ACC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2020-21 season

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: The Florida State Seminoles, lead by Head coach Leonard Hamilton (L), are presented with the regular season trophy following the cancelation of the remainder of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The cancelation is due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

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Head coach Jim Larranaga of the Miami Hurricanes (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

You have to feel for Chris Lykes. Despite being just 5’7 and 160 pounds, he’s carried the Hurricanes for the past three years and had some momentary success. It just hasn’t been sustained for an entire season, with the team struggling to get towards the top half of the league. It’s going to be hard next year, with senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic graduating.

That leaves just Lykes and Kameron McGusty (12.5 ppg) as the lone returning double-digit scorers. Forward Keith Stone is also gone, although he’ll be replaced by Cincinnati sit-out transfer Nysier Brooks in the rotation. Replacing Vasiljevic will be incoming four-star wing Earl Timberlake, who Miami had to beat out several blue-bloods to land.

Even if the “replacements” do as good a job, that still puts Miami around .500. In order for them to take the next leap, rising sophomore guards Harlond Beverly and Isaiah Wong both will have to have big campaigns. Each averaged around 20 mpg played and seven points of production, which were good overall. But this team has to change their style, whether it’s Lykes being more of a passer or the frontcourt being more consistent in their production. The defense was also an issue, ranking right at the bottom in many big categories.

Lykes can’t do much more than he has been doing so the Hurricanes need to find much more production elsewhere in order to take the next step.