Miami basketball needs win at Illinois in ACC-Big 10 Challenge
After back to back disappointing losses to Florida and Connecticut at the Charleston Classic the Miami basketball team has another difficult game away from home when they play at Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
The Miami basketball team will play their fourth straight tough game away from home when they travel to Champaign, Illinois to face the Fighting Illini in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Monday night. The Hurricanes are 4-3 and Illinois enters the game 6-1. The only loss for the Fighting Illini was a 21 point mashing at Arizona.
Miami is coming off a pair of their own blowout losses. After looking impressive last weekend in a quarterfinal victory over Missouri State in their first game in Charleston. the Hurricanes lost 78-58 to Florida in the semifinals and 80-55 to UConn in the third-place game. Miami desperately needs a victory at Illinois.
The Miami basketball team has a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series against Illinois. The 15th ranked Hurricanes won the last meeting 70-61 in Coral Gables over the 24th ranked Illini in an ACC-Big Challenge matchup. Then number five Miami defeated Illinois 63-59 in the Round of 32 in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Neither team has defeated a team from a power conference this season. The difference in Champaign is likely to be which team gets better play inside. The top four scorers for Miami play on the perimeter. Illinois is led by their three-guard lineup but has good balance with two of their top four scorers up front.
"GAME 8 | DEC. 2, 2019 • 7 P.M. ET • CHAMPAIGN, ILL.Miami Hurricanes (4-3, 0-1 ACC)Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (Providence, 1971)Record at UM: 179-100 (ninth season), Career Record: 649-434 (36th season)Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 0-0 B1G)Head Coach: Brad Underwood (Kansas State, 1986)Record at UI: 32-40 (third season), Career Record: 141-67 (seventh season)Courtesy HurricaneSports.Com"
The two players to watch for Illinois are guard Ayo Dosunmu and massive 7’0 290-pound center Kofi Cockburn. Cockburn did not play well against Arizona’s big frontline. The Jamaican shot just 3-7 from the field. Cockburn is averaging 15.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Dosunmu averages 16.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.4 assists.
Illinois got hot early from three in their loss at Arizona, but they are better when they shoot inside the arc. The Illini are ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 51 percent. They are 149th in three-point percentage at 33.9 percent. The defense for the Miami basketball team has been uncustomarily poor this season.
Miami Hurricanes Basketball
The Hurricanes are 281st allowing opponents to show 45.2 percent from the floor. Miami has been better defending the three. Miami opponents shoot 32.7 percent on three-point attempts to rank 186th nationally. Illinois likes a more uptempo pace. The Fighting Illini are third nationally in scoring at 88.3 PPG.
Most of those points came against inferior opponents. Against Arizona, Illinois was not able to come anywhere close to that pace. Miami wants a more deliberate pace. The Hurricanes are 220th nationally averaging 70.6 PPG. Miami is led in scoring by senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic at 13.9 PPG. Dosunmu leads Illinois.
"SERIES HISTORYAll-Time: 2-1 (2-0 since rebirth) | Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 1-0 | Coach L: 2-0 (2-0 at Miami)Last Meeting: 70-61 home win (Dec. 2, 2014) | First Meeting: 86-76 home loss (Nov. 28, 1969)BROADCAST INFORMATIONESPN2 • Play-by-Play: Jason Benetti • Color: Dan Dakich | Live Stream: Watch ESPNWQAM 560 AM • Joe Zagacki | WQAM.Radio.com"
The trip to Champaign is Miami’s first game in eight days since the loss in Charleston to UConn. Miami will have another 12 days layoff for finals before hosting Alabama A&M at the Watsco Center on December 12. That makes for a tough one game in 20-day stretch. That begins the season schedule in earnest.
Next. Miami will play 2020 Cayman Islands Classic. dark
Miami will play three games in eight days commencing by hosting the Bulldogs. The Hurricanes will also get visits from Temple and Coppin State before resuming ACC play at Clemson on New Year’s Eve. The Hurricanes began the season with a loss at home against Louisville. MIami plays at the Cardinals on January 7.