Clark Kellogg gives Jai Lucas his flowers for Miami's fantastic season thus far

Even though Jai Lucas was snubbed in the ACC Coach of the Year decision, his efforts in his first year with the Hurricanes haven't been ignored by the national media. 

CBS analyst Clark Kellogg gave Lucas a shout-out during the network's coverage yesterday after leading Miami to 25 wins and a tournament appearance. Lucas' 25 wins are the most by a Hurricanes coach in his first season and only the fifth time the program has hit that win total. Lucas' predecessor, Jim Larranga, reached the mark four times during his 14 seasons. And the 15 ACC conference wins also matched a program best. 

"[Lucas is] one of the outstanding first-year coaches in a new place doing great work. That Miami team is explosive," Kellogg said. "Keep an eye on Tre Donaldson. He's been terrific running the show. They've got a freshman, Shleton Henderson, who has been outstanding as well. So this team could do some damage in the next week or two."

Clark Kellogg gives props to Jai Lucas after outstanding season

If Lucas and the Hurricanes can navigate what will basically be a road game in St. Louis against Missouri, there is the opportunity to make some noise in the West bracket. There are some potentially tough matches against teams like Purdue and possibly Gonzaga or a BYU squad, led by superstar freshman AJ Dybantsa, but Miami will bring plenty of size and physicality to the party. It's the style of basketball that Lucas believes teams need to play to win in March.

"If you watch all the good teams in the country and all the teams that have won, it's what wins. You look at Florida last year. You look at Florida this year. They make six threes a game like we make six threes a game," Lucas said Sunday on the Dan LeBatard show  "When I was at Duke, we were good last year because we were bigger than everyone and when you get to the Final Four — Auburn, Houston, Florida — everybody plays the same brand."