Miami Hurricanes have an advantageous schedule remaining
The Miami Hurricanes will finish the 2018 season with seven of their last 11 games remaining at home. That includes four of their final six at the Watsco Center.
Currently, the Miami Hurricanes are in the middle of an odd stretch of ACC games where they alternate ten consecutive games between the Watsco Center and the road. Miami next hosts Pittsburgh before traveling to Virginia Tech on Saturday.
After alternating the next four games between hosting Pittsburgh and Wake Forest at the Watsco Center and at Virginia Tech and Boston College the Hurricanes will return home to host back to back ACC games for the first time this season.
Miami will host number two Virginia on February 13 and Syracuse on February 17. Miami then closes the season out by playing at Notre Dame and North Carolina and hosting Boston College and Virginia Tech in alternating games.
Virginia and North Carolina are the only teams currently ranked that the Miami Hurricanes play the remainder of the season. The Tar Heels are likely to drop out of the rankings after losing to Clemson on Tuesday night.
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Syracuse is the only other team that is currently in the NCAA Tournament according to the Bracket Matrix that tracks the various bracketology websites. The Orange are projected as an 11th seed. Virginia Tech is listed as one of the first four teams out of the tournament.
Miami is currently tied for eighth place in the ACC with Syracuse. It going to be difficult for Miami to move up. The only games they have left against teams ahead of them in the standings are against Virginia and North Carolina. The Hurricanes are 3-3 against teams ahead of them in the ACC Standings.
The top four teams in the ACC Tournament get a double bye. The teams who finished tenth through 15th play first-round games. No team has ever won five straight games in the ACC Tourney to win the championship. Last season Duke became the first team to ever win four straight games to win the title. That is what Miami is currently looking at to win a conference title.
Miami and Syracuse would currently be matched up in the second round for the second straight season. The eight-nine game is the only one that matches two teams that each have a bye in the first round. The Hurricanes won last year’s meeting to advance to the second round before losing to top-seeded North Carolina.
Miami has not lost their first game in the ACC Tournament since 2009. Jim Larranaga has won his first ACC Tournament game every year he is at Miami. Larranaga discussed the importance of protecting the home court with Joe Zagacki on Hurricane Hotline on the team’s flagship station WQAM.
Next: State of the Union: Miami Hurricanes basketball
If the Hurricanes can win out at home and split on the road the remainder of the season, they should set themselves up for a good seed in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.