The Miami Hurricanes sparked an electric comeback, clinching victory and etching coach Jai Lucas's name in ACC record books for fastest 20 wins.
The Miami Hurricanes men's basketball squad is coming off a miraculous 77-76 victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Saturday. They were down by seven with barely a minute left in regulation. However, the team sparked a quick 8-0 run, capped off by three made free throws by junior guard Tru Washington, to close the game with a win.
The Hurricanes improved to a 20-5 overall record, 9-3 in ACC play. After claiming back-to-back Quad 1 victories against the Wolpack and the North Carolina Tar Heels, the program is in a strong position to make the NCAA Tournament.
With Saturday's win, coach Jai Lucas set a new record: the fastest first-time head coach in the ACC to reach 20 wins, since Bill Guthridge at UNC in the 1997-98 season.
"We're still a new team and these experiences are huge for us," he said following the Wolfpack game. "We have to go through them to help us down the stretch. We still have a gauntlet left in the ACC. Each one of these games just adds to our data bank that helps us become our best version, hopefully, towards the end of February, going into March."
It proves the Hurricanes hired the right man for the job to turn the program around. After finishing with a horrendous 7-24 overall record last year, 3-17 in ACC play, it was clear that change was needed. Coach Lucas entered a situation with no roster, as none of the players returned.
He was aggressive in recruiting through the transfer portal, bringing in veterans in senior guard Tre Donaldson, senior forward Malik Reneau, senior center Ernest Udeh Jr., and Washington. Plus, bringing in high school and international talent that will make an immediate impact, such as five-star forward Shelton Henderson, four-star guard Dante Allen, freshman center Salih Altuntas, junior guard Noam Dovrat, and freshman forward Timotej Malovec.
The Hurricanes showed promise early in the season but struggled against high-level competition, including the Florida Gators, BYU Cougars, and Clemson Tigers, all ranked opponents. However, that's turned around after victories over the Tar Heels and Wolfpack.
Coach Lucas and the team will have more Quad 1 opponents ahead in the schedule: 15th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, SMU Mustangs, and 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals.
If the Hurricanes manage to take care of business for the rest of the season, there's no denying their NCAA Tournament resume. It would cement an extraordinary start to Coach Lucas's early stages of rebuilding the program.
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our RoundTable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
More Miami Hurricanes News: