A marshmallowey soft non-conference schedule propelled The U into ACC play with the belief that would be a factor. Instead, the Hurricanes were unable to match-up against their conference foes and finished in the basement of the conference standings.
The Sports Bank’s 99 team college basketball preview in 99 days breaks down the 72 power conference teams and top 27 mid-majors and will lead you right into the opening tip of the season. Click here if you missed teams #66-#99.
By: David Kay
Miami Hurricanes (7th, 4-12, 20-13 overall)
Projected Depth Chart
C: Reggie Johnson (So)/Raphael Akpejiori (Fr)
F: Adrian Thomas (Sr)/Julian Gamble (Jr)/Donnavan Kirk (Fr)
F: DeQuan Jones (Jr)/Erik Swoope (Fr)
SG: Durand Scott (So)/Rion Brown (Fr)/Garrius Adams (So)
PG: Malcolm Grant (Jr)
Gone: F/C-Dwayne Collins, SG-James Dews, F-Cyrus McGowan, PG-Antoine Allen (transfer-UNC Wilmington)
2010-2011 Outlook:
Miami opened a lot of eyes when they started the 2009-2010 season by winning all sixteen of their non-conference games. Then the reality of playing a soft schedule hit the Hurricanes like a mack truck as they finished dead last in the ACC.
Despite losing their top two scorers, the ‘Canes do return some talent. Shooting guard Durand Scott returns coming off a nice freshman season and is expected to develop into Miami’s go-to scorer. Malcolm Grant returns to run the point while the very athletic, but under-achieving DeQuan Jones figures to flank Scott on the wing. Up-front, Reggie Johnson, Julian Gamble, and Adrian Thomas who was granted a medical sixth year of eligibility were all part of the rotation last season and provide some experience and depth.
The Hurricanes bring in four freshmen who will need to provide some depth to a fairly thin bench. 6-6 guard Rion Brown figures to make the biggest impact of the new-comers and will need to bring some scoring punch off the bench.
Miami has the talent to put together an improved performance in the ACC. Whether or not Frank Haith can get that talent to gel will be the difference between finishing in the bottom half of the league and competing for spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Player to Watch: DeQuan Jones, SF
Coming out of high school with a fair amount of hype, the incredibly athletic Jones has yet to live up to the hype. His playing time fluctuated in January and February to the point that he saw single digit minutes six times during an eight-game stretch. Jones did show flashes of his ability during the ACC Tournament and if he can consistently bring that type of effectiveness, he and Scott could form a dynamic duo on the wing.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/15 at Memphis
11/21 at Rutgers
11/30 vs. Ole Miss
12/4 vs. West Virginia
12/18 vs. Central Florida
Other 99 in 99’s:
#66 Charlotte
#67 UTEP
#68 Ole Miss
#69 George Mason
#70 Colorado
#71 Weber State
#72 Alabama
#73 Bradley
#74 Central Florida
#75 Wake Forest
#76 Georgia Tech
#77 USC
#78 Oklahoma State
#79 Cal
#80 Oklahoma
#81 Virginia
#82 South Carolina
#83 Indiana
#84 Stanford
#85 Oregon
#86 Penn State
#87 South Florida
#88 Arkansas
#89 Boston College
#90 LSU
#91 Providence
#92 Michigan
#93 Oregon State
#94. Nebraska
#95. Auburn
#96. DePaul
#97. Iowa State
#98. Rutgers
#99. Iowa