Recent ACC Losing Streaks

Miami’s was bad, but it’s not the worst.

The circumstances don’t immediately suggest poetry. Then again, what best describes Miami’s recent fortunes is a 19^th-century poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that repeats its dirgelike title three times in three verses: “The tide rises, the tide falls”.

The sentiment aptly describes the Hurricanes’ basketball fortunes the past few years.

In 2021-22 the Canes finished 26-11, fourth in the ACC, and advanced to the Midwest Regional final, where they got smoked by eventual champion Kansas. Jim Larranaga’s club followed up with the school’s first Final Four appearance in 2023, in which they lost 72-59 to another eventual champ, UConn.

Then last year UM posted a losing record, finishing 14^th in the conference. The season ended with 10 straight defeats, tied for the fifth-longest skid in the ACC since 2010. Larranaga pointed to a rash of injuries to key personnel and consequent disruptive of team chemistry, as partial explanation for the ‘24 result.

This season the early returns for the Hurricanes are unfortunately consistent with last year’s. Following a 3-0 start they dropped seven straight before knocking off Presbyterian at home this past weekend.

The current Miami team had to replace leading scorer and rebounder Norchad Omier, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2024, and three other starters. Omier is now at Baylor with former Blue Devil Jeremy Roach.

Included among Miami’s departed was the poetically named 6-5 guard Wonga Poplar, among the league’s top 3-point shooters in 2024 (.385 on a team-high 161 attempts). The Philadelphian, who transferred to play his senior season for hometown Villanova, has unfortunately not been good enough to be considered for the Wooden Award.

“Coach L”, among the most studious of analysts within coaching circles, notes the present squad’s weak rebounding (12^th in rebound margin in the ACC) and expects improvement when 6-9 Kiree Huie, a transfer from Idaho State, returns to health.

Meanwhile Larranaga identifies a need to “rely very heavily on the 3-point shot” for his team to prosper. Miami was a less than breakeven unit from beyond the arc after 10 games (.323), but manifested the league’s second-best shooting accuracy overall (.479) and from the foul line (.799).

The Hurricanes’ leader is 6-foot guard Nigel Pack, an NIL pickup in 2022-23 who’s now a grad student. Pack paces the team with a 13.9-point scoring average, is eighth in the ACC with 4.3 assists per game, and is sixth-best in the league with a ratio of 3.3 assists per turnover.

Miami has lost 17 of its last 21 games. The Canes can only hope beating Presbyterian’s Blue Hose is the start of a welcome turnaround in their fortunes.