Clearing up some local misconceptions about Hurricane Basketball

Isn’t Miami fattening up on the sisters of the poor and other Atlantic Sun teams?

Sure Miami has fattened up on some weak non league opponents as have many of the other teams in the Top 25. More importantly Miami is 5-0 in road and neutral site games, four of which were against teams that made the postseason last year. If Miami is going to enter the ACC Campaign unbeaten the Canes must defeat Winthrop on Saturday and Penn next Wednesday. Both teams were in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Miami has not been competitive in the ACC since joining the league.

I’d argue two things here: Miami has been much more prepared as a program in Basketball to face hostile ACC road crowds than in football. Secondly, I would argue the Big East when Miami was a member was for many years much tougher than the current ACC top to bottom.

First point: Many Miami Football fans didn’t understand what entering a conference with large state schools with even larger alumni bases would mean. The Hurricanes however were prepared in Basketball having hired a Head Coach who grew up around the ACC and had a previous stint as an assistant at Wake Forest. Thus the Canes have actually pulled upsets on the road in the league play winning at Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland among other destinations.

Football sadly has been the opposite story as since 2004 the whole program I feel has had a major culture shock about how difficult it is to run the gauntlet of four or five straight weeks of games against comparable opponents some on the road. While the Big East was under rated when Miami was a member for Football, the schedule was spread out in such a way, Miami rarely if ever (2001 being a very notable exception) played tough games three or four straight weeks.

Second point: Miami is the only team in Big East history to have beaten St John’s, U Conn, Syracuse and Georgetown on the road in the same season. The Hurricanes achieved that feet in 1998-99 and went 15-2 on the road within the league between 1998 and 2000. Miami’s program has since the mid 1990s been just about as strong away from home as it has been in its home arena. Why?; Lack of fan support at home, and recruits many of which have been from the big cities of the Northeast or the Carolinas who are comfortable away from south Florida.

Miami will get eaten alive in the ACC this season

Well you never know but I doubt it. The ACC has failed to impress me as a game in and game out Basketball conference since Miami joined the league. The league however does have the most active crowds and fan support, which is why much like the SEC in Football it has developed an undeserved reputation for being a superior league. As I said earlier I believe the Big East was much tougher when Miami was competing for the league title three straight years from 1998 to 2000. But what the ACC does have that the Big East doesn't is a bias towards full court wide open basketball something that this year's version of the Hurricanes aren't particularly comfortable playing.

College Basketball Doesn't Matter Until March

For me the most exciting part of the Basketball season isn't March Madness it is the two months of the conference season where teams play in tough venues on the road and underdogs can upset anyone at home behind a ruckus atmosphere. March Madness crowns a champion but the conference schedule makes a team and season.