Miami head coach Jim Larranaga previews ACC Tournament semifinals matchup with Duke

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph•03/11/22

The Miami Hurricanes Men’s basketball team has a tough challenge ahead of them, on Friday, in the number one seeded Duke Blue Devils. Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga is not confused on the fact of how difficult the next game would be. And he’s well aware of Duke’s pedigree and the caliber of coach on the other side in Mike Krzyzewski. Before the game, Larranaga gave his assessment on the upcoming matchup and the semifinals of the ACC men’s basketball tournament.

“Duke, obviously, has been a top ten team all season long. They’ve got tremendous talent at every position. They have the winningest coach in college basketball history, and our guys are going to be very, very excited about playing them again. We played them one time earlier in the year. A lot has transpired since then,” said Larranaga.

But the Hurricanes head coach was that lacking any confidence in his team as he closed with this statement. 

“We’ll need to get a lot of rest between now and tomorrow night’s tip-off. What time, 7:00? Yeah, at 7:00.”

Miami has no shortage of confidence heading into their semifinal matchup. But they will need their best performance of the season if they are to get past Duke and to secure a spot in the ACC championship game.

Browns tag former Miami star

The Cleveland Browns have decided what to do with their franchise tag just before the start of the upcoming free agency period. The Browns have elected to tag tight end David Njoku with the franchise tag option this year. Njoku is Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2017 NFL draft courtesy of the Miami Hurricanes.

The former Hurricane does not have jaw dropping stats while playing for the Browns. But that has more to do with Cleveland’s smash-mouth style offense than it has to do with Njoku’s capabilities. With his six-foot-four 264-pound frame, he is easily a prime target for quarterback Baker Mayfield in the passing game. And with that size and strength, Njoku is a solid run blocking tight end when he’s on the field.

Along with tagging Njoku, the Browns will add exclusive tender rights on three players set to enter free agency. The three players are wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley, guard Michael Dunn, and offensive lineman Blake Hance.