Brutal Miami basketball gauntlet schedule continues vs. FSU Saturday: Game Info

The brutal gauntlet that is the January Miami basketball schedule early in the ACC continues when the short-handed Hurricanes host Florida State on Saturday.

After an 80-63 loss at North Carolina State on Wednesday night, the Miami basketball team returns home to host Florida State on Saturday. The Hurricanes are in a brutal stretch of a gauntlet schedule that continues through the return trip to Tallahassee on February 8. Miami plays at Duke and North Carolina following FSU.

Florida State twice and at Duke next week are the only ranked teams left on the Miami basketball schedule in the regular season. With the game on Saturday, the only one of the three at the Watsco Center a victory by the Miami basketball team would be huge as the Hurricanes build towards an NCAA Tournament bid.

Florida State travels to Coral Gables tied for the ACC lead with Duke and Louisville at 5-1. The Seminoles defeated the Cardinals earlier this month at the KFC Yum Center. Florida State enters Saturday’s game 15-2 overall. The Seminoles’ only losses were opening night to Pittsburgh and to Indiana in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge.

Miami will continue to be without graduate transfer forward Keith Stone. Stone provided Miami a presence off the bench. Stone is averaging 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds this season since returning from a torn ACL he suffered last year while playing for Florida. The 6’8 forward provided depth for Miami upfront.

"Game Information:GAME 17 | JAN. 18, 2020 • 1 P.M. ET • CORAL GABLES, FLA.#9 Florida State Seminoles (15-2, 5-1 ACC)Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton (UT-Martin, 1971)Record at FS: 363-220 (18th season), Career Record: 563-430 (32nd season)Miami Hurricanes (10-6, 2-4 ACC)Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (Providence, 1971)Record at UM: 185-103 (ninth season), Career Record: 655-437 (36th season)Courtesy HurricaneSports.Com"

Miami Hurricanes Basketball

With Stone out, Miami is down to starters, center Rodney Miller and forward Sam Waardenburg and freshman backup forward Anthony Walker as the remaining players on the frontline. The Miami basketball team has been without forward Deng Gak for most of the season.

Gak suffered as season-ending knee injury for the second straight year earlier this season. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga has relied primarily on Miller and Waardenburg. The Hurricanes have used four guards at times this season. Walker is averaging 11.2 minutes, 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Florida State is not as big as they have been in previous seasons, but the Seminoles still have seven players on their roster 6’8 or taller. Miller, Waardenburg and Walker are the only healthy players Miami will have on Saturday who are even as tall as 6’6. Walker is going to have to give the Hurricanes quality minutes.

"SERIES HISTORYAll-Time: 37-47 (15-24 since rebirth) | Home: 28-14 | Away: 8-31 | Neutral: 0-2 | Coach L: 8-9 (8-9 at Miami)Streak: Lost 3 | Last Meeting: 78-66 home loss (1/27/19) | First Meeting: 80-61 home win (12/19/50)BROADCAST INFORMATIONACC Network • Play-by-Play: Mike Monaco • Color: Dan Bonner | WatchESPNWQAM 560 AM • Joe Zagacki • Danny Rabinowitz | WQAM.Radio.comWMYM 990 AM • Broderick Zerpa • Jose Martinez • Lorenzo Berry • Daniel Ramirez | Spanish Language radio streaming.WVUM 90.5 FM • Philip Capuzzi • Brendan Reilly | WVUM.org"

Florida State has built its advantage in the all-time series with the Miami basketball program with wins in five of the last six meetings. The Hurricanes’ only victory was an 80-74 win at the Watsco Center in 2018. Florida State is a difficult matchup for Miami because of their size, depth and tempo.

Jim Larranaga is likely going to have to slow the game down, potentially use a zone defense and have his guards get to the basket often, keep turnovers to a minimum and draw fouls from Florida State. Miami is 15th nationally with only 181 turnovers and 101st shooting 72.1 percent from the free-throw line.