The Miami basketball team will be without starting point guard Chris Lykes but his backcourt mate Kam McGusty and reserve forward Keith Stone are back for the Hurricanes game on Tuesday night against Virginia Tech at the Watsco Center.
The Miami basketball team will attempt to end a four-game losing streak and a stretch with losses in six of their last seven games without Chris Lykes when the Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Tuesday night at the Watsco Center. Junior guard Kameron McGusty and graduate transfer forward Keith Stone will return.
Miami is without Lykes for the second straight game. Lykes injured his groin over a week ago against Florida State. The Hurricanes leader played in the next game against Duke but missed Saturday’s game against North Carolina. Miami played with only six scholarship players in the 94-71 loss in Chapel Hill Saturday.
The return of McGusty is critical for a Miami offense that has struggled to score in the last two games. McGusty is slated to come off the bench. Freshmen Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly will start in the backcourt according to Miami basketball play-by-play announcer Joe Zagacki. Wong was exceptional in the second half Saturday.
Wong scored a career-high 19 points against North Carolina with 17 coming in the second half. The 17 point second half more than doubled the number of points Wong has scored as a freshman this season. With Lykes and McGusty sidelined on Saturday, senior Dejan Vasiljevic was the only Hurricane averaging in double figures.
Miami needs a good game from Vasiljevic against Virginia Tech. With Lykes and McGusty out against North Carolina, Vasiljevic scored only eight points on 3-13 from the floor. That was only the fourth game of the season and second in ACC play that Vasiljevic failed to reach double figures.
Getting Stone back is critical for the depth Miami has on the frontline. Stone is back for the first time since Miami lost at home to Duke on January 4. Stone provides Miami with far more versatility on the frontline behind redshirt juniors Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg. Freshman Anthony Walker will also get minutes.