Miami Hurricanes and Loyola Coaches have a lot of respect for each other
The Miami Hurricanes have a lot of doubters entering the first round game with Loyola. Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga and Loyola Head Coach Porter Moser had a lot of praise for their opponents this week.
Many experts are tabbing Loyola as a team to watch in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The 11th seeded Ramblers are being projected as a potential Sweet 16 team by a lot of experts. Loyola won the Missouri Valley regular season and tournament titles this season. The Miami Hurricanes cannot take Loyola lightly.
The Ramblers are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since they advanced to the East Regional Semifinals in 1985. They were ousted by Patrick Ewing and Georgetown.
Larranaga led the original Cinderella in the modern era when he guided George Mason to the Final Four in 2006. The Patriots upset Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn on their way to the East Regional title. He should be able to relay that message to his players not to take Loyola lightly.
The Miami Hurricanes also lost earlier this season to New Mexico State in Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. The Aggies are the 12th seed in the Midwest Region. They will face the Hurricanes ACC foe Clemson Friday night at 9:57 PM in San Diego. The Hurricanes also lost at Clemson in January.
Larranaga spoke about facing Loyola.
"“My experience is seeding doesn’t matter that much, it’s how well you play…The challenge for our Miami team is we need to play at a very, very high level to compete with them. We’ve got to be sure that we understand the caliber of our opponent, [which] has earned an awful lot of respect. There’s only one way for us really to earn that same kind of respect, and that’s to play great [Thursday].”"
Larranaga’s run with George Mason, the loss to New Mexico State this season and the emphasis on how good Loyola hopefully has his team’s attention this week. One of the things to watch could be the play of Lonnie Walker. Teams that advance often do so when their best player plays at a high level.
Loyola coach Porter Moser spoke about his team’s focus and playing Miami.
"“[Heading into the Missouri Valley Conference tournament,] we didn’t talk about the at-large bid…The same thing with this distraction. Their focus hasn’t changed. This week of practice for these film sessions has been good, and the blinders have got to be strictly on Miami, what we have to do for ourselves and what we have to do with Miami.”"
The Ramblers proved they can be focused by winning the Missouri Valley Tournament. Miami seemed fold somewhat under the pressure of the ACC Tournament. After getting off to a 14-0 lead in the quarterfinals against North Carolina, the Hurricanes allowed UNC to go on a 19-4 run to take the lead.
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Getting off to another good start and taking the crowd out of the game early could be key for the Hurricanes. The crowds at neutral sites almost universally back the underdog.