Miami Basketball: Key matchups in 2022-23 non-conference schedule
Miami Basketball has released its non-conference schedule for the 2022-23 campaign. Are there any notable opponents for the Hurricanes to deal with?
Last season was an incredible one for Miami Basketball overall. They made the Elite 8 and was one half away from making the Final 4 as a 10 seed. It didn’t look in the cards if you looked at their non-conference results earlier in the season, losing games to Central Florida, Dayton, and Alabama.
While the Hurricanes did gets wins over Penn State and Clemson, the best win the team got was North Texas from a resume standpoint. It wasn’t the strongest schedule but in comparison to what the upcoming season has to offer, it at least had some NCAA Tournament contenders.
With Miami’s non-conference schedule finally out, there’s not too much to talk about, with most being “buy games”. But there are some notable matchups that they need to win to bolster the Hurricanes’ at-large resume. Here are the games to keep in mind.
Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament – Nov 19th (Providence, Maryland/Saint Louis)
This is an event Miami will want to win, with the potential of two top-50 wins available. Providence is a team that’s completely different from last season but still had a great offseason in the transfer portal, adding several key pieces such as Devin Carter, Bryce Hopkins, and Clifton Moore. Maryland should be improved under new head coach Kevin Willard but the Hurricanes would prefer to play Saint Louis, who could be a preseason top-25 team.
It would be a great backcourt matchup, with Yuri Collins of the Billikens leading the country in assists last season joined by 16 ppg scorer Gibson Jimmerson and returning 17 ppg scorer Javonte Perkins, back from injury. It’ll be a big test for Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong for Miami if they were to meet.
at UCF – Nov 27th
The Knights got the road win last year and are hoping to pull off the sweep at home. They have a completely new roster, with six transfers and four incoming freshmen. Key players to watch include former Pittsburgh guard Ithiel Horton, UMass transfer CJ Kelly and East Carolina wing Brandon Suggs. UCF doesn’t have a ton of talent and Miami should be the favorite but with this being a road game, the AAC team should be taken seriously.
Rutgers – Nov 30th (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
The top one-on-one opponent for Miami in this schedule, the Scarlet Knights will be without Ron Harper and Geo Baker but returns underrated guards, Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy. Big man Clifford Omoruyi had a breakout sophomore campaign and is someone the Hurricanes will have a tough time dealing with. Rutgers also projects to be an elite defensive unit so this will be a nice contrast of offensive and defensive strengths.
Next. Most important player on each top-25 team. dark
Vermont – Dec 28th
The Catamounts have consistently been one of the best mid-major programs in the country over the past decade, winning 25-30 games each year. But after losing a bunch of seniors, there’s some roster turnover. Returning guards Finn Sullivan and Aaron Deloney will have bigger roles, while Bellarmine transfer Dylan Penn gives them a leading scorer as well. Miami should certainly be favored to win the game but Vermont shouldn’t be viewed as an easy win ever.