‘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.
President Donald Trump on Monday teased the plans for his presidential library in Miami.
Trump posted a video on Truth Social that shows a tall, glass building with a large needle on top. The building has his last name in gold lettering across its facade, an American flag hanging down the middle and a presidential plane displayed on the first floor. (A Boeing 747 given to Trump by the Qatari government is set to be displayed in his presidential library once he leaves office.)
The size of the proposed building dwarfs the nearby Freedom Tower, a downtown Miami landmark that carries special significance to Cuban immigrants in Florida — a key demographic that helped Trump win historically blue Miami-Dade County in 2024.
The video also shows replicas from Trump’s time in the White House, including the Oval Office, the West Colonnade featuring his so-called presidential walk of fame and his anticipated ballroom.
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The presidential library will be designed by the Miami-based architecture and engineering firm Bermello Ajamil.
The site of the library — a prime piece of Miami real estate that borders the city’s waterfront — is a nearly 3-acre property valued at more than $67 million. The parcel became the source of a legal battle last fall after a federal judge paused the transfer of the land from a local college to the state. The judge ultimately threw out the case in December and allowed the transfer to continue.
The proposed site is not far from Trump National Doral, a resort owned by Trump’s family business.
In his Truth Social post sharing the video, Trump also included a link where people can donate to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation Inc.
Jon-Eric Sullivan — new Miami Dolphins general manager — has been busy acquiring a war chest of draft picks for the 2026 NFL Draft. The team currently has 11 picks in April’s selection process — including two first rounders and four third round picks.
While the team has plenty of holes in their roster that desperately need to be filled, could Sullivan’s stockpiling of picks have been conducted with the idea that the Dolphins want to move up in the first round of the draft in order to land an elite prospect?
Yesterday, Washington Commanders beat writer, Josh Taylor, dropped an interesting social media post where he said that he’s heard from two separate sources that the Dolphins and Commanders are in talks about a trade that would see Washington trade back from pick #7 in the first round in order for Miami to move up from pick #11.
Again, with Miami needing to upgrade at so many positions, it’s hard to guess which player the team might be targeting, but safety Caleb Downs, offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, linebacker Sonny Styles, defensive linemen Rueben Bain and David Bailey are just some of the names that the Dolphins could be interested in.
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Of course, as Taylor states, these whispers could remain just that — whispers.
With the Dolphins in full-on rebuilding mode, the team needs to bring in as many young, talented players as possible. Trading away draft picks instead of adding more would not help them to accomplish that goal. However, with the 2026 NFL Draft kicking off in less than a month, we won’t have to wait long to discover what Sullivan’s ultimate plan for his first draft as Dolphins general manager ultimately ends up being.
Witness video captures immediate aftermath of police shooting in Downtown Miami
MIAMI — Video captured by a witness shows what happened after a police shooting that occurred on Saturday in Miami.
It happened outside the Yve Hotel along Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Second Street.
The video obtained by Local 10 News shows the immediate response to the man being shot.
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Miami’s police chief said the man was causing a commotion outside the hotel, and tasing him didn’t stop him.
After things got physical, one of the officers opened fire on the man.
Authorities said he is recovering and expected to be okay.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, as is customary when an officer opens fire.
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David Dwork
David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.
