Miami Hurricanes Basketball: Canes Drop Second Straight, Fall 76-65 at Red-Hot Clemson

When people say the ACC is tough, this is why.

Just a few days after their eight-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Virginia, the Miami Hurricanes lost once again as they fell on the road to red-hot Clemson 76-65.

The ending to this game was almost identical to Miami’s loss at Virginia where the Cavaliers used a late run to blow past the Canes and into the finish line. Against the Cavaliers, the Hurricanes scored just nine points in the last 6:28. Today against Clemson, Miami struggled even more as they finished the last 7:49 with just eight points. For a team with so much experience, trouble closing out games seemed like the last thing this team would have to deal with.

Through the first half it seemed like the game was at Miami’s pace as the two teams traded buckets and Davon Reed was lighting it up from outside. While the offense looked pretty good for the majority of the half, the defense struggled to contain Jaron Blossomgame and Clemson’s three-point shooters. At the half, Reed’s hot shooting stretch gave him 11 points and the Hurricanes took a 34-32 lead to the break.

For much of the second half, the game trends remained the same. Each team made runs, only for the opponent to climb right back into it, but then Blossomgame really took over for the Tigers. You could tell how Clemson had beaten Louisville and Duke in their last two games as Clemson’s junior scored 17 second half points and the Tigers completely shut down any open looks for the Miami shooters.

Panic might begin to set in for some fans as the Hurricanes hot start has been dampened, but make no mistake, this Clemson team is legit and will likely be in the Top 25 next week. The real issue, which may never be solved by this group, is the lack of consistent performances.

We know and have seen this team play up to its’ potential whether it was in Puerto Rico or against the likes of Florida and La Salle. The issue though is that the inconsistent performances come too often from a team that has all this experience. It hasn’t been as bad as last year when they were losing games to Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Tech, but if Miami isn’t careful, they could get tripped up often in a pretty stacked ACC this season.

Now if Miami has trouble and losses in their next game at Boston College, a team ranked 231st in the KenPom, then we’ll have issues, but for now it’s just about getting the train back on the tracks.

One thing that would go a long way in getting that train straightened out is an improvement from Angel Rodriguez. The senior point guard finished with three points today, which means he now has scored six points or less in three of the last four games. In that same stretch, he hasn’t had more than four assists.

Now everyone is picking on Rodriguez because he was supposed to be a superstar this season and hasn’t lived nearly up to the potential, but his play has been a real low-point for the team recently. Whether it’s trying to shake things up by inserting Ja’Quan Newton into the lineup or just inserting Newton because the coaching staff thinks it’s a better fit, something has to change with Rodriguez if this team wants to go places. Don’t put all the blame on him though.

Besides Ja’Quan Newton, the production from the bench has been a big issue for this team. With all the talk of depth coming into the season, the Canes have only been able to rely on six or seven players to get quality minutes. So if some starters aren’t producing and the bench isn’t giving much at all, you’ve got problems.

If there is a team to play against that can fix these issues maybe it’s Boston College, but as we know, this league is tough and if Miami isn’t careful, they’ll find out why again on Tuesday night in Chestnut Hill.