Miami's dwindling at-large hopes are hanging by a threat but a win against Duke could get them back into the conversation.
TV schedule: Wednesday, 7:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida
The ACC has a bunch of teams on the "bubble" right now. And after Virginia Tech blew out rival Virginia, there are now two more in the mix, joining the likes of Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, NC State, Syracuse, and Clemson. One team that's not included in there, for now, is Miami (15-11, 6-9).
The Hurricanes were ranked in the top-10 at one point but ACC play hasn't gone kindly for them, having lost four straight games. The last two were on the road, falling to Clemson and Boston College, with the Eagles defeat being another "bad" loss for their overall resume. It's not over for their postseason hopes yet, having two games against top-10 opponents.
The one up next is Duke (20-5, 11-3), having won four straight games since the road loss at North Carolina. The most recent result was a 76-67 win at Florida State, led by a season-high 35 points from freshman guard Jared McCain. Along with forward Mark Mitchell, he has played at a high level, matching the play of leading scorers, Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach.
Miami does have the offense to counter Duke's firepower. They have four starters who averaged at least 13.7 ppg, led by big man Norchad Omier (17.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg), along with forward Matthew Cleveland (14.0 ppg). Guards Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar are two of the best pure shooters in the country as well.
The issue for the Hurricanes is that the defense has been an issue, due to a lack of size and overall depth. Those are things that Duke has plenty of. It's a game at Miami, who will be desperate for a win. I think it'll be close but the matchup should favor the road team in a shootout.
Prediction: Duke 87, Miami 81