After the blowout loss Saturday night against Duke, the Miami basketball team has a chance to redeem themselves when they travel to Louisville on Tuesday night. The Cardinals defeated the Hurricanes 87-74 in the season opener in November at the Watsco Center.
The Miami basketball team is coming off of a 95-62 blowout loss to Duke on Saturday night at the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes were thoroughly dominated in nearly every facet of the game in the ESPN Saturday night prime time game of the week. Miami will hope to redeem themselves on Tuesday night at Louisville.
The game between the Cardinals and Hurricanes is also set for a national television audience on ESPN2. Jim Larranaga needs to get the Miami basketball star backcourt of Chris Lykes and Dejan Vasiljevic to play better against Louisville. The pair combined for 17 points on 5-24 from the floor in the loss on Saturday night.
Lykes and Vasiljevic will be the focus of opposing defenses the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in the post-game on Saturday that keeping Vassiljevic off the three-point line was part of the Blue Devils strategy in the dominant victory. Vasiljevic finished with eight points on 3-9 from the floor.
The Aussie made only one of his three three-point attempts against Duke. Vasiljevic entered Saturday night’s game averaging making 2.8 three-point shots on six attempts per game. Lykes was even worse against Duke. The junior made only 2-15 from the floor and did not make a three-point attempt.
"GAME 14 | JAN. 7, 2020 • 7 P.M. ET • LOUISVILLE, KY.Miami Hurricanes (9-4, 1-2 ACC)Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (Providence, 1971)Record at UM: 184-101 (ninth season), Career Record: 654-435 (36th season)#7/8 Louisville Cardinals (11-3, 2-1 ACC)Head Coach: Chris Mack (Xavier, 1992)Record at UL: 31-17 (second season), Career Record: 246-114 (11th season)Courtesy HurricaneSports.Com"
Louisville will likely enter Tuesday’s game at the KFC Yum Center with a chip on their shoulder. The Cardinals are coming off back to back losses to Kentucky and Florida State and have lost three of their last five after beginning the season with nine straight wins. The 78-65 loss to the Seminoles on Saturday was in Louisville.
Miami travels to Louisville with the Derby City being only one of two in the ACC that the Hurricanes have not earned a road victory. Wake Forest is the other. Miami has lost in all five of their trips to Louisville. The Hurricanes did not pass the test in their two biggest games this season.
"SERIES HISTORYAll-Time: 4-12 (2-7 since rebirth) | Home: 4-6 | Away: 0-5 | Neutral: 0-1 | Coach L: 2-5 (2-5 at Miami)Last Meeting: 87-74 home loss (Nov. 5, 2020) | First Meeting: 73-60 home loss (Jan. 5, 1951)BROADCAST INFORMATIONESPN2 • Play-by-Play: Rece Davis • Color: Jon Crispin • Reporter: Brooke Weisbrod | WatchESPNWQAM 560 AM • Joe Zagacki | WQAM.Radio.com"
A win on Tuesday will be difficult but would give the Hurricanes a signature victory on the road to an NCAA Tournament berth. Miami had a big win over Louisville in Coral Gables in what some have dubbed the Lonnie Walker game on their way to a third-place finish in the ACC in 2017-18.
The Hurricanes need a similar performance from the backcourt on Tuesday night. Kameron McGusty was efficient against Duke making 4-7 from the floor but scored just 12 points, more than three below his average. The 29 points combined from Lykes, McGusty and Vasiljevic was more than 17 below normal.