Miami is one of the surprises of the season in the Atlantic Coast Conference as it gets set to host Cal on Saturday afternoon in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Hurricanes (17-4, 6-2 ACC) have engineered a complete turnaround from last season’s disaster that saw them finish 7-24 with just three conference wins.
First-year head coach Jai Lucas brought in an entirely new roster, and it has paid dividends.
Malik Reneau leads the team with 19.7 points per game. Point guard Tre Donaldson averages 16.1 points and a team-high 6.2 assists. And five-star freshman Shelton Henderson is mature beyond his years, averaging 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds.
The Hurricanes, after a recent two-game losing streak, have bounced back with a pair of nine-points wins over Syracuse and Stanford.
“We’re a new team — first-year coach and no returners,” Donaldson said. “We’re going to have ups and downs like everybody else.
“But can we stay together and find ways to win? I feel like we’re going to continue (to improve) as we get closer to March, when it really counts.”
Meanwhile, Cal (15-6, 3-5) has lost four of its past six games. That includes a 63-61 loss at Florida State on Wednesday.
Still, the Golden Bears — in Year 3 under coach Mark Madsen — have already eclipsed last season’s win total of 14.
It’s been a full decade since Cal made the NCAA Tournament, and the task has gotten tougher with the move to the ACC.
This season’s squad is led in scoring by Dai Dai Ames (16.8). Lee Dort tops the squad in total rebounds (7.7) and offensive boards (2.0). And Justin Pippen leads in assists (4.1) and steals (1.9).
Pippen, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, is shooting 36.8% on 3-pointers. Pippen, who had a game-high 19 points against Florida State, played last season for Michigan and was a seldom-used reserve.
“I made the wrong choice (signing with Michigan),” Pippen said. “But now I’ve made the right one.”
Cal ranks fourth among ACC teams with 36.5% shooting from the arc, bolstered by Ames (41.1%), John Camden (40.3) and Chris Bell (33.7).
–Field Level Media
