NCAA Tournament 2023: 5 key storylines for Miami vs UConn matchup

Miami’s guard play and shotmaking

Miami’s offense is predicated on spacing and individual playmaking, making them a difficult matchup at the college level. At almost all times, the Canes have four players on the court capable of exploiting a favorable isolation matchup, led by Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack, and Jordan Miller.

UConn needs to avoid letting its weaker individual defenders find themselves in space against Pack or Wong, or in the mid-post against Miller. Larrañaga’s offense is built on finding and abusing mismatches with a 4-out 1-in system.

In four NCAA Tournament games, Pack is averaging 18.5 points on 44.8% shooting from 3-point range. He has virtually unlimited range. UConn has to fight through (or trap) ball screens and follow him to the center court logo.

In Miami’s comeback win over Texas in the Elite Eight, Miller scored 27 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 13-13 shooting from the free-throw line. That performance put him alongside Christian Laettner as the only player in NCAA Tournament history to be perfect from the field and the line with at least 15 combined attempts.

Wong was a staple of last season’s Elite Eight team. He returned to school, won ACC Player of the Year, and has now led the Canes to the Final Four. Worth it.

Wong’s shotmaking ability is arguably unmatched in this year’s Final Four, able to consistently find his spots in the mid-range and elevate with a turnaround and floater package resembling that of DeMar DeRozan.