Miami basketball facing second ACC losing record under Larranaga

After a 5-0 start to begin the 2018-19 season the Miami basketball team has lost four straight games. Without star center-forward Dewan Hernandez the Hurricanes are facing their second losing ACC record in eight years under Jim Larranaga.

Larranaga turned the Miami basketball program around immediately when he took over for the 2011-12 season. Miami went 20-13, and 9-7 in the ACC in Larranaga’s first season. The Hurricanes split their games in the ACC and NIT tournaments in his first season in Coral Gables.

The Miami basketball team has had to play all nine games this season without Hernandez while he awaits an eligibility issue. There were reports that Hernandez might have been paid in relation to the Addidas scandal that Miami and Larranaga were implicated in last year and eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

The implication hindered Miami’s ability to sign any true Freshmen in the 2018 signing class. Larranaga was able to salvage a recruiting class by inking three transfers. Without Hernandez playing, the Hurricanes have had to basically use a seven-man rotation this season.

Six Hurricanes average at least 24 minutes per game. A seventh, Freshman forward Deng Gak is playing nearly 15 minutes per game. Four Hurricanes are playing an average of over 30 minutes per game.

Once ACC play arrives in January that’s going to be very difficult to manage if the Hurricanes get in foul trouble, have any injuries or illness or play two games in four days which they will do frequently.

The majority of bracketologists projecting the NCAA Tournament fields have Miami among the first four teams out of March Madness. That was before the Hurricanes upset loss at Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Miami has had only one losing conference season during Larranaga’s tenure in South Florida. The 2013-14 Hurricanes went 17-16 overall, 7-11 in the ACC and missed the postseason for the only time during his seven seasons as the Miami Basketball coach. That came after winning the ACC regular season and tournament titles in 2013.

Chris Carlson of Syracuse.Com recognizes that this could be down year in Coral Gables in his ACC Weekly Power Rankings that were posted Monday. That was before the Hurricanes loss to Penn.

"“What’s to like: Center Ebuka Izundu has developed into a threat at center. He’s averaging 12.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and shooting 70.2 percent from the floor. He averaged just 5 points last year.What’s not to like: The three-game non-conference losing streak is a first for Miami under Jim Larranaga. The last time it happened was in 2007, when the Hurricanes lost to Binghamton, Louisville and Nebraska under Frank Haith.Miami really misses star forward Dewan Hernandez, who is sitting while the NCAA looks into eligibility concerns.”"

The three-game losing streak that Carlson referred to was in December 2006. The last time Miami lost four straight non-conference games was in December of 1992. The Hurricanes began that season with six straight losses and started the year with a 1-9 record. They finished the 1992-93 season 10-17 under Leonard Hamilton.

Miami has talent in the starting lineup, but the lack of depth is going to wear them down by the end of the season. If they get Hernandez back it will balance out the entire team better and take a lot of pressure off of point guard Chris Lykes, Graduate Transfer Zach Johnson and Izundu.

At this point, no one knows if or when Hernandez will return. The former McDonald’s All-American is the second highest ranked recruit in Miami history. It’s hard to count on him in 2018-19. The Hurricanes appear headed towards a losing record in the ACC. Hopefully, they can still get an NIT bid.