Matthew Cleveland is not “losing confidence in this team”
Miami lost to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 88-78 on Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center. Matthew Cleveland led the Hurricanes in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He told the media that he remains confident in the team and believes they have a group that knows what it takes to succeed.
"We know we have what it takes to win; it just comes down to the defensive end of the floor - just getting stops and getting rebounds. So I say that the biggest thing -I'm not losing confidence in this group or anything - it just comes down to the little things. Our offense is fine; we just have to get the stops at the end of possessions." Matthew Cleveland told the media.
Coming into the game today the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons averaged 61 points per game and the Hurricanes gave up their school high this year at 88 points.
Miami really needs to step up its defense, especially when it comes to guarding the low post and shooters. Hildreth had a field day against the Hurricanes, hitting 6 of 8 from three-point range. He was getting open looks way too easily, which shows that the team needs to tighten up its defense and it starts by taking away his shot.
At one point, Miami had eight possessions without getting a touch in the paint or even getting inside the three-point line. They need to get and have players cut instead of just lingering around the perimeter. When Kidd receives the ball in the post, he is often doubled, so someone needs to cut the middle. This way, Kidd can find the open man, and hopefully lead to success on the offensive end.
The Hurricanes will travel to Durham on January 14th to face the Duke Blue Devils, which are one of the best defensive teams that Miami will encounter this season, so adjustments are necessary to compete with Duke.
