Jim Larranaga shares how Miami will find more road success

Since entering 2023, the Miami Hurricanes have stumbled a bit, going 2-3 in their first five games. The last two losses for head coach Jim Larranaga and the Hurricanes have come the past two weekends against the NC State Wolfpack and Duke Blue Devils. As Miami prepares for their next slate of games including a battle with their instate rival Florida State, Larranaga shared how his team will find more success on the road going forward.

“Well, in all close games, there are several things that you have to do. The first is you really gotta lock down defensively,” said Larranaga. “The second you must defensive rebound; you got to control your defensive backwards. You can’t give up second shots. That’s what hurt us said at Duke late in the game.

“And then, on offense, you can’t turn the ball over. You got to execute whatever play you’re calling because, normally, at that time, we’re calling the set play and trying to get the ball to a specific guy. And we just got to do a little bit better job of finishing. We had several opportunities in the last two weekends, and both times we fell a little short. In previous games, we’ve won a lot of those this year, either by blocking a shot or getting a basket. So, it’s a situation you have two good teams battling it out.”

In their matchup against Duke on the road, Miami came up just short, losing 68-66. A brief look down the game stat sheet showed just how close it really was, with the Hurricanes attempting 63 field goals and the Blue Devils attempting 62. Duke shot a little better, making 40 percent of their attempts. In comparison, Miami finished just under 35 percent at 34.9. Both teams also had the same number of three-point attempts, 21, and free throw attempts, 15. Where the Hurricanes came up short was in the rebounding category, where Duke outmuscled them 44-38. The Blue Devils also had 19 assists to the Hurricanes’ 10.

“Florida State is coming off of two straight road wins. So you know that crowd is going to be into it and cheering them on. And it’s been a tough place for us to win.”

For Miami to bounce back on Tuesday against Florida State, Larranaga must have his team ready to win the rebound battle. If they can, the Hurricanes will have more than a shot at defeating their ACC rivals.