Live Game Thread and Preview: Miami Basketball Vs. No. 8 Duke

This will be the 36th all-time meeting between Miami and Duke, with the first-ever taking place in 1962. Duke leads the all-time series 25-10 and has won three of the last five games played.

The Hurricanes went 1-2 against the Blue Devils last season, besting Duke 81-59 at home on Feb. 6. However, the Blue Devils knocked Miami out of the ACC Tournament with an 85-78 win in Greensboro. It is worth noting that Norchad Omier exited the ACCT game early due to injury.

The Hurricanes have won the last two games against Duke in the Watsco Center.

During Coach Jim Larrañaga’s 13 seasons at Miami, the Hurricanes are 16-21 against blue bloods Duke (8-10) and North Carolina (8-11). Before his arrival, Miami was 4-31 against the two, including 2-20 in its ACC era. Miami has a win over at least one of them in 10 of Coach L’s 12 years.

Miami will face its fourth-ranked opponent when it hosts No. 7/8 Duke this week. The Hurricanes are 68-188 all-time against AP Top 25 opponents, including 1-2 this season. Miami is 25-93 against top-10 teams and 12- 34 when playing those teams at home. Thirteen of the 25 top-10 victories have come under Coach Larrañaga.

Last Game

Miami faced its fourth straight loss on Saturday, falling at Boston College, 77-85. Omier and Matthew Cleveland led the Hurricanes in scoring, pouring in 20 apiece for their 11th and fifth 20-point games of the season, respectively. Two other Hurricanes –Bensley Joseph (13) and Wooga Poplar (12) – joined Omier and Cleveland in double-digits.

The Hurricanes had one of their best 3-point shooting games against BC, knocking down 50 percent (13-of-26) of their shots from beyond the arc. It was the 14th time Miami has connected on 10-plus threes in a game this season, and the Hurricanes are 9-4 in those 14 games.

For the first this season, five Hurricanes tallied two or more 3-pointers in a game on Saturday. Joseph led Miami with four threes, Omier tallied three, and Cleveland, Poplar, and Paul Djobet poured in two.

Saturday’s loss was just the fourth time since 2010 that Miami has lost when tallying 13 or more 3-pointers in a game (last – Feb. 9, 2019; 14 threes at UNC).

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Notable Miami Statistics

A 2024 Karl Malone Top-10 candidate, Omier has emerged as one of the best players in the nation. He is one of just two Div. I players (Zach Edey - Purdue) to average 17.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and a .600 FG%. Moreover, Omier has a higher effective field goal percentage (.634) than Edey as he has continued to develop his 3-point shot, connecting on 37 percent of his shots from deep this year.

The Hurricanes are 24-6 (.884) when Omier has a double-double since he joined the team (2022-23).

Omier has been one of the most dominant players in the ACC this season, ranking in the top 10 in six statistical categories (Double-Doubles - 14 - 1st, Field Goal Percentage - .602 - 2nd, Rebounding - 10.0 - 2nd, # of 20-Point Games - 10 - 6th, Scoring - 17.8 - 6th, Steals - 1.54 - 9th).

He is the only player to sit in the top six in scoring and rebounding and is one of 14 players to record a 30-point game this season.

Nationally, Omier is one of six players to average 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, doing so in just 30 minutes of action, the fewest minutes per game played of all six players. Omier also has the highest true shooting percentage (including 2FG, 3FG, and FT) of the six players at .663.

Injuries have plagued the Hurricanes this season, as Miami has missed a starter in eight of 15 ACC games. The Hurricanes are 2-6 in ACC games without a starter and 0-5 when playing on the road. With all starters playing, Miami holds a 4-3 ACC record.

Miami ranks fifth in the nation (first in the ACC) in fewest fouls per game at 13.1.

The Hurricanes are second in the conference and 42nd nationally in 3-point field goals made per game (9.0).

Good things happen for the Hurricanes when they:

> Record 15 or more assists (8-2)

> Shoot 50% or better from the field (8-1)

> Score 80-plus points (9-1)

> Hold opponent to 69 points or less (8-1)

> Have four players score in double-digits (13-3)

The Opponent

Notable Duke Statistics

The Blue Devils enter Wednesday’s game as the second-best team in the conference, sitting at 11-3 in ACC play and 20-5 overall.

After starting the season 5-3, Duke has won four straight, seven of the last eight, and 15 of the last 17, moving to No. 8 in the AP poll.

Duke is the only team to rank among the top four ACC statistical leaders in scoring offense (2nd/80.3 points per game) and defense (4th/67.6 points allowed per game).

The Blue Devils lead the ACC in scoring margin (+12.7), field goal percentage (.480), and 3-point field goal percentage (.376).

Kyle Filipowski leads Duke in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (8.3), and all five of Duke's starters are averaging double-digit points this season. Filipowski is among the ACC leaders in many statistical categories. The seven-foot sophomore ranks eighth in scoring, sixth in rebounding, third in blocked shots (1.7 bpg), and ninth in field goal percentage (.497).

Jared McCain set a Duke freshman record with eight 3-pointers, scoring 35 points to help pace No. 9 Duke in a 76-67 victory at Florida State on Saturday. McCain's 35 points matched the Duke freshman scoring record and are the sixth most points scored by a freshman in ACC history.

In his last 11 outings, forward Mark Mitchell is averaging 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds with three double-doubles.

Senior guard Jeremy Roach became the 68th Blue Devil all-time to eclipse 1,000 career points in his Duke career, scoring 17 points against Arizona on Nov. 10.

Wednesday's matchup features the top two shooting teams in the ACC, with Duke leading the conference in field goal percentage (.480) and Miami ranking second (.470).

Miami Athletics and Duke Athletics Contributed to this report

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