Miami Basketball: 3 keys to beat UConn Huskies in Final Four matchup

Keep Norchad Omier out of foul trouble

In Sunday’s comeback win over Texas, Miami was able to overcome Omier picking up his fourth foul with over 11 minutes left on the clock, and only logging 28 minutes. That won’t work against UConn.

Texas is a physical and athletic team, but they don’t have a ton of size, so Miami was able to play super small ball for a few minutes with Jordan Miller at the five spot. Larrañaga might try that against this UConn team, but I doubt it. Getting 10 solid minutes out of Anthony Walker/AJ Casey combined would be nice, but Omier needs to be out there as much as possible.

UConn is a nightmare for teams to prepare for because of how many different ways they can beat you. No other team in the nation has two bigs as good as Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan on the roster.  When Dan Hurley subs out Sanogo, an all-league big man averaging over 17 points a game this season, he’s replaced by another incredibly imposing player. That’s freshman Donovan Clingan, a 7’2” beast that is excellent at blocking shots and rim running.

The 6’7” Omier has proven all season long that he can play much bigger than his height indicates, but keeping these two off the glass and from getting easy baskets is quite the challenge.

Omier needs to be on the court for as many minutes as possible because of his rebounding prowess, so keeping him out of foul trouble will be crucial. If Omier picks up two quick fouls early, it will change the complexion of the entire game.