Miami Hurricanes NCAA Tournament prospects depend on matchups

Auburn, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State are the other teams he profiled as being in trouble. Both sets of Tigers and the Buckeyes are currently ranked.

"“Miami (Fla.) Taking a glance at the Hurricanes’ seeding and late-season push — winning four of their last five — it’d be easy to think this is a battle-tested ACC team that can stage a deep run. Wrong. A closer inspection reveals one of Miami’s best players, Bruce Brown Jr., has been out with an injury and even if he’s back won’t be up to full health. Coach Jim Larrañaga’s team has put together a fine season with this team in the Top 25 much of the year, but it won’t end well in the dance.”"

Miami was able to win the four straight games and seven of ten to close the season without Brown. Getting him back would be similar to an NBA team making a late-season trade to upgrade a position.

Brown’s absence has give D.J. Vasiljevic and Chris Lykes a chance to grow. Sam Waardenburg has also had a chance to play more in the second half of the season. One player cannot make up for Brown’s loss. Waardenburg has helped up front on the boards and is a perfect stretch four.