‘Canes basketball head coach Jim Larranaga solemnly walks off the court after Miami’s 75-84 loss against FSU at the Watsco Center on Jan. 17, 2024. Photo credit: Alexandra Fisher
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Lionel Messi will not play for Inter Miami as the defending Leagues Cup champions begin their repeat bid on Saturday at home against Puebla, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said Friday.
The 37-year-old Argentine striker suffered a right ankle injury in his nation’s victory over Colombia in the Copa America final this month.
Messi missed two MLS matches last week and Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game against Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars.
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Martino said Messi remains in a walking boot as he works with club trainers but “the ankle is getting better and better,” according to the Miami coach.
Last year, Messi arrived at Inter Miami and led the club on a title run in the inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup, which features MLS and Mexican clubs in a World Cup-style format.
There are 15 three-team groups in the first round and two from each will advance to the knockout stages along with the reigning league champions, Club America and the MLS Columbus Crew.
This year’s opening matches were played Friday with host Orlando routing Montreal 4-1, DC United winning 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Atlanta and 10-man host Austin edging Mexico’s Pumas 3-2.
Icelandic midfielder Dagur Thorhallsson, Uruguay’s Facundo Torres and Argentine striker Ramiro Enrique gave Orlando a 3-0 half-time lead and Argentina’s Martin Ojeda added another goal in the 57th minute while Montreal’s Josef Martinez, a Venezuelan midfielder, averted a shutout loss in the 69th.
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Austin goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland denied a penalty shot by Pumas striker Guillermo Martinez in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time as the Texas club hung on after Osman Bukari’s red card in the 34th minute with Austin up 1-0 on Alexander Ring’s eighth-minute goal.
Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Driussi added goals for Austin while Martinez and Ali Avila scored for Pumas to set up the thrilling finish.
DC United’s scheduled home match against Santos Laguna next Wednesday at Audi Field was moved to the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union — Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania — due to concerns over field conditions in Washington.
Leagues Cup organizers fined DC United an undisclosed sum over conditions, with the club saying it is installing a new grass field at the stadium on July 31, a move that had been previously planned for August 1.
It appears Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro took a step back and reevaluated himself this offseason.
The former Sixth Man of the Year accomplished this through a physical change. Herro posted to his Instagram story Friday evening, revealing his new hairstyle: a buzz cut. The picture was followed by another photo of Herro rocking a durag during his days with the Kentucky Wildcats. It was captioned “Getting my waves together.”
He isn’t the only star athlete to make a drastic hair change, as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback showed up to training camp rocking a blonde buzz cut.
Now it’s time for Herro to transform himself on the court. Last year’s campaign was full of injuries as well as shooting inconsistencies. He appeared in just 42 games, knocking down 44.1 percent of his shots. The public can realize the score-first gene within him, but Herro’s yet to put the trait into motion.
If veteran star Jimmy Butler heads elsewhere next summer, Herro will have no choice other than stepping up behind All-Star Bam Adebayo. He’s averaged more than 20 points in three consecutive seasons, proving his ability to score at a high volume. Alternatively, a promising season from Butler could result in a change of scenery for Herro.
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The Heat guard making major strides in the upcoming season could turn ‘Buzz Cut Herro’ into a permanent look.
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.
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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPNJul 26, 2024, 04:06 PM ET
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Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.
MIAMI — For just the second time since Dan Marino retired, the Miami Dolphins have signed a quarterback to a multiple-year extension.
Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins that includes $167 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s the richest contract in franchise history and the guaranteed money is the eighth-most among quarterbacks.
It also ends a two-day standoff between Tagovailoa and the team, in which he was a minimal participant in Miami’s practices at training camp.
Tagovailoa joins Ryan Tannehill as the only quarterbacks to re-sign with Miami since Marino retired after the 1999 season. Tagovailoa, who the Dolphins selected fifth overall in 2020, is also the fourth quarterback from the 2020 class to sign an extension with the team that drafted him, joining Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
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“We’re strong believers in him. And you guys all feel (coach) Mike (McDaniel’s) passion about him when he talks about him,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in February. “Just in the two years of what he’s done, he’s grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there’s still another level he can take it.
“The way he’s attacked this and wants to be great and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there’s still another level which he could go.”
The Dolphins have publicly supported Tagovailoa over the past two years under McDaniel but offered their largest display of faith to date by giving the new deal.
Here’s how both sides got to this point.
Why did the Dolphins make a commitment to Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa was unremarkable during his first two NFL seasons, completing 66.7% of his passes for 4,467 yards and 22 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 2020 and 2021.
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He has blossomed under McDaniel while completing 67.4% of his passes. The Alabama product led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with a career-high 4,624, playing a full season for the first time in his career (more on that later).
His draft classmates got off to stronger starts to their careers, but Tagovailoa’s first two years in Miami were marked by a lack of continuity. The Dolphins cycled through three offensive coordinators and two quarterback coaches in those first two seasons before hiring McDaniel in February 2022.
Since McDaniel’s arrival, Tagovailoa has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards (8,172) and fifth-most touchdowns (54) in the NFL. Tagovailoa’s 102.9 passer rating and 67.4% completion percentage also rank second and fifth in the league, respectively.
The Dolphins have started 25 different quarterbacks since Marino retired at the turn of the century, but Miami believes Tagovailoa is its franchise cornerstone and has rewarded him as such.
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Is there any risk in the long-term deal?
Entering the 2023 season, there was considerable skepticism regarding Tagovailoa’s ability to stay healthy for an entire season — skepticism which he met by changing his offseason preparation.
Tagovailoa bulked up to 225 pounds and trained in a jiu-jitsu break-fall course to learn how to keep his head from hitting the ground as it did on three notable occasions in 2022. It worked, and he finished the 2023 season without any major injuries.
But while Tagovailoa has thrived inside the structure McDaniel has built, he has struggled to create when plays broke down. He ranked third in quarterback rating when he attempted a pass in under 2.5 seconds (78.9). Beyond 2.5 seconds, he dropped to 16th (43.2).
His off-target throw percentage doubled on passes that took longer than 2.5 seconds to throw, from 11.2% to 22.1%. Considering his concussion history, teams don’t fear him as a runner; he picked up five first downs on the ground in 2023, which ranked 41st among qualified quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa’s accuracy and anticipation are his trademark strengths. His playmaking ability falls short of some of his peers, such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, but the Dolphins are banking on his strengths outweighing his weaknesses moving forward.
What took so long?
The negotiations left Tagovailoa feeling “ansty” as he watched the Detroit Lions sign quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million deal with $170 million guaranteed.
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The feeling didn’t subside after the Jacksonville Jaguars inked Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million extension with up to $200 million in guaranteed money.
Tagovailoa was absent for a portion of the team’s offseason program prior to mandatory minicamp — which he attended, in full — and kept an eye on how the quarterback market was managed this offseason.
“I’m not blind to people that are in my position, who are getting paid,” he said. “Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had. We’re just trying to move that thing in the right direction to where everyone can be happy.”
The guaranteed money — which ended up being $167 million — Tagovailoa’s deal may have been a point of contention through the negotiating process, a front office source told ESPN in May. Tagovailoa’s durability concerns were prevalent entering the 2023 season (more on that later), but he played all 18 games for the Dolphins last season and seemingly debunked said concerns.
What does this mean for the Dolphins’ Super Bowl window?
It’s still open, but it’s time to capitalize.
Miami now has premier offensive players signed for the foreseeable future in Tagovailoa, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and running back De’Von Achane. The NFL’s top-ranked offense last season also added veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as well as rookie wideouts Malik Washington and Tahj Washington.
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With a couple tweaks and some good health, Miami’s offensive line is good enough to give its playmakers time to make an impact.
Defensively, the Dolphins have several young core players under team control, plus a star veteran in Jalen Ramsey. But the clock is ticking. Eventually, those budding stars will need contracts and Tagovailoa’s deal will ultimately hinder Miami’s ability to bring everyone back at market value.
The AFC features a gauntlet of talented quarterbacks Miami must get through to reach its first Super Bowl since 1984. It believes that, with Tagovailoa under center, it has enough to do exactly that.
