The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 87 is Miami (Fla) basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Miami (Fla) basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 2
- Sweet 16s: 5
- NCAA wins: 16
- Bids: 13
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 16.5
- Bids per season: 0.20
- AP Polls: 112
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 15
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 3
- Conference tournament titles: 1
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Miami (Fla) basketball
We stay in the Power Conference realm for No. 87, as the Miami – not Ohio – Hurricanes take the next spot!
Let’s shout out one player who was an absolute STAR in Rick Barry. In the NBA and ABA combined, Barry was an elite scorer, with over 25,000 career points. But in college, it was almost unfathomable. Barry averaged 29.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in his collegiate career, posting 37.4 PPG and 18.3 RPG as a senior. He was a Consensus All-American, the only one in program history.
Head coach Bruce Hale also did very well with the program in that time period, going 220-112 from 1954-67. But if we’re talking legendary Miami (Fla) coaches, we have to start with Jim Larranaga. He went 274-174 from 2011-25, with six NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four run in 2023. Larranaga often did more with less. Sure, they had some stars like Shane Larkin, Lonnie Walker, and Isaiah Wong. But there were no Rick Barrys floating around. He was able to turn Miami into one of the best programs in the ACC without getting a bunch of five-stars.
Historically, Miami actually has good numbers, but missed out on some history to add to what they’ve already done. The program actually dropped basketball completely in 1971, picking it back up in 1985. They had gone through years of financial trouble and, after coach Hale left, had begun to pick up some losing seasons. But not long after returning, they were able to join the Big East, and in the late 1990s, future Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton helped revive the program, with a Sweet 16 in 2000. Frank Haith kept them relevant, and then the rest is history with Larranaga.
Jai Lucas went an impressive 26-9 in his first season, so it will be very interesting to see if the program can continue its winning ways in a new era on the sidelines.