga to come out with the same lineup as the past few games: Newton, Reed, Brown, Huell, and Murphy. Dewan Huell should continue to develop and have a big game against a substantially outmatched SCST frontcourt. If all goes well, our boy Mike Robinson will hopefully get some burn and maybe even get on the score sheet for the first time this season.
Looking Ahead
Miami finishes the nonconference schedule out with winnable games against FAU, George Washington, and Columbia before starting conference play against NC State at the Wat on New Year’s Eve. All four of Miami’s remaining conference games are extremely winnable and are good opportunities for the Canes to continue to work to improve (especially on the offensive end) before facing the gauntlet that is ACC conference play.
How to Watch
Where: #PackTheWAT – Seriously. Tickets are dirt cheap on StubHub so go support the boys if you’re local
When: December 6th at 7:00pm
TV: ACC Digital Network (check our Twitter for updates on how to watch in your local market if available)
Stream: WatchESPN.com
Tweets: @HardwoodU – Remember, even if we’re slacking and aren’t able to get anything up on CIS, we’re always on Twitter talking about every game.
Go Canes!
