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Cristobal enters Year 3 of the Miami rebuild, still driven by the pursuit of a return to prominence

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Cristobal enters Year 3 of the Miami rebuild, still driven by the pursuit of a return to prominence


CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Mario Cristobal is not a jewelry guy. Doesn’t wear any. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t possess a bunch of shiny, sparkling things.

Inside Cristobal’s office at Miami, there are at least a dozen of his rings on display. Rings from when he was a player for the Hurricanes. Rings from when he was an assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama. Rings from his time as coach at Oregon. He’s one of only nine current head coaches with multiple conference titles at what until this year was called the Power Five level, after guiding Oregon to a pair of Pac-12 crowns before coming home to Miami.

He won’t wear the next ring that comes his way, either. But he wants it. Badly.

“It’s an unbelievable, addicting feeling that you crave every second while you work,” Cristobal said of those ring-worthy victories. “Not necessarily because of the actual hardware, because I don’t wear any. It’s because of the moments, the accomplishments, the goal setting, the benchmarks that just keep the program on a certain trajectory.”

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Miami hasn’t had that moment yet under Cristobal. In Year 3 of his time as coach of the Hurricanes, he truly believes the program is getting closer. The Hurricanes open the season ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25, were picked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason poll, have the league’s preseason player of the year in transfer quarterback Cam Ward and have a roster transformed by tons of recruiting successes since Cristobal came back to his alma mater.

Now, it’s time to put pieces together.

“At our place we say how you do anything is how you do everything,” Cristobal said. “Whether it be the classroom, the community, how you are at home with your family, how you are in the community with people, how you are in a locker room, on the road, how you are when things are going well or when they’re not going so well and you face adversity. Greatness is being the absolute best you can be all the time. It’s a way of life.”

The rings show that he’s right. He led a turnaround at FIU, led a turnaround at Oregon, and — he believes — is in the midst of another at Miami.

“We have been working really hard to get to a point where our expectations for ourselves continue to grow,” Cristobal said. “We want those. We welcome those.”

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Ward the leader

Ward has energized Miami without taking a snap yet. The Hurricanes still have Emory Williams, who played well in his opportunities at quarterback last season for Miami, but the offense is engineered to run through Ward.

Ward said he’s already clicked nicely with his new head coach.

“I’m already a confident person,” Ward said. “But we have a head coach like that who is going to instill that in not only yourself but the whole team, offense and defense. It’s going to help us later in the season.”

More transfer keys

A pair of big-time transfer portal additions to watch: former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez and former Washington safety Mishael Powell.

Martinez ran for 2,167 yards in two seasons with the Beavers. Powell was a starter for the Huskies. Probably isn’t a coincidence that those two players — and Ward, too — all came from some of Cristobal’s rival schools from his Pac-12 days at Oregon.

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Restrepo chasing history

Xavier Restrepo enters this season 283 receiving yards away from 2,000 in his Miami career. If he gets there, he’d be the 10th Hurricane ever to do that — joining a list that includes Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin and Lamar Thomas.

Moss has the Miami record: 2,547. Restrepo needs 830 to tie him and finished last season with 1,092 yards.

Kicking game strong

Kicker Andres Borregales is back for his senior season and should continue his climb up Miami’s all-time scoring list.

Borregales was brilliant in 2023, connecting on 22 of 26 field-goal tries. He’s 56 for 67 on those in his Miami career and has 289 points through three seasons.

Michael Badgley (403) and Carlos Huerta (397) are Miami’s all-time leaders in points. Borregales might have a shot of chasing down their marks this season.

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The schedule

There might be a real argument for a “state championship” in the Sunshine State this year, since 2024 will mark only the fourth time in the last 20 seasons that Miami, Florida and Florida State will all play one another; the Hurricanes open in Gainesville against the Gators on Aug. 31. Florida State comes to Miami Gardens on Oct. 26.

Other games of note: home against Virginia Tech on Sept. 27, the return of former coach Manny Diaz when Duke visits on Nov. 2, and a finale at Syracuse on Nov. 30.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football





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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged

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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged


The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.

Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:


INJURY REPORT

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HEAT

Tyler Herro: Available – Toe

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Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle

Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin

Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team

TIMBERWOLVES

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Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot

Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot

Joan Beringer: Out – G League


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Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: TV: Peacock,

Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)

VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.

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PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Davion Mitchell

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G Tyler Herro

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C Bam Adebayo

F Norman Powell

F Andrew Wiggins

TIMBERWOLVES

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G Donte DiVincenzo

G Anthony Edwards

C Rudy Gobert

F Jaden McDaniels

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F Julius Randle

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Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198

Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)

QUOTABLE

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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”


For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.


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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket



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Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested

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Man shot during ,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested


Three men were arrested Saturday after a robbery inside a Miami clothing store left a man shot and hospitalized, according to Miami police and arrest affidavits.

The incident happened Friday afternoon in Miami’s popular Design District neighborhood.

Police said officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. Friday to the area of Miami Avenue and Northeast 41st Street after receiving reports of a man who had been shot. Officers found the victim, who told them he had been robbed and shot while shopping inside a Supreme store located at 45 NE 41st Street.

According to investigators, the victim said he was approached by three suspects inside the store, including one person with whom he had a prior conflict originating from the Atlanta area. Police said an argument broke out, and one suspect forcibly removed a gold chain from the victim’s neck. The chain was valued at approximately $22,000, according to police.

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As the suspect ran out of the store, the victim attempted to chase him, police said. During the pursuit, an unidentified male shot the victim once in the stomach. The suspects then fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz, according to the arrest affidavits. 

Miami Police detectives later located the suspect vehicle parked near Northeast 10th Avenue and Northeast 91st Terrace. Police said they conducted surveillance and observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and walk through a nearby residential area before entering a home in the 800 block of Northeast 90th Street.

A residential search warrant was executed, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. During the search, detectives recovered the victim’s gold chain, keys to the suspect vehicle, and clothing believed to have been worn during the robbery, police said.

The suspects were identified as Jamar McKay, 25, Omarion Phillips, 20, and Kevieon Smith, 21. McKay was charged with armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon. Phillips and Smith were charged as accessories after the fact, with Smith also facing an additional firearms-related charge, according to court records.

“This arrest sends a clear message: violent crime will not be tolerated in the City of Miami,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Individuals who commit acts of violence in our city will be identified, located, and held fully accountable.”

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations


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The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.

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The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.

The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.

In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.

Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.

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The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.

The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.

The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.



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