Originally Posted by
CDu
I hate writing this so soon on the heels of such an awesome win, but the turnaround time is unfortunately short. We play Miami in Coral Gables Monday night.
Scouting Report:
The Canes are reeling. Various injuries have gutted the roster, at one point leaving them with just 5 scholarship players available. It is unclear exactly what team will be on the floor, but it will be far from full strength. Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg are out for the year, Earl Timberlake is out indefinitely, Chris Lykes has missed almost the entire season and is probably out, and Elijah Olaniyi is questionable. To make matters worse, Matt Cross left the program this week. So Coach Larranaga has been scrambling to keep the team afloat.
The results have been interesting. No, a 2-8 ACC mark doesn’t sound good. And it is not. But three of those losses were by a combined 5 points against Clemson, UNC, and @Va Tech, and they beat Louisville. Conversely, they lost by 22 to BC and 26 to Cuse, and even by double digits to Wake and ND. It has just been a rough, rough year.
Miami really struggles offensively in the absence of Lykes and their veteran frontcourt starters. They are weak pretty much across the board on that side of the ball. On defense, they contest inside shots really well and don’t foul much, but force no turnovers and rebound poorly, and are AWFUL defending the 3. Torvik and KenPom both have the Canes as a sub-175 ranked offense and fringe 75-100 defense. Not a good combination.
Hopefully our passing from yesterday continues to negate their shot blocking, and hopefully Chris Lykes remains out to sink their offense.
Centers: The absence of Miller and Waardenburg leaves just Nysier Brooks (7’0”, 240lb senior transfer from Cindy). Brooks is exactly what you might expect from a Cincy product: long, strong, and physical, but light on polish. He blocks shots and dunks, and not much else. Deng Gak (6’11”, 220lb 4th year soph from Australia) is the other option. GSK is long and very lean. He is a mobile athlete who blocks shots and has a developing offensive game. But he is still skinny and his shooting touch is very much a work in progress, and he has no post game at all. Gak will also play PF as needed.
Forwards: Anthony Walker (6’9”, 210lb soph) is the starter. He is by far the most polished of the bigs, but that isn’t saying much. Like Gak and Brooks, he can block some shots. His shooting is a bit better than his colleagues, but still not good. The frontcourt mainly screens for the guards/wings and looks to score off assists.
Wings: Kameron McGusty (6’5”, 190lb senior transfer from Oklahoma) is the best wing, and potentially the only wing still standing. McGusty reminds a bit of Sheldon McClellan: a long, rangy, athletic wing with solid shooting and ability to attack the rim. McGusty’s 3pt shot isn’t quite strong enough to be a star, but he can make them. McGusty is tough defensively and will get some steals. Ideally he is a team’s 4th/5th best player, but right now he is their #2 unless/until Lykes returns. After McGusty, the Canes have just walk-on Willie Herenton (6’2”, 180lb senior). Herenton isn’t an ACC level player, and if any of their guards/wings return he likely won’t see the floor. In terms of possibilities, Timberlake (6’6”, 215lb frosh) and Olaniyi (6’5”, 205lb senior transfer from Stony Brook) have been out with shoulder injuries. Timberlake is a Wendell Moore type, highly-rated recruit, but he is out indefinitely. Olaniyi is more like McGusty, but is questionable. Of the two, he seems more likely to return if any.
Guards: Lykes (5’7”, 160lb senior) is their superstar. He is a fearless player with unlimited range, tremendous quickness, and impeccable court savvy. A 1st Team All-ACC talent and the guy with the gravity to make their offense mediocre rather than abysmal. Unfortunately he hurt his ankle in December. It is unclear when he will return, but obviously he would be a game changer for them. In his stead, Isaiah Wong (6’3”, 180lb soph) has taken over as the leading scorer. Wong is a smooth athlet more than explosive, and is quite capable off the dribble. He is not a great shooter from 3, but he makes up for quality with quantity. More of a SG than a PG, he doesn’t really create for others. But he is a very good rebounder for a guard, and can get some steals. Harland Beverly (6’5”, 185 lb soph) is the other combo guard. Beverly is the more unselfish of the two, leading the team in assists. He is also a pesky defender, leading the regulars in steals. And like Wong, he is very willing to grab rebounds, actually leading the team in defensive boards. Beverly is turnover prone, and is a poor shooter from the perimeter.
If Lykes remains out, this is an absolute must-win, as Miami is probably the worst team in the conference without him. If Lykes returns... well it is still pretty much a must win. But with Lykes, they stand a puncher’s chance. Hopefully the confidence gained from the past two games makes this a comfortable win.