An Elite Eight in 2022.

A Final Four in 2023.

Things had never been better for the University of Miami Men’s Basketball Program.

Expectations come and go, but with an upward trend, the 2024 Canes were all set to be the best team in school history.

Disaster Months in the Making

This team is currently a shell of the team that I encountered at the ACC Basketball Tip-Off in Charlotte in October.

Gone is the swagger and confidence of a program that knew this year would be the year they finish the job. In its place is uncertainty, hesitation. 

Even before the Canes’ first misstep this season (a blowout National TV loss to Kentucky), there were signs that this team was very much a work in progress. It was about the time that the Canes fell behind by 12 to FIU in the 2nd half of a November home game that we all realized something was amiss in Coral Gables. The Canes rallied to win that game by 6, but it was merely a portend of things to come.

A fully healthy Hurricanes team was played off the court by Kentucky and Colorado.

And then the injury bug hit…first Nijel Pack, then Wooga Poplar, then Norchad Omier, and now Matthew Cleveland. The Canes are a veritable MASH unit.

With that context fully acknowledged, the extent to which everything has gone sideways is still staggering.

• Louisville is 1-9 in conference. That 1 win was against Miami.
• They managed to lose to FSU at home, again.
• Matthew Cleveland’s buzzer beater rimmed out against Wake Forest, turning a win into a loss.
• Syracuse hit a buzzer beater against the Canes, turning an OT opportunity into a loss.
• Recently, against NC State, the Canes lost by 6 in a game they probably win if they simply make layups.

With 5 conference losses, the Canes have already matched last year’s total. At 7 losses, they’ve already eclipsed last year’s loss total for the regular season.

What started out as a dream season has turned into a nightmare. The 2024 Canes will be condemned to the dustbin of history, only mentioned as a cautionary tale. of hype with no substance. Too short, too shallow on the bench, not enough to compete.

One Shot

But here’s the thing…you don’t have a funeral while the patient is still alive. There are still games to play, wins to gather.

It’s time for the 2024 Canes to show what they’re made of.

They won’t get sympathy from anyone. No one cares about their injuries, and certainly no one cares that they are undersized.

No help is coming. Constantin Popa is not coming in to play center. The Canes have whoever they have, and whoever is healthy needs to go out there and get the job done.

And that’s the salient point. The Canes don’t need Constantin Popa. The best center in school history is the current starter, Norchad Omier. They don’t even need Tim James (well, they could use Tim James. Everyone could always use Tim James). 

This is still the same team that the ACC Media (not Miami homers) picked to finish 2nd in the conference. The potential is there.

• 10 games for the Canes to show who they are.
• 10 games to play Miami Basketball.
• 10 games to erase the pain.
• 10 games to ante up and kick in. 

Jon Rothstein quips that the Canes have “more guards than Shawshank” in reference to the movie Shawshank Redemption. Well, it’s time for the “Redemption” part. That movie surely wouldn’t be as popular if Andy Dufresne instead of being the man who “crawled through a river of $#*% and came out clean on the other side” was the man who “crawled through a river of $#*% and got stuck in the pipe.”

The only thing better than the schadenfreude of high expectations and low results is the redemption of those downtrodden, ruled out, left for dead, rising one last time to heroically vanquish the opponent.

There are 10 opponents left to vanquish. There are blank pages at the end of the 2024 Canes’ book. They have the pen in hand, and they can still write a hell of an ending.

The Canes just have to believe what they know to be true: that they are one of the best teams in the country, that while imperfect individually, together, they are the better of most. 

If you believed in November, there’s no point in letting go of the rope now. The season can still be the one that was hoped for, the one of dreams.

There is still magic in the Magic City. The Canes have everything they need, the right players, the right people. And if they put it all together, a Category 5 Hurricane can still blow through the ACC and into the NCAA Tournament. 

The Canes have crawled through a river of $#*% and its time to come out clean on the other side.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a show host and writer for @FiveReasonsSports. He covers Miami Hurricanes Basketball for @buckets_canes part of the @5ReasonsCanes Network. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003

To start, the offense was jammed worse than traffic during rush hour on the Don Shula Expressway. But the defense made it just as ugly for the visitors, aside from Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter, with on-time contests in man coverage and the 2-3 zone.

It took nearly seven minutes of action for the Heat’s offense to settle itself. Jimmy Butler cut back door for a lob assisted by Kevin Love’s pass at the top of the key + Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s back screen on Harrison Barnes. To end the quarter, the Heat converted its next four of seven shots to take a 28-22 advantage.

Then Josh Richardson blasted the Kings with a handed-off triple by Adebayo at the top, two left-wing trays, a left-handed layup in transition and a floater in the lane to start the next frame. Additionally, Adebayo contributed four of six baskets, thrashing the paint in transition and the half-court. Two possessions later, Caleb Martin carved the baseline for a reverse layup, giving the Heat an 18-point lead, its largest of the night.

But the separation on the scoreboard was short-lived.

Defensively, the club lost track of Murray behind the arc when he cut on the baseline and the instance he ran past miniature Terry Rozzier on a transition lob similar to a wideout elevating over a cornerback for a touchdown. Domantas Sabonis broke interior protections, pouring eight points into the paint. And the Kings went on a 24-10 run to close the quarter.

At halftime, the Heat was up 59-54 and ahead by four on the glass, with 26 points in the paint, nine on the break, two via second chances and five after turnovers. Richardson was the scoring leader with 16 on 66% shooting, followed by Butler’s 11 on four of six attempts.

The Kings had 30 points in the square, plus 14 in the open court, six from second opportunities and four after turnovers. Murray had 21, making 73% of looks, and Huerter dropped 11 on five of seven tries.

Next, the Heat had one of its top halves of the season moving the ball, recording 19 assists on its last 21 baskets.

In the third quarter, Rozier got the ball to Butler for an inside drive when his dribble picked up an extra defender, plus had four more dimes. Herro tallied a lob to Adebayo after the handoff up top, resulting in a two-handed dunk, and two feeds to Butler in the right corner and baseline for points. Adebayo set up Herro for a nine-foot floater with a handoff and found him at the top of the key for a trifecta when Murray overreacted at the nail.

Conversely, the Heat conceded four of 10 3-pointers. Adebayo ignored Sabonis.  Rozier and Martin incautiously left their man. And De’Aaron Fox splashed a pull-up 27-footer. The defense prevented any shots at the rim but gave up six out of 11 attempts in the paint non-restricted area, which is 10.1% better than the league average for the Kings.

In the fourth, the Heat cranked up its defensive RPMs close to what it was in the first quarter. Doubling after the catch, flying around in the 2-3 zone, baiting into tough shots and a chase-down block by Richardson on Huerter overwhelmed the Kings. Initially, JRich’s denial was called a goaltend, but after quickly seeing the review on the monitor above, coach Erik Spoelstra boldly demanded a challenge. The Heat allowed its guests to register 35% of its baskets in the sequence.

On offense, Butler prosperously shot over Barnes from mid-range on the left side, dunked in transition and made four freebies. Richardson connected on two triples and got past Huerter for a layup. And Adebayo thwacked the rim on a lob from Herro and buried a jumper at the nail over Sabonis.

The Heat snapped its seven-game losing streak, 115-106, with a franchise record of 40 assists. On the side, it had 50 paint points, 15 on the break, seven from second tries and 12 after turnovers. Butler had 31 on the scorecard on 71% shooting with seven rebounds and six assists. Adebayo supplied 16 points, 11 rebounds and four dimes.

The Kings racked up 54 interior points, 22 on the break, 17 on extra attempts and six after turnovers. Murray finished with 33 points on 12 of 18 ventures. Sabonis had a triple-double- 19 points, 17 rebounds and 13 helpings.

Herro handled the on-court interview. He said that after Tuesday’s “intense” film session, the players had to counter. “[We had to] give more effort on both ends. I thought we responded well to the meeting yesterday, and we came out with a W.”

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra was relieved that the longest losing stretch in his career is over. He said, “For one day, it feels great, and I’m okay with everybody having a little bit of an exhale, and then we’ll get on that plane and get ready to start this process again when we get to [Washington] D.C..”

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Terry Rozier, the new guy on the block, finally blended into the offense in a vain effort, logging 21 points on eight of 14 shots, as most of the team left him hanging. Jimmy Butler got going after the Heat was jumped. And the defense provided little resistance up top with late help.

Even without the three-ball being a factor, the Suns hung 33 points in the first quarter. Jusuf Nurkić picked up two fouls in four minutes, but his backup, Drew Eubanks, checked in, channeling Suns legend Tom Chambers, scoring on two putbacks and three rim attacks. The rest of the visitors made seven of 19 baskets in the quarter.

For the Heat, Rozier triumphantly fired away at the nail over Kevin Durant, swished from the corner facing Nurkić and dribbled past Bradley Beal and Keita Bates Diop for layups. Adebayo had zero attempts but three horrid turnovers, one of them resulting in Beal intercepting the pass in Heat territory and then dunking and another in Durant hitting a jumper after throwing the pass above Butler’s head, out of bounds.

Half of the second quarter elapsed with the Suns converting six of 12 tries before Butler joined the fray. Next, he scored through the middle in transition and logged two putbacks.

Adebayo misfired on a fadeaway and floater against Nurkić. Subsequently, he blanked a hook in the post and layup in transition over Eubanks.

And Herro’s made two of seven baskets in the frame.

On the other side, Eric Gordon, age 35, sliced into the lane three times like it was 2009. And Durant broke the 2-3 zone with jumpers on the baseline, elbow and wing.

At halftime, the Heat was down 49-62 and behind on the boards by three. Additionally, it racked up 16 paint points and seven on the break, 14 via second chances and four after turnovers. Butler was the team’s scoring leader, notching 13, followed by Rozier with 12 and Herro’s 11.

The Suns had Booker, Durant and Eubanks in double digits on the point ledger, while Beal had nine. The guests also registered 30 paint points, 11 on the break, 13 on extra attempts and six after turnovers.

Later, the Heat failed to stop Booker’s jump shot at the nail, elbow, baseline and paint in the halfcourt, plus a tray in transition. On top of that, Durant, Beal and Gordon combined for 10 of 15 baskets in the interval.

Yet the Heat were shell-shocked, scoring on just 32% of ventures. Rozier dropped three 3-pointers, and Butler whisked into the paint for a layup and a putback.

The hosts entered the fourth quarter below 74-100. The Suns added 18 more points on 29% of attempts. The Heat cranked out 31 points on 10 of 17 shots, but it was a worthless effort.

The Heat lost 105-118, making it the club’s seventh straight and longest of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career as the head. It recorded just 32 paint points, 16 on the break, 21 on second chances and 11 following turnovers. Butler had 26 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Rozier contributed 21 on his scorecard.

For the Suns, Durant, Booker and Gordon each surpassed 20 points and Beal had 19.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said, “You have to do tough things… We are not doing that consistently enough, and while we are going through this period of time offensively, we’re not able to overcome those stretches where we’re missing shots and turning the ball over, and on top of that, we are not defending the way we are capable of.”

At his locker, Butler said, “We’re not guarding anybody.”

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The bigger, stronger and faster Boston Celtics annihilated the Heat at Kaseya Center on national TV. Five members of Gang Green feasted behind the arc. Jayson Tatum outplayed Jimmy Butler. And newly acquired point guard Terry Rozier started but was attacked and ineffective from the field.

Early, Kristaps Porziņģis slaughtered the Heat’s defenses in the first quarter, totaling 14 of Boston’s 42 points. He forced a switch on the left side for a layup against Haywood Highsmith, shot over Butler twice at the elbow and nailed two pick-and-pop 3-pointers as the Heat failed to shade and recover. Porziņģis’ best defender was Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, taking him out with 46 seconds left in the period for a breather.

For the hosts, Butler hit a fadeaway over Jaylen Brown in the post and a pull-up jumper over Horford at the elbow but misfired at close range after faking Porziņģis away. Adebayo swished two shots at each elbow, assisted by Tyler Herro and Rozier. And Rozier converted two buckets, maneuvering past Jrue Holiday on a hard closeout to the rim for a layup and blowing by Horford in isolation at the right corner to the cup.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat logged 29 points on 12 of 24 ventures. But it conceded 42 on 71.4% shooting.

In the second quarter, eight players scored for the Heat to reach 35 on the ledger, but the only two logging at least three field goals were Thomas Bryant and Josh Richardson. Additionally, Butler made a putback on the baseline and spun past Jaylen Brown for dos puntos. And Adebayo dropped a hook over Luke Kornet and another over Derrick White.

The Celtics matched the Heat’s 35 points behind Brown’s rim attacks, a pair of Holiday corner trifectas, and the rest of the Cs tallying seven of 15 buckets.

Tatum was held to 20% efficiency in the frame, guarded by Richardson, forcing him left for an unsuccessful elbow jumper, misfiring over Duncan Robinson on the wing and baseline and bricking against Highsmith’s late recovery to the right side.

At halftime, the Heat was down 64-77, logging 54.2% of tries. It surrendered 64.3% of looks to the Celtics and was behind on the glass by six. Furthermore, the hosts had accumulated five fast break points, 10 via second chances and seven from turnovers.

The Celtics registered 10 fastbreak points, six on extra opportunities and two after turnovers.

In the turd quarter, Rozier shot blanks on a reckless drive through traffic and faltered on a makebale floater over Holiday. And Robinson had three vain 3-point attempts.

Butler made a corner triple when the defense was absorbed by Herro’s drive, but his next basket, another on the opposite side six minutes later, fell as the Heat was behind 22 points

On the other side, Tatum and Holiday took over. The former was in target practice behind the arc. The latter made a wide open tray, hit a floater over Herro in the paint, cut back door for a layup, finished first on the break and rattled in a fadeaway over Bryant’s help.

Porziņģis sprained his ankle five minutes in and missed the rest of the night after limping to the locker room.

The fourth began with the scoreboard highlighting 113-90, the edge going to the Celtics. The lead swelled to 34 points with seven-and-a-half minutes left after the Heat made just one of its first eight shots to start the sequence.

The final interval was garbage time because not one sane person at Kaseya Center thought a grand comeback was happening. Only two Celtics starters played in the fourth- Tatum and White- no more than five minutes and change.

Lower bowl seats were emptying midway through the fourth, and the butchering was like an ancient warrior beheading a foe in combat, then tossing its head toward the backup it came with. In this case, it was Pat Riley at his usual baseline riser seat. The cadavers he examined were his group retreating to the locker room with 143 points hanging over them.

The Heat’s fifth straight loss was by 33 points. It added 15 fastbreak points, 13 on second chances and post turnovers. Adebayo had 19 on the score sheet with five rebounds. And ten Celtics shot at least 50% from the field.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “What went wrong was we faced a very potent offensive team. They’ve been doing this for several months now. It was a humbling night, that’s for sure. They put us in our place tonight.”

In the locker room, Herro said, “It’ll be great to get a win, but we can’t keep talking about it. Eventually, there has to be some action behind it.”

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