Norchad Omier cleared to play in NCAA Tournament vs. Drake

Miami forward Norchad Omier will play in the NCAA Tournament tonight against Drake, the program announced shortly before tip-off.

Omier has been nursing an ankle injury that he picked up during the ACC Tournament in a game against Duke.

Omier’s reintegration to the Miami lineup could be a huge deal, as he’s the team’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer. To this point in the season, Omier has averaged 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

The news had been positive on Omier leading into the NCAA Tournament, with the big man able to get some quality practice work in ahead of the Drake game.

Omier practiced with the Hurricanes on Wednesday, then practiced again on Thursday.

According to a report from Jon Rothstein on Thursday, Omier would play “if his ankle doesn’t swell overnight,” per coach Jim Larranaga. That obviously didn’t happen, and to have him fully available is quite the relief for Miami.

During the season he had recorded 14 double-doubles, while he had really been on a tear of late just prior to the injury. Before going down against Duke, Omier had logged double-doubles in three of the last four games, averaging 15.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in that span.

More on Norchad Omier’s availability

A massive development for Miami to get Omier’s inside presence back for this matchup after Drake became a trendy upset this week due to Miami’s potential lack of size available. But even with the rebounding machine back in the lineup, Jim Larranaga’s club shouldn’t overlook a Bulldogs program that’s been one of the most consistent mid-majors in the country the last few years and has a ton of experience in the backcourt.

Omier isn’t especially large at just 6-foot-7, but he’s one of the very best rebounders in the ACC and is virtually the only consistent presence down low for Miami. Which gets us to the reason why they’re very susceptible against a mid-major powerhouse like Drake: they don’t have the size to crush smaller programs like Duke did with Oral Roberts. Sure, Max Abmas was a great story and Oral Roberts seemed like a fun upset pick, but Duke immediately flexed their size and athleticism advantage and just crushed them.

Miami doesn’t have that size. In fact, the ‘Canes are smaller than most mid-major teams with only two guys taller than 6-foot-6 that play more than 10 minutes a game. Those players: Omier and Anthony Walker, and neither of which is a true big man by trade. Had Omier missed the game, Larranaga may have trotted out five-guard lineups vs. Drake.