Miami basketball without Nijel Pack at Florida State

Nijel Pack is out for the fifth time in his last six games as the Miami basketball team plays at Florida State on Saturday. Pack re-injured his knee in the 67-57 Miami loss to Boston College on Wednesday night. Pack played 13 minutes versus Boston College going 0-5 from the floor, 0-4 on three-point attempts with three assists, one turnover and one steal.

With Pack out, Kyshawn George and Bensley Joseph will start in the backcourt with Wooga Poplar. George and Joseph have started the majority of Miami games this season with Pack and Poplar missing significant time with injuries. George scored nine points in an 84-75 loss to Florida State in January.

Joseph scored 10 in the loss to the Seminoles. Poplar scored 15 in the loss to Florida State but made just four of his 11 field goal attempts. Forward Matthew Cleveland will return to Florida State for the first time since transferring to Miami from the Seminoles during the 2023 off-season.

Cleveland struggled in his first game versus his former teammates with two points on one of eight from the floor, 0-3 three-point attempts, two rebounds, two assists, two turnovers and one steal. Miami needs a good performance from Cleveland in his former home stadium.

Florida State is a difficult matchup for Miami with a deep bench. The Seminoles play nine players who average at least 21 minutes per game. Miami used primarily a six-man rotation with Pack. Jim Larranaga has struggled to find a reliable rotation beyond Cleveland, George, Joseph, Norchad Omier, Pack and Poplar.

There is not a status update on Pack beyond Saturday. Omier and Pack each have one more year of eligibility remaining beyond Saturday. Omier and Pack both participated in Senior Night on Wednesday. There is no indication of the decisions of Omier or Pack beyond the 2023-24 sea