Miami basketball 1st ranking since 2018 and Isaiah Wong National PoW

The Miami basketball teams earned rankings in both polls on Monday and guard Isaiah Wong was named by the Field of 68 as the National Player of the Week. Miami is ranked 25th in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll following wins over Cornell and North Carolina State to improve to 10-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC.

The Hurricanes earned their first ranking since being ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 in the final poll during the 2017-18 season. Miami earned 100 points in the AP Top 25, nine behind ACC rival Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes had 55 in the USA Today coaches poll which is 44 points behind the Hokies and Wisconsin.

Miami defeated Cornell 107-105 in the highest-scoring game in Watsco Center history and followed that up with an 80-73 comeback victory over North Carolina State on Saturday. The Hurricanes trailed the Wolfpack by as many as 16 points in the first half. Miami closed out NC State with an 18-6 run.

Wong earned the National Player of the Week from The Field of 68 website by scoring 58 points on 19-30 from the floor, made seven of his 12 three-point attempts, 13-14 from the free throw line, had 12 rebounds, 13 assists and had one steal with just one turnover. Wong scored a career-high 36 points versus Cornell.

NCAA.Com college basketball writer Andy Katz ranks Miami 15th nationally in his week five Power 36. With wins this season over North Carolina State, Providence and Rutgers, Miami is building a good NCAA Tournament resume. Miami is off this week until Saturday when they host St. Francis-Pennsylvania.

The Hurricanes will return to ACC play on December 20 when they host Virginia. Virginia is second in both polls this week and received first-place votes. The Cavaliers have a difficult game on Saturday when they host top-five Houston. A win over Virginia would be huge for Miami’s NCAA Tournament resume.