Jim Larranaga might have his most talented and deepest roster yet. Can it result in his second Final Four in three years for Miami basketball?
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Miami basketball.
After reaching the Final Four in 2023, the Hurricanes took a big step back. They failed to have a winning record, missing the postseason altogether. But there is hope for a turnaround in the right direction this season.
Miami returns some key pieces including guard Nijel Pack and swiss army knife Matthew Cleveland. Larranaga also put together one of the most successful offseason in the translate portal. In comes Jalen Blackmon, who averaged over 21 a pop last season. In comes Brandon Johnson, a power forward who can dominate the boards and step out for three. In comes Lynn Kidd, who led the ACC in FG% at Virginia Tech. In comes AJ Staton-McCray, who was a crucial piece of a Samford team that won 29 games. And in comes Kiree Huie, who tied for the lead in RPG at Idaho State, but might be the THIRD player off the bench at Miami.
There’s a reason our TJ O’Sullivan gave the ‘Canes an A- grade in terms of newcomers. And it wasn’t just the transfer class. 5-star recruit Jalil Bethea gives Miami a stacked backcourt with a few options for who might start, and top-50 freshman Austin Swartz solidifies the freshmen class.
All of those pieces make it hard to believe that Miami will go any fewer than nine men in the rotation, with Paul Djobet as a good 10th man after playing in 16 games as a freshman. Larranaga’s time at Miami is dwindling. He turned 75 on Oct. 2. And if this winds up being his last season coaching, it could be a great one to end on.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Jim Larranaga (14th season at Miami, 39th season overall)
2023-24 record: 15-17 (6-14)
2024 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Norchad Omier (17.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 55.2 FG%, 35.3 3P%)
- Wooga Poplar (13.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 38.5 3P%)
- Bensley Joseph (9.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 36.4 3P%)
- Kyshawn George (7.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 40.8 3P%)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Drake (Nov. 21)
- Charleston Classic (Nov. 22 & 24)
- vs. Arkansas (Dec. 3)
- vs. Tennessee (Dec. 10)
Projected Rotation
PG: Nijel Pack (6-0, 185, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.3 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 35.7 3P%
SG: Jalen Blackmon (6-2, 180, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 21.3 PPG, 2.9 PPG, 1.9 APG, 38.1 3P%, 90.7 FT% (Stetson)
SF: Matthew Cleveland (6-7, 210, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 35.7 3P%
PF: Brandon Johnson (6-8, 223, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 36.5 3P% (East Carolina)
C: Lynn Kidd (6-10, 241, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 66.8 FG% (Virginia Tech)
6: Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #7 ranked recruit
7: AJ Staton-McCray (6-4, 196, Rs.-Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 41.3 3P% (Samford)
8: Kiree Huie (6-9, 228, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 53.6 FG% (Idaho State)
9: Austin Swartz (6-4, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #50 ranked recruit
10: Paul Djobet (6-7, 209, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.4 APG, 41.2 3P% (7-17), 16 GP
11: Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (6-7, 220, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #128 ranked recruit
12: Yussif Basa-Ama (6-9, 213, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 1.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.4 APG, 4.4 MPG (Yale)
13: Divine Ugochukwu (6-3, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #249 ranked recruit
Miami Basketball team MVP: Nijel Pack
For how many talented players, and especially guards, that are on this Miami basketball team, the offense will still run through Nijel Pack.
This doesn’t mean he’ll be forced to take a lot of shots – in fact quite the opposite could be true. But heading into his third year in the program and fifth year playing power conference basketball, Pack figures to be the leader, heart, and soul of this team.
He’s only 6-0, but Pack’s stardom makes him feel bigger. He plays with a lot of tempo, but isn’t ever out of control. For having the ball in his hands often, Pack has never averaged above 1.8 TOVPG.
The best part about Pack – while he can connect from three and get to the bucket to score, he isn’t always looking to score. He’ll get others involved, and with so many offensive weapons on this team, you may see him really make a concerted effort to get his teammates buckets.
Miami Basketball make-or-break player: Jalen Blackmon
Who will start in the backcourt alongside Nijel Pack? One thought is five-star recruit Jalil Bethea. When you get that good of a freshman, you want to make sure he’s going to good use.
But the other thought, is Blackmon, who lit it up last year, averaging tied for the 13th most PPG of any player in college basketball.
Is Stetson the same quality as Miami? No, but the Hatters did make the NCAA Tournament last season. I’m not saying that means Blackmon will have the same impact alongside other quality players and in the ACC, but at least in November, it might make sense to start him until you’re SURE Bethea is the right guy.
So why is Blackmon the make-or-break player? Simple. We know what Pack, Cleveland, Johnson, and Kidd will bring. We’re pretty sure Bethea will be a star. But some mid-major scoring stars come in and stink up the bed. What if Blackmon is the opposite and winds up leading this team in scoring? What if his scoring nature sticks on even with this talented of a roster.
It’s food for thought and it’d make for one of the best offensive teams in the country this season.
Key analytic: Free throw attempts per game
Sometimes you can chalk it up to bad refs. Other times, it’s not being aggressive enough. For Miami, you could probably say both, as the Hurricanes ranked 345th, just shooting 15.1 free throws per game on average.
The Hurricanes also didn’t foul opponents much at all. 13.1 fouls per game were almost the fewest in the country last season.
So will this all change this year? For one, Johnson committed 2.7 FPG as a sophomore and 2.2 last year. He also got to the line nearly four times per game last season. Kidd should also draw more attention inside and Blackmon might be the biggest difference maker, shooting 4.6 free throws per game at Stetson last year.
As if Miami needed more ways to score points, their free throw rate might be even better this year.
Miami Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 4th in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Exit