Miami Hurricanes begin Wooden Legacy vs LaSalle
The Miami Hurricanes basketball team will compete in the Wooden Legacy in Fullerton, California this weekend. They commence play on Thursday against LaSalle and play against Northwestern or Fresno State on Friday.
The Wooden Legacy continues through Sunday. Teams have a day off on Saturday and the tournament concludes on Sunday. The other half of the bracket from Miami, LaSalle, Northwestern and Fresno State is Seton Hall, Grand Canyon, Hawaii and Utah. The Miami Hurricanes defeated LaSalle and Hawaii last season.
This is the 18th time that Miami and LaSalle are meeting on the hardcourts. The Explorers hold a 9-8 lead in the series, but the Miami Hurricanes have dominated lately. This is Miami and LaSalle’s fifth meeting in the last seven seasons. Miami has won the previous four by an average of 21.75 points per game.
The story of the early season for the Miami Hurricanes has been the play of point guard Chris Lykes. Lykes leads the team in scoring, assists and steals. He is averaging 21.7 PPG, 5.3 APG and 2.3 SPG.
Lykes has scored at least 20 points in each of the Hurricanes first three games. He is the first Miami player to accomplish that in the first three games of the season since 1989.
Lykes stellar beginning has overshadowed his backcourt mate D.J. Vasiljevic and small forward Anthony Lawrence. Vasiljevic is averaging 17.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, shooting 52.2 percent on three-point attempts and has made all 13 of his free-throw attempts.
Lawrence has been the Miami Hurricanes best all-around player through the first three games of this season. He is averaging 8.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.3 blocks per game. Lawrence is making 53.1 from the floor, 43.8 percent of his three-point attempts and has made nine of his ten free throw attempts.
Senior center Ebuka Izundu has also played outstanding with Miami playing without Junior center-forward Dewan Hernandez. Hernandez has yet to play this season because of eligibility issues. Izundu is the fourth Hurricane averaging double figures this season at 12.7 PPG. Izundu is also averaging 10.7 RPG and 3.3 BPG.
Zach Johnson and Sam Waardenburg have also given Miami good production. Waardenburg has started all three-games games in Hernandez’s place and Johnson has been Miami’s, sixth man.
Miami plays a LaSalle team that has gotten off to a rough start this season with losses in their first four games. Three of the Explorers four losses have been by eight points or less. They began the season with a 75-67 loss to crosstown and Big Five Rival Temple.
The loss to the Owls followed with a 77-76 loss to in-state rival Lafayette, an 82-69 loss at Florida and 89-84 loss to another Philadelphia rival Drexel.
LaSalle is led by 6’1 Senior guard Pookie Powell who prepped at Dr. Phillips in Orlando. He is averaging 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.5 APG. Powell is shooting 36 percent from the floor and has made 17 of his 20 free throw attempts.
Powell’s backcourt mate Isiah Deas is the only other player from LaSalle in double figures. Deas averages 15.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, is LaSalle’s best three-point shooter at 48.1 percent, leads the Explorers from the free-throw line and made all nine of his free throw attempts.
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This is a game Miami is expected to win. The Hurricanes are a 13.5 point favorite according to ESPN. The first game in a tournament can often be the toughest. Miami needs to come out strong and get off to a good start. The Hurricanes need to put LaSalle early.