Last season was incredibly rough for Miami Basketball, starting with a seven-game losing skid in the non-conference that included defeats to Drake and Charleston Southern, along with another awful loss to Mount St. Mary’s.
After going 7-25 overall, the Hurricanes made a complete change, hiring former Duke assistant Jai Lucas and completely revamping the entire roster. There’s some optimism for the group, but we’ll have to wait to see how they look on the floor.
Our non-con schedule is locked in 🔒
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) July 23, 2025
🎟️ https://t.co/6JLKPx9qEp pic.twitter.com/qZjMklt46R
The non-conference schedule has been released, and among the 13 games are several “buy” games for the rebuilding program. Two of them are in the ESPN Events Invitational, where the program will face two of BYU, Dayton, and Georgetown. They’d easily be among the top non-con games for the program, based on who else they’re set to play.
Among the confirmed matchups, here are the top three opponents to watch.
3. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (H)
The SWAC program had one of the top offseasons for a mid-major program. They brought back Zion Harmon and Jakobi Heady, two players who were stars for them the previous year. Doctor Bradley averaged over 20 ppg at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and there’s nearly 100 ppg among everyone on the roster. They might not be good enough to beat power conference opponents; for Miami, this school shouldn't be overlooked early on.
2. Ole Miss Rebels (A)
Frontcourt depth won’t be an issue for Ole Miss, returning Malik Dia and adding newcomers such as James Scott, Corey Chest, and incoming top-30 freshman Niko Bundalo. The backcourt has more questions ,but if transfers AJ Storr and Koren Johnson look like their 2023-24 versions, then the Rebels will remain an NCAA Tournament contender from the SEC.
1. Florida Gators (N)
The reigning national champions lost all three key guards but retain all of the key frontcourt pieces, including Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Arkansas transfer guard Boogie Fland could be a Conference POY contender, and Xaivian Lee was a star at Princeton. If the backcourt is anywhere near as good as last season’s, the Gators could be in the mix to repeat.