Miami, FL
Sims: Miami MBB is running out of time – The Miami Hurricane
38 points.
The Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team just recorded its lowest point total in a collegiate basketball game since men’s basketball was reinstated at the school in 1985 with 38 points against Virginia last Monday night.
The game in Charlottesville encompassed everything that has gone wrong for the Hurricanes this season. From start to finish, it was a disaster for Miami. Freshman sensation Kyshawn George was injured right away, continuing the streak of injured UM starters.
The ‘Canes got off to a hot start, leading 7-2, but failed to convert almost anything after that.
“The game. They just outplayed us in every aspect of the game,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga told reporters after being asked what happened after a solid opening to the game. “We didn’t play well. They played really well. Thank you for your attention.”
Larrañaga proceeded to walk out of the press conference, disgusted at the product his team displayed on the floor that night.
This is not the first time that Miami has been outplayed or put forth a poor effort. The ‘Canes have developed some detrimental habits this season that were not seen in last season’s phenomenal Final Four run.
These indiscretions were overlooked at the start of the year, as Miami started 11-2 with impressive wins over Kansas State and then 16th-ranked Clemson. Since that point, Miami is 4-6 without a signature win in that span.
Some of the issues that have plagued Miami are due to injuries. All but one of Miami’s starters have spent time on the sidelines with injuries this season. Juniors Wooga Poplar, Norchad Omier and Matthew Cleveland have all missed time this season, in addition to the new injury to George. The ‘Canes have not been able to be consistently healthy in ACC play. Just when they get back to full strength, the injury bug strikes again.
“For me, it’s very frustrating,” Larrañaga said. “Practice does not look like it should. We miss our starting unit no matter who is out.”
The ‘Canes rely heavily on their starters. With the emergence of Kyshawn George, Miami can have a six-man rotation. Either way, the bench for UM is very thin. Omier leads Miami in points and rebounds per game with 17.6 and 9.8, respectively. The Nicaraguan native also leads the ACC in double-doubles with 12. Cleveland, Pack and Poplar all average at least 13.9 points and are keys to making Miami one of the better offensive teams in the country.
While Miami can score, it has had issues with turnovers. The ‘Canes are third in the ACC with 12.5 turnovers per game. These wasted possessions have led to massive scoring droughts that can put the ‘Canes out of games.
When Miami’s offense is on, it’s really good. But when the Hurricanes offense is off, it’s really off. There have been multiple stretches over the past few games where Miami has gone upwards of eight minutes without a made field goal. For a team that has hopes of making it back to the dance, that cannot continue to happen.
Currently, Miami is tied for seventh in the ACC with Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The ‘Canes are 15-8 overall and 6-6 in the ACC. The Hurricanes have eight games remaining on their schedule before the ACC tournament. All of those games are against ACC teams, including two games against Boston College, a home game versus Duke, and two matchups against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The first of those games happens this Saturday when the third-ranked Tar Heels come to Coral Gables.
It’s tough to find Miami in any projected NCAA tournament bracket right now. A majority of media outlets have four teams representing the ACC in March. The ‘Canes may very well have to rely on a run in the ACC tournament to convince the selection committee that they are worthy of an invitation to the dance.
Still, all of the wins that the ‘Canes can get improve their chances. And that starts this Saturday when the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels march into the Watsco Center to take on the Hurricanes.
UM has had some time to rest after the embarrassing display on Monday. Returning home, the task does not get any easier.
North Carolina is a powerhouse team, and while they just faltered against Clemson, teams this good don’t lose two games in a row very often. The top team in the ACC this season is led by RJ Davis and his 21.3 points per game. The Heels have four scorers in double figures that aid in their ACC-best 82.8 points per game.
The big-man matchup will be another spectacle. Omier and Tar Heel big man Armando Bacot know each other well after ACC battles over the past two seasons. Both are double-double machines and are leaders down low for their squads.
Miami has their work cut out for them, but with the brief hiatus and a chance to get healthy, this could be an opportunity to collect a marquee win.
It’s a sold-out crowd for this much-anticipated matchup in South Florida. Tip-off for this game is set for 4:00 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN.
Cain and Kushner are launching a South Florida real estate joint venture, planning a luxury apartment tower in Edgewater for their first project, The Real Deal has learned.
London-based Cain, led by Jonathan Goldstein, and New York-based Kushner, led by Laurent Morali and Nicole Kushner Meyer, plan a 40-story, 364-unit project on Cain’s 1.5-acre site at 614 and 720 Northeast 27th Street in Miami, according to a news release. The property is near the Missoni Baia condo tower that Cain co-developed with Vlad Doronin’s OKO Group.
BDT & MSD Partners provided a $42 million loan for the project, which is in the pre-development phase. Construction is expected to start late next year, the release says.
The Cain-Kushner JV is targeting residential and mixed-use investments and developments in the tri-county region.
“We are looking at all opportunities that we think are sensible,” Goldstein said.
Their South Florida JV comes as the region is experiencing another influx of out-of-staters after the pandemic-era boom, only this time the in-migration is primarily of wealthy individuals and their companies amid the blue-to-red-state migration.
Yet, Cain and Kushner’s plans for Edgewater apartments come as the multifamily market has softened due to hefty deliveries in recent years. A record 18,600 units were completed in 2024, outpacing leasing that year by about 20 percent, CoStar Group data shows. Although construction starts have slowed, last year’s 12,718 unit completions still surpassed total leasing for the year by about 1,000 apartments.
It has led to slower lease-ups, more concessions and a drop in the average asking rents across South Florida.
Developers starting projects now have said demand will catch up by the time they finish their buildings, with many adding that South Florida remains a strong apartment market. Many are betting on luxury rentals, which CoStar’s data showed made up the bulk of leasing in recent years.
“We are big believers in South Florida and big believers in Miami,” Goldstein said.
Cain, backed by Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, has been investing in South Florida for nearly a decade, with the JV in some ways marking its second chapter in the region.
Cain’s most recent project is the Delano Miami Beach renovation. The hotel, which closed in 2020, is expected to reopen in time for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix early next month.
Aside from the Missoni Baia condo tower, Cain also partnered with OKO on the Una Residences condo tower in Brickell and the 57-story 830 Brickell office tower. The office building was completed in 2024 fully pre-leased, catching a demand surge during the pandemic-era in-migration of out-of-state companies to Miami. Cain also is an investor in Doronin’s hospitality firm Aman Group.
Kushner has a presence in Miami’s Edgewater, completing the 37-story, 420-unit apartment tower at 2000 Biscayne Boulevard in 2024, with plans for more residential development next-door at 1900 Biscayne Boulevard. It also purchased the 276-unit Hamilton apartment building at 555 Northeast 34th Street from Aimco.
Elsewhere, Kushner plans a 932-unit multifamily development at 300 West Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. It borrowed a $115 million construction loan last year for a luxury 68-unit apartment project in Surfside. And it scored approval in October for a 470-unit rental building and synagogue development near Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Cain scores $4B financing for One Beverly Hills megaproject
Development
South Florida
Natiivo Fort Lauderdale site heads to auction after $26M foreclosure judgment
Development
South Florida
Cain’s Jonathan Goldstein on his next Miami project, the branded condo bandwagon and Brickell’s office market
Read more
The right-hander consistently set the tone early, either landing a first-pitch strike or inducing a foul
The Miami Heat are heading into another crucial offseason, and they MUST make changes. This team has been mediocre for the past few seasons and has been stuck in the Play-in Tournament. The Heat can’t currently compete with the way the roster is constructed. They need to trade for a star who can lead this team, and if a star becomes available, Miami will be involved. The real question is which direction actually makes the most sense.
The Heat could go after three potential targets this summer: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Donovan Mitchell. Who should Miami target? Let’s stack rank them based on fit, risk, and potential.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Only Move That Changes Everything
The Miami Heat need to go all-in for Giannis. This is a trade that would completely reshape the franchise. Giannnis could potentially turn the Heat into a contender overnight. Even with his recent injury cutting his season short, nothing about his overall impact has changed. He still bends defenses in a way very few players can. Teams build entire game plans around simply trying to slow him down, and most of the time, it doesn’t work.
The Miami Heat have desperately needed a true superstar who can take over games late in crunch time. The Heat have been relying on undrafted players and role players to create and execute their offense. Giannis flips that instantly by creating advantages on his own, possession after possession.
I think the most interesting part will be pairing Giannis with Bam Adebayo. They would automatically become the best defensive frontcourt duo in the NBA. Giannis and Bam could both guard 1-5, and their switchability and rim protection would be elite. Offensively, Bam’s versatility allows Giannis to stay aggressive without needing to adjust his game too much.
The risk is obvious. Injuries have started to creep into the conversation, and committing everything to one player always carries weight. Still, Miami has never been a franchise that plays it safe. If Giannis is available, the conversation starts and ends there.
2. Donovan Mitchell: The Cleanest Basketball Fit
If Giannis is the bold swing, Mitchell is the move that makes the most basketball sense from top to bottom. At this stage of his career, Donovan Mitchell knows exactly who he is as a player. He can control tempo, create offense in isolation, and take over stretches of games when things stall out and that is something Miami has struggled with consistently.
This is less about transforming the roster and more about fixing a specific problem. The Heat have lacked a reliable perimeter engine. Mitchell fills that gap immediately. What makes him especially appealing is how easily he fits into different lineups. He doesn’t need the ball every possession to be effective, but he can handle that role when needed. That flexibility matters on a team that values structure as much as Miami does.
There’s also a timeline advantage here. Mitchell is younger than the other options and doesn’t come with the same long-term durability concerns. He gives Miami a clearer runway to build around, rather than a shorter window that demands immediate results. He may not bring the same overwhelming presence as Giannis, but he raises the overall level of the team in a way that feels sustainable.
3. Kawhi Leonard: Elite Talent With Too Many Variables
When Kawhi Leonard is available and healthy, he’s still one of the most controlled and efficient players in the league. His season with the Los Angeles Clippers was a reminder of that. Playing 65 games was a big step, and when he was on the floor, he looked like himself, methodical, physical, and impossible to speed up. From a pure basketball standpoint, he fits Miami’s identity. He defends, doesn’t force offense, and thrives in structured environments.
The hesitation comes from everything outside of that. Kawhi’s availability has been unpredictable for years, and even in seasons where he plays a high number of games, there’s always uncertainty about how things will hold up deep into a playoff run. Age adds another layer. Miami wouldn’t just be trading for a player; they’d be betting on a timeline that may already be shrinking. There’s no denying the upside. A healthy Kawhi still moves the needle in a big way. It’s just harder to justify that gamble compared to the other two options.
Final Take
Each path offers something different. Giannis is the all-in swing that could put Miami back in the championship conversation overnight. Mitchell is the calculated move that stabilizes the offense and fits long-term. Kawhi is the wildcard, still elite, but with more uncertainty than the Heat can comfortably ignore.
If Miami is serious about breaking out of the middle, they need to pick a direction and commit fully. Giannis is the dream, Mitchell is the smartest bet, and Kawhi is the toughest sell.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Education9 seconds agoOpinion | Yale Has Come Up With a Surefire Way to Make a Terrible Situation Worse
-
Technology6 minutes agoThe Iranian women Trump ‘saved’ from execution are simultaneously real and AI-manipulated
-
World12 minutes agoFormer Mexican beauty queen found shot dead as investigators examine possible family involvement: reports
-
Politics18 minutes agoManhattan DA’s office employee charged with sexual abuse after alleged incident on Queens subway
-
Health24 minutes agoRed hair may be increasing as study points to surprising evolution trend
-
Sports30 minutes agoTrump envoy asks FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in 2026 World Cup: report
-
Technology36 minutes agoBooking.com data breach exposes traveler data to scams
-
Business42 minutes agoAngry Altadena residents ask officials to halt Edison’s undergrounding work