Miami has started its inaugural season under Jai Lucas with six wins and two losses. The Hurricanes are 38th in the NCAA NetRatings. Miami earned its first win over a Power Conference Opponent under Lucas with a victory over Georgetown on Friday.
Miami gets another big opportunity against a power conference opponent on Tuesday night at Mississippi. The Hurricanes are currently 0-2 against quadrant one opponents, 2-0 versus quad three and won all four games over quad four teams this season.
A win at Mississippi would be a quad two victory for Miami. That can change as the season evolves. Mississippi is the last power conference opponent Miami will play until it begins its ACC schedule on December 30 versus Pittsburgh.
With an entirely new team and a completely new roster, Miami ranks well in other metrics. Miami is 46th in the widely used KenPom and the Hurricanes are 42nd in the ESPN Basketball Power Index. An average metric rating of 42nd should put Miami slightly on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The ACC currently has 9 teams in the KenPom top 50(with Virginia Tech and FSU on the outside of it)
— Malik Trilliams (@leek_trilli) November 27, 2025
They finished last year with only 5
The league is deeper and more talented than it’s been since Roy and Coach K were still there
Diving deeper into the metrics
The NCAA NetRating does not publish its strength of schedule. Miami is 272nd in KenPom SOS entering the game at Mississippi. KenPom has Miami 68th in offensive rating and 28th in defensive rating. The defensive rating is a huge improvement after Miami finished 339th in that metric in 2024-25.
The ESPN BPI simulations project Miami to finish with 21.1 wins and 9.9 losses. With a Net Rating of 38 and a 21-10 record, Miami would have an excellent chance of earning an NCAA Tournament berth. Miami is 162nd in SOS, has the 80th remaining SOS and is 58th in BPI strength of record.
Duke is the highest-ranked ACC team in the ESPN BPI, KenPom and Net Ratings. Duke is the only ACC team Miami does not play during the 2025-26 regular season. Louisville, which Miami hosts on March 7 in the final regular season game, is the highest-rated opponent Miami will play in 2025-26 in the ESPN BPI, Ken Pom and the Net Ratings.