Miami basketball players Kam McGusty and Earl Timberlake return vs. Syracuse

The Miami basketball team that has been devastated by injuries will have senior guard Kameron McGusty and freshman wing, Earl Timberlake, back for the Hurricanes game Tuesday night against Syracuse. First reported by Jon Rothstein of CBSSports, the returns of McGusty and Timberlake are huge for the Miami depth.

Senior guard Chris Lykes will miss his 10th game in a row with an injured ankle. The timing of the return of McGusty is critical against the Syracuse matchup zone. The Orange hold opponents to 40 percent from the floor and 29.7 percent on three-point attempts. McGusty and Timberlake are averaging 10.2 points per game.

The Miami basketball team has struggled most of the season shooting the three, but made eight out of 20 attempts in their 78-72 victory over Louisville on Saturday night at the Watsco Center. It is unknown if McGusty or Timberlake will start at the Carrier Dome. McGusty has started four of the five games he has played this season.

After missing the beginning of the season, Timberlake has started three of the six games he has played. Miami will likely have nine players available with McGusty and Timberlake returning. In the Hurricanes loss to Boston College a week ago, Miami utilized primarily a seven-man rotation. Injuries have decimated Miami.

Getting the two perimeter players back for Miami is critical on the defensive end. Syracuse leads the ACC with 10.3 made three-pointers and 30 attempts per game. Boston College scorched Miami last week with 18 made threes. The Hurricanes were much better against Louisville holding the Cardinals to 3-20 on three-point attempts.

The returns of McGusty and Timberlake should help take some of the scoring load off of sophomore Isaiah Wong. Wong scored 30 in the victory over Louisville and is averaging 17.6 points per game, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Miami defeated Syracuse 69-65 in the regular-season finale last season.