Miami Basketball gets high rating in ESPN BPI for 2018-19 season

The ESPN Basketball Power Index has the Miami basketball team ranked 23rd based on the Hurricanes roster entering the 2018-19 season. The ranking is surprising after Miami lost Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown early to the NBA Draft.

The Miami Basketball team returns six players who averaged over 14 minutes per game last season. They also add two high-level transfers for 2018-19. The combination of those factors plus Jim Larranaga’s success as a coach is why Miami is 23rd in the BPI.

The ranking was a bit surprising since the Hurricanes are not ranked in any of the major top 25s for next season. Added to all of the above factors are first-round losses in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.

The Miami basketball program will be lead by their two leading returning scorers. Junior center-forward Dewan Huell averaged 11.4 points per game and 6.7 rebounds. Point guard Chris Lykes averaged 9.6 PPG and 2.3 assists per game.

The Hurricanes also bring in Graduate Transfer Zach Johnson from Florida Gulf Coast and Sophomore transfer Miles Wilson from Mount St. Mary’s. Wilson was on the Miami roster last season but had to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules.

The BPI is similar to the Football Power Index. According to ESPN the BPI places emphasis on quantity and quality of experience on a roster, the recruiting rankings for incoming freshman with an extra emphasis on five-star recruits and a coach’s past performance.

Considering who Miami lost and the fact they have no incoming Freshmen it speaks a lot to Larranaga’s track record as a Head Coach and the quality of the players returning for the Hurricanes to have a top 25 ranking. The BPI also gives Miami love because of Johnson joining the team. He is counted like a returning starter.

Johnson is coming off of his best season. A high school teammate of Huell’s, Johnson averaged 16.1 points per game, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship game, Johnson scored 37 points and made nine of his 13 three-point attempts. He also contributed three steals.

Miami was one of a handful of teams ESPN profiled in the BPI’s top 25.

"“We point out this one because the Hurricanes went 22-10 last season, lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament before seeing Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown leave early for the NBA draft.But the model doesn’t have Miami dropping too far, with the addition of Florida Gulf Coast transfer Zach Johnson providing a boost. While individual numbers are opponent-adjusted, Johnson’s production at FGCU — like every other transfer — counts the same as a returning starter.”"

The Hurricanes as expected are part of a very tough ACC entering the 2018-19 season. The ACC has six teams in the top 25 of the BPI. North Carolina is the conference’s highest ranked team. The Tar Heels are sixth.

North Carolina is followed by Syracuse, Duke and Virginia who are seventh, ninth and 10th. Virginia Tech is 15th. Florida State who lost in the West Regional Final to Michigan in March is 33rd. That is despite returning most of their roster for next season.

If the Miami basketball team can live up to the BPI’s projections they will accomplish a program first for the Hurricanes. Miami has made the last three NCAA Tournaments. No Miami Men’s basketball team has ever been invited to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

There is a lot for Larranaga to work with next season. It will be challenging getting all the new faces to mesh. Even though Wilson was with the team for the last year both he and Johnson have yet to play a game for the Hurricanes. Once they figure out how to play together Miami might pull a few surprises next season.