Miami basketball barely stays top 25 in national polls

Following a loss for the fourth straight week, the Miami basketball team fell three spots in the AP Top 25 to 23 and two spots in the USA Today coaches poll to 21st. Miami has lost three straight games on Saturday. An 11-0 Pittsburgh run on Saturday finished a 71-68 victory over Miami. Miami is 16-5 overall and 7-4 in the ACC.

Miami has 146 points in the AP Top 25. The Miami basketball team is 24 points behind 16-5 San Diego State and 15 ahead of 16-6 UConn who was ranked number one earlier this season. The Hurricanes have 97 points in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Miami is 65 points behind number 21-1 FAU and four ahead of 15-6 Indiana.

The Miami basketball team returns home on Tuesday night after three straight games on the road. Miami lost on January 21 at Duke, won on Tuesday at Florida State before the loss at Pittsburgh. Virginia Tech plays at Miami on Tuesday night. Miami goes back on the road at first-place Clemson on Saturday afternoon.

Miami plays six of its last nine games at home beginning with Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 13-8 overall, 4-7 and in 12th place in the ACC. Miami plays at Virginia Tech on February 21. The Hurricanes have alternated wins and losses over its last eight games. Miami is 3-4 in January. Miami has a more favorable February schedule.

Miami fell to a tie for fifth place in the ACC with North Carolina State. The Hurricanes and Wolfpack split their two games this season. North Carolina is a half-game in front of Miami and NC State in fourth place. The fourth-place team in the ACC earns a double-bye in the tournament in March. The ACC Tournament is in Greensboro.

Miami will need an upset win on the road at Clemson coupled with a victory over Virginia Tech to stay in the poll next week. Various analytics project Miami to finish the regular season with a 22-8 record. That means Miami would finish the season 6-3 which correlates to their home-road balance for the remainder of the season.