Miami Hurricanes 2018 NCAA Tournament profile compared to 2017

The Miami Hurricanes are 19-8 heading into their final three regular season games. Many of the national bracketology experts have Miami on the bubble or just above it. How does that compare to where they were a year ago at this time?

The 2016-17 Miami Hurricanes finished the season with a 21-12 record. With four games remaining in the regular season Miami was a very similar 18-7. They split their last four regular-season games. After big wins against Duke at home and Virginia on the road, Miami lost games at Virginia Tech and Florida State.

The Miami Hurricanes entered the ACC Tournament as the ninth seed. They defeated eighth-seeded Syracuse in the second round after a first-round bye. After splitting two games with North Carolina in the regular season, the Tar Heels thumped Miami 78-53 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

Syracuse did not receive a bid to last season’s NCAA Tournament despite finishing ahead of the Miami Hurricanes and Wake Forest in the ACC Standings. Both the Hurricanes and Demon Deacons made the Tournament. North Carolina would go on to win the National Championship.

Miami has started their final four-game stretch this season with an essential victory over Notre Dame Monday night. They had a similar victory in Charlottesville with four games remaining last season.

The Cavaliers were 18th in the RPI last season. Notre Dame is much lower than that this season at 67th. Miami’s final three regular-season games a year ago were against number six Duke, number 13 Florida State and number 47 Virginia Tech.

This season Miami hosts number 93 Boston College Saturday, travels to number five North Carolina next Tuesday and hosts number 53 Virginia Tech on March 3. Miami cannot afford another loss to Boston College. They already lost to the Eagles in Chesnut Hill.