Miami basketball has difficult February with perilous NCAA Tournament bid
With a 14-7 record, net ranking of 67 and 1-3 record versus quadrant one opponents, the Miami basketball team enters February with a treacherous NCAA Tournament resume. Miami plays the 20th hardest remaining schedule nationally, per the ESPN Basketball Power Index. That begins Saturday versus Virginia Tech.
Clemson, currently 34th in the NetRatings, is the only quadrant one win for Miami this season. Conversely, Miami suffered what could be a fatal blow to their NCAA Tournament hopes with a home loss to Louisville this month. Louisville is 224th in the NetRatings. Miami has the 61st-ranked strength of schedule this season.
The BPI projects Miami to finish with 18.7 wins and 12.3 losses. That almost definitely would not be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. Miami has to win the games they are projected to and pull off some upsets. February offers Miami opportunities to significantly improve its NCAA Tournament resume.
North Carolina twice, Clemson again, Duke and Virginia all offer opportunities for Miami to put quad-one wins on their NCAA Tournament resume and rise in the Net Ratings. Miami is currently listed 14th among teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Hurricanes have a long climb ahead of them.
It’s still crazy early and eventually the bubble will shrink, but genuinely feel projecting the back end of the NCAA Tournament field come March will be far more challenging compared to previous seasons. Highly argumentative.
— Brad Evans (@NoisyHuevos) January 26, 2024
I’m prepared for the battle.
Miami finished the 2022-23 regular season, winning seven out of their last eight games. Clemson, ranked 20th when they played, was the only ranked opponent for Miami in that span. The Tigers did not make the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Miami has a much more daunting schedule in 2024.
Miami is favored to in four of its final nine regular-season games. Team Rankings projects Miami with a 28.5 percent chance to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Miami is favored versus Boston College twice, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech per Team Rankings.
Next. Miami basketball fails to get over hump losing at North Carolina State. Miami fails to get over hump losing at North Carolina State. dark
Miami can quickly play itself out of the NCAA Tournament. The entire month of Feburary and early March will determine if Miami can still play themselves into the NCAA Tournament. Entering the season ranked 13th nationally in the AP Poll, no one saw Miami beginning February on the NCAA Tournament bubble.