Miami, FL
CanesCounty – Live Game Thread and Preview: Miami Basketball Vs. Florida State
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 2024
WHERE: Coral Gables, FL, Watsco Center
TIME/TV: 7:00 EST/ACC Network
LIVE AUDIO: 560 WQAM
MIAMI: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
FLORIDA STATE: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
LINE: MIAMI -6.5
Miami (12-4, 3-2 ACC) defeated Virginia Tech 75-71 on the road in its last game.
Florida State (10-6, 4-1 ACC) defeated Notre Dame 67-58 in its last contest.
Series History
Miami returns to the Watsco Center on Wednesday to host in-state rival Florida State for the first of two meetings this season.
The all-time series between Miami and Florida State dates back to before the program rebirth, with the first game between the two schools occurring in 1950. Overall, Florida State is leading the series 54-37, but Miami holds a 27-17 advantage when playing at home. This is the 92nd meeting between Miami and FSU, the most games in any series in Miami program history.
The teams met twice in 2022-23, with each school coming away with a victory. The last meeting came on Feb. 25, 2023, an upset win for Florida State in Coral Gables. The Seminoles came back from down 25 to defeat the Hurricanes 85-84 on a last-second 3-pointer by Matthew Cleveland (yes, the Matthew Cleveland who now plays for the Hurricanes).
It’s been six years since Miami last defeated Florida State in the Watsco Center (W, 80-74, 1/7/18).
Last Game
Miami recorded its first true road win on Saturday, defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies, 75-71, in Cassell Coliseum.
The game featured eight ties and ten lead changes and was a single-digit game for the second half. Ultimately, Miami used a 65 percent second-half shooting effort to take the victory and move to 3-2 in ACC play.
Notable Miami Statistics
Nijel Pack has found his rhythm from 3-point range, shooting 51.6 percent (16-of-31) over the last seven games, with just one game under 50 percent.
Conversely, in the season’s first seven games, Pack was 37.8 percent (14-of-37) from distance with five games under 50 percent. When Pack shoots above 50 percent from 3-point range, the Hurricanes are 6-2, with the only losses coming to Colorado and Wake Forest.
Pack is just 22 points away from 1,500 career points, which will make him one of 77 active Division I players to eclipse the 1,500-point mark. When he reaches the milestone, Miami will be one of 13 teams with two active 1,500-point scorers, as Norchad Omier sits at 1,558 career points.
Junior Cleveland eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark Saturday against Virginia Tech, pouring in 21 points to bring his career total to 1,010. Miami is one of 39 Division I teams with three 1,000-point scorers on the roster. However, only 14 of the 39 (Miami included) have a true junior as one of the scorers.
Only 31 Division I players are averaging 15.0 or more points and shooting 55 percent from the field this season, and two of them play for Miami – Omier (17.3 ppg, .619 FG%) and Cleveland (16.4 ppg, .560 FG%). Miami is the only school with two players recording those numbers. Furthermore, Cleveland and Omier are the only ACC players with those stats.
Since the calendar flipped to 2024, Cleveland has averaged 20.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Cleveland has scored in double-figures in 15 of 16 games and sits second on the team, scoring at 16.4.
Cleveland has been dominant in ACC play through five conference games, averaging 19.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in league play. In conference games, only Cleveland ranks in the top ten in the ACC in five categories: scoring (19.4 – 2nd), field goal percentage (58 percent – 5th), steals (2 – 3rd), and minutes played (37.6 – 1st).
The Hurricanes are 21-2 (.913) when Omier has a double-double since he joined the team (2022-23).
Omier is currently one of three ACC players (Kyle Filipowski & Quinten Post) in the top 10 in the conference in scoring (eighth) and rebounding (third).
The forward is one of four Division I players to average 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and shoot 60 percent from the field this season (Zach Edey, Purdue; Hunter Dickinson, Kansas; Joel Soriano, St. John’s).
The Opponent
Notable Florida State Statistics
The Seminoles enter Wednesday’s contest on a four-game win streak, most recently defeating Notre Dame, 67-58.
Three Seminoles are averaging double-figures this season, paced by Jamir Watkins at 13 points per game. Watkins enters Wednesday’s game against Miami, looking to become the first player in Florida State history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.
Through the first 16 games of the season, he is averaging a team-leading 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Watkins is the only ACC player leading his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.
Junior Jalen Warley enters Wednesday’s game against Miami with 99 career steals in the first 79 games of his career. He averages 1.3 steals per game and needs just one steal to reach 100 for his career. Warley has ten steals in four career games against Miami, including three in two games between the teams during the 2022-23 season.
Florida State enters Wednesday’s game at Miami ranked second in the ACC in steals with 147 and a 9.2 steals per-game average. The Seminoles totaled ten steals in their victory over Wake Forest and nine on the road in their win over Maimi.
Florida State averages 8.5 steals per game (34 total steals) during their current four-game ACC winning streak. The Seminoles have earned 10 or more steals in six different games and totaled a season-high 17 steals in their win over No. 18 Colorado in the championship game of the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach on November 21.
Darin Green is ranked fifth in the ACC with 42 3-point field goals made, eighth in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage (.408), and seventh in the ACC with a 2.63 3-point field goals made per game average. He has made multiple 3-point shots in each of the last eight games and has made numerous 3-point shots in 14 of Florida State’s 16 games this season.
Miami Athletics and Florida State Athletics Contributed to this report
Talk with Canes Fans about the game on Inside Canes Hoops
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
A wildfire has scorched over 11,000 acres in Florida’s Everglades, just outside the Miami metro suburbs, prompting officials to warn nearby residents of dangerous smoke.
The Max Road Miramar Fire is straddling the line between Miami-Dade and Broward counties. At least 11,000 acres have been burned, and the fire is 80% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.
The fire was first reported Sunday. The Pembroke Pines Police Department said that drivers stopping to watch the fires along US-27 were causing dangerous traffic backups.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they were working with state forest officials to protect nearby properties.
Florida Senator Rick Scott urged people on social media to adhere to any local road closures.
Aerial footage showed flames in the vicinity of a local subdivision, and smoke could be seen billowing for miles.
This comes in the middle of Florida’s wildfire season, which is being compounded by a historic drought ongoing across the state.
Almost 2,000 wildfires have burned nearly 120,000 acres just since the start of the year, the forest service said earlier this month.
Wildfires south of Jacksonville canceled and delayed Amtrak service last month.
While the vast majority of the state is under Exceptional or Extreme Drought conditions, Miami itself is roughly an inch below average rainfall, year-to-date.
However, parts of the Everglades are also experiencing Extreme Drought.
Fire officials are warning residents to take precautions if smoke is impacting your area. Those with respiratory conditions, older adults and children may be especially sensitive to smoke exposure.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is advising people to stay indoors when possible and set home and vehicle A/C systems to recirculate.
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