Miami Basketball: Five things to look forward to heading into 2017-18

Miami basketball was knocked out in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but they have greater expectations in 2017-18.

The Miami Hurricanes reached the 20-win plateau for the third straight season in 2016-17. The ‘Canes finished in eighth place in a loaded ACC (10-8 in league play) and made the NCAA Tournament as an eight-seed in the South Region. While the season can be touted as a success, the Hurricanes were run out of the gym in the first round of the Big Dance by the Michigan State Spartans, who then went on to lose to Kansas.

It was a lesson for the ‘Canes because it proved that it is critical for the team to improve on the offensive end and add more depth to their roster.

While there is still time to add pieces this offseason (Rice transfer Marcus Evans has The U in his final three), Miami looks like they are headed in the right direction with their current roster. In fact, the Hurricanes are currently projected as the 7th best team in the country for 2017-18, according to College Basketball Talk’s Preseason Top 25, despite losing Kamari Murphy and Davon Reed to graduation.

Miami may not be the best team in the ACC this upcoming year (that honor is for Duke, Louisville or North Carolina), but this team is going to be one of the elite squads nationally based on their returning players and their incoming recruiting class. They still lack a bit of experience outside Ja’Quan Newton and Bruce Brown, however, it wouldn’t be wise to count the Hurricanes out given their talent, skill and defensive scheme under Jim Larranaga.