Miami Hurricanes Basketball Consensus Top 25 2017-18
The Sporting News acknowledges the importance of Reed and Murphy. They are impressed with Newton and that Brown decided to return for his Sophomore season. Like everyone else, they stress the importance of the recruiting class, particularly Walker.
It’s hard to know what they mean by the Hurricanes being in the mix in 2017-18. The Hurricanes should finish higher than their ninth-place finish in 2017. They have a roster that can be good enough to finish in the top four of the ACC. That would earn them a double bye in the ACC Tournament.
The 2017-18 Hurricanes are not likely to be as good as the 2013 and 2016 teams. Larranaga led the Hurricanes to the 2013 regular season and tournament titles. The 2016 team earned a three seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16 where they lost to eventual champion Villanova.
The 2017 team is likely to be “in the mix “as one of the ACC”s best, but not “in the mix” for an ACC Championship. Louisville, Duke and North Carolina will be the prohibitive favorites to win the ACC in 2017-18.
"Sporting News: 20. Miami Hurricanes Why they’re here: They’ll miss departing seniors, Davon Reed and Kamari Murphy, certainly. But Ja’Quon Newton (13.5 ppg) is back, and if Bruce Brown puts off pro ball another year, that’s an excellent start. Then add in an excellent recruiting class, led by five-star shooting guard Lonnie Walker, and you have a team that will be in the ACC mix again next season."