Jamie Shaw of On3 named the Miami basketball team in his “College Basketball: Ten teams who can win a national championship in 2023-24.” Shaw listed Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Duke, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Purdue in alphabetic order as the other nine teams who can win a 2024 national title.
Connecticut and Duke were the last two teams to defeat the Miami basketball team during the 2022-23 season. Connecticut eliminated Miami from the 2023 NCAA Tournament 72-59 in the Final Four. Duke knocked Miami out of the ACC Tournament 85-78 after Norchad Omier was lost with an ankle injury.
Miami won 89-75 against Houston in the Midwest regional semifinals. Kentucky hosts Miami on November 28 in the inaugural ACC-SEC challenge. Miami will host Duke during the 2023-24 season in their only meeting with the date to be determined. Duke and Miami split their two regular season games in 2023.
Omier, Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar are returning starters for the Miami basketball team in 2023-24. Bensley Joseph is projected to start at guard after being the sixth man in 2022-23. Matthew Cleveland will start at forward for Miami after transferring from Florida State during the 2023 off-season.
ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) August 15, 2023
1 Kansas
2 Duke
3 Purdue
4 MSU
5 UConn
6 Houston
7 Gonzaga
8 Tennessee
9 FAU
10 Marquette
11 Arizona
12 SDSU
13 Creighton
14 Arkansas
15 UNC
16 Villanova
17 Kentucky
18 Miami
19 Texas A&M
20 Baylor
21 USC
22 Alabama
23 Saint Marys
24 Texas
25 St Johns
"Miami: Head Coach: Jim Larranaga: 2022-23 record: 29-8: Conference: ACCThe skinny: Quick, tell me all the teams who have made it to both of the previous Elite Eights. Miami is the answer, and that is the entire list. In 2022, the Hurricanes made it to the first Elite Eight in program history. They then followed that up in 2023 with the first Final Four in program history.Miami lost two players to the NBA, ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong and first-team All-ACC Jordan Miller. However, they return Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier. Omier is a productive college basketball post player who led the ACC in total rebounds last season and finished top ten in blocks and steals per game.Pack is a career 41.6 percent shooter from three and has already scored 1,287 career points in his three seasons. Watch for the steps Wooga Poplar makes, he could be a breakout player in the league…They add Matthew Cleveland from Florida State, and freshman Michael Nwoko brings a college-ready frame and top-100 talent to the block.This team is different, but so is the culture around the Miami basketball program right now.”"
Joseph steps in the guard spot vacated by Wong and Cleveland replaces Miller. Joseph will not be the scorer Wong was but gives the Miami basketball team more of a true point guard. Cleveland averaged 12.7 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 28.7 percent on threes in two seasons at FSU.
Jim Larranaga has done a remarkable job turning the Miami basketball program around after three losing seasons. Miami has made a statement about its basketball program as the only team to advance to a regional final in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Expect Miami to be picked in the top three of the ACC in 2023-24.
Poplar could put up numbers similar to what Wong did in the last two seasons. Cleveland is the all-around player Miami needs to replace Miller. The addition of Nwoko and the development of sophomore A.J. Casey provide Miami with more depth and size on the frontline behind Omier. Miami should elite again in 2023-24.