The end of the regular season did not go to plan for the Miami Hurricanes and Jai Lucas, as a loss at home was posted to Louisville. Now, though, Lucas and his playmakers are hard at work practicing, waiting for the ACC quarterfinals to get here.
Miami's ACC title path looks a lot more interesting due to Duke injuries
The Canes locked up the No. 3 seed, meaning they'll hit the hardwood on Thursday afternoon. Who will Miami face? That will be determined soon, as the Louisville Cardinals are set to take on SMU on Wednesday. With a win for Louisville, Miami will get the quarterfinals showdown its players likely are hoping for.
Miami will play the winner of Louisville vs SMU in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals
On one side of things, sure, maybe Miami fans would love it for SMU to post an upset win, as on paper taking on the Mustangs would be an easier matchup for the Canes. However, a shot at taking down Pat Kelsey and Co. sure would be sweet.
Things of course are not going to be easy for Louisville this week, though, as standout playmaker Mikel Brown Jr. is dealing with a lingering back issue and he's already been ruled out for the ACC Tournament. That's a rough update as a whole for Kelsey and Co.
As for Lucas, he has done a remarkable job in his first season as Miami's head coach. A former assistant for Jon Scheyer at Duke, he took over in Coral Gables and powered UM to a 24-7 regular season finish, which was great to see.
Lucas and his staff have also been killing it out on the recruiting trail. Now, his first ACC tournament with the program is here and he's going to want to make a splash. In a perfect world, Miami will take down Louisville in the quarterfinals and then (likely) Virginia in the semifinals. It would see up a potential final with Duke, which would be must-see TV.