Miami defeats Boston College plus additional notes, takeaways

Boston College’s upset hopes were short-lived in its 76-54 loss on Saturday to Miami. After starting the game with a 13-6 lead, Miami ended the first half on a 33-6 scoring run. During this stretch, the Eagles went just 3-of-20 from the field and ended the game shooting just 40% from the field.

In addition to all the missed shots, Miami was also able to force turnovers. The Eagles gave the ball away 18 times, leading to 22 points off turnovers for the Canes. Junior guard Tru Washington led the team with six steals, and starting center Ernest Udeh Jr. totaled three blocks and three steals. Udeh’s six stocks (steals plus blocks) are the most he’s ever had in his four-year college career.

Udeh also totaled his fifth double-double of the season, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds. 

“I think for me, defense has always been just an instinctive thing for me,” Udeh said about his three-steal, three block performance. “And like I said, that just all falls on my energy – how much effort I’m giving out while I’m on the floor. Because, again, I know my abilities, my God-given talents, my athletic ability. And for me, it’s just every single night, just going out there, playing harder than the guy in front of us. And those are the results, just making sure that on the defensive end, I’m doing everything that I can to help my team out.”

Offensively, Miami delivered a solid but more uneven performance. Five players scored at least eight points, with Tre Donaldson’s 15 and Washington’s 14 spearheading this balanced effort; however, the Hurricanes struggled from the free-throw line (11-of-18) and missed 11 of their first 17 shots.

For Washington, this game marks his fourth instance in the past five games with at least two made threes. During the stretch, Washington has shot 9-of-14 from deep.

“He’s shooting and taking the right ones, and when he shoots and takes the right ones, on catch-and-shoot threes, he’s like 48% almost, when he shoots and takes the right ones. And that continued to show,” Miami head coach Jai Lucas said.

Other notable performers included guard Noam Dovrat, who made a season-high four three-pointers, and Shelton Henderson, who totaled eight points and seven rebounds.

“I just got in the game. I know my role on the team is to shoot the ball outside the three-point line, so I just came in and shot it,” Dovrat said. “I have the confidence from the coach, teammates.”

Canes lock in NCAA tournament bid

While Miami won’t know for sure until Selection Sunday on March 15, its chances of making the NCAA tournament are extremely high following its win over Boston College.

The Hurricanes, now 23-6 on the season and 12-4 in ACC play, have won six of their last seven games. They’re No. 31 nationally in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric and entered Saturday ranked No. 32 in the NET.

Miami, whose record against Quadrant 1 and 2 teams this season is 10-5, was slotted in as an eight-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection. Its last two regular season games are against SMU and Louisville – both of which are Quad 1 games. Losses in either of these two contests, as they both are against formidable opponents, will not hurt Miami’s odds of making the tournament.

Against both SMU and Louisville, as well as in the ACC tournament the following week, the Hurricanes have a chance to bolster their resume and potentially climb up several lines of seeding should they collect multiple marquee wins. 

Lucas expected this type of season from Miami heading into the year, so he’s not surprised with his team’s success.

“This is kind of where I thought we could be and what I thought we could be,” Lucas said on Friday. “I felt like we could be a top six team in the conference when everything was said and done, and we aren’t there yet, because it’s like everybody’s tied between third and ninth. So it’s not anything done. We just have to keep taking care of business and keep getting better and finding ways to win. But for me, this was my kind of expectation, so we’re in position. That’s all you can ask.”

How high of a seed could Miami earn?

Now that it’s all but confirmed that the Hurricanes will play in the NCAA tournament, it’s worth exploring their potential seed for The Big Dance.

Most bracketology experts consider the Hurricanes as an eight or a nine seed right now. In this scenario, they’ll play a winnable game against another eight or nine seed in the Round of 64, although a hypothetical matchup against a one seed in the Round of 32 would be difficult.

If Miami can tack on another couple of Quad 1 wins before Selection Sunday, it could climb to seven-seed status, which would pit it against a 10 seed in the Round of 64 and likely a two seed in the Round of 32.

In the scenario that the Hurricanes win both of their remaining games against SMU and Louisville and defeat whoever they would face in the ACC tournament, they could play their way to a six seed and maybe even a five seed if they defeat No. 1 Duke along the way.

ACC standings update

For Miami to secure a double bye in the conference tournament, it needs to finish in the top four of the ACC regular season standings.

As of 5 pm on Saturday afternoon, the Hurricanes are third in the ACC standings and hold a one-game lead over fourth-seed Clemson, which would climb ahead of Miami should it share the same in-conference record, as the Tigers hold a head-to-head advantage over the Hurricanes.

SMU and Louisville are ranked ninth and seventh in the ACC, respectively.

Other notes

– While he only shot four threes against Boston College, Donaldson has increased his three-point volume in Miami’s previous three games, and this wasn’t by accident. Lucas wanted Donaldson to fire more shots from beyond the arc to stretch the floor and open up opportunities for the rest of the offense.

“It’s been an emphasis,” Lucas said. “He’s one of those guys who has to do it, and a lot of people, the way they are guarding him is leading to him being open, and I think he’s a good shooter, and so you got to step in and shoot it with confidence. And we need it. We need somebody that can stretch the floor and need somebody they feel like they have to guard just to open up some of the other things we do. Now he’s not naturally just gonna hunt threes. It’s not who he is, so we had to kind of instill that in him.”

– Freshman forward Timo Malovec has served as Miami’s three-point specialist this season, but his role has slowly evolved throughout ACC play. As opposing defenses continue to run him off the three-point line, Malovec has become more comfortable at taking his man off the dribble and making quality reads as he drives downhill.

“We’re popping, slipping, doing a bunch of different stuff with him, and he’s not getting the opportunity to play as much with the ball, but when he does, he’s showing it,” Lucas said. “I thought the Carolina game, he really showed it. I thought Florida State was his best game, and he had some moments tonight too.”