Live Game Thread and Preview: Miami Basketball Vs. North Florida

Five of the six games occurred at the Watsco Center, while one occurred in Jacksonville. In those six games, Miami is outscoring North Florida by an average of 27.5 points per contest.

Most recently, the Hurricanes defeated the Ospreys, 77-59, at the Watsco Center on Nov. 29, 2020.

Last Game

Miami defeated Stonehill, 97-59, on Dec. 21 before taking a short break for the holidays. All five starters scored in double-figures for the third time this season. Freshman Kyshawn George got his first career start, replacing the injured Nijel Pack.

Fourth-year junior Norchad Omier tallied his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while junior Wooga Poplar scored 20-plus points (24) for the fourth time this season.

Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

Notable Miami Statistics

The Hurricanes are the only team in the nation with three players averaging ten points and five rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Those players are Poplar (17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 53.2%), Omier (16.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 59.5%), and Matthew Cleveland (14.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 58.3%).

Omier is just 21 points away from 1,500 career points. Upon reaching that milestone, Omier will join an elite club as there are currently only two active Division I men’s players with 1,500-plus points and 1,000-plus rebounds – Armando Bacot (UNC) and Baylor Scheierman (Creighton). Omier ranks second among active Division I players in career boards at 1,097.

The Hurricanes are 20-1 (.952) when Omier has a double-double since he joined the team (2022-23). Omier had a night against Stonehill, recording 20 points and 17 rebounds against the Skyhawks. Omier’s 17 rebounds tie his game-high for most in a Miami uniform (his career high is 26 with Arkansas State).

Omier is one of 38 Division I players to tally 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game this season. Even more impressive is Omier posted those numbers in just 24 minutes of action, the fewest of all 38 players and one of just seven players sub-30 minutes. When increasing the rebound number to 17, that list dwindles to just 13 Division I players, including Omier.

Miami dished 26 assists on 38 made field goals against Stonehill, marking just the second time since 2010 that Miami has totaled 25-plus assists. The other occurrence came on Jan. 21, 2018, when the Hurricanes also tallied 26 assists in an 86-81 win over NC State.

Over the last five games, freshman George has been the dominant from distance, connecting on 57.9 percent of his 3-point shots, trailing only Pack (.615; 8-of-13). This marked improvement from the first six games of the season when George was shooting 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from 3-point range.

Sophomore AJ Casey has been a dominant rebounder off the bench the last few games, averaging 5.0 boards per contest over the last four outings.

Casey tallied a career-high seven rebounds against both LIU and La Salle. He also tied his career high in scoring in the last game, pouring in eight points vs. Stonehill.

Miami ranks sixth among Division I teams, first in the ACC, in 3-point percentage this season, posting a .408 percent clip from distance as a team. Junior Poplar paces the team with a 50.8 shooting percentage from three, which ranks second in the nation.

The Opponent

Notable North Florida Statistics

North Florida enters Friday’s contest with a 7-7 record and is coming off back-to-back losses to Power 5 teams in Florida State and Georgia. Before those two games, the Ospreys were on a three-game winning streak.

North Florida is led in scoring by Chaz Lanier at 16.2 points per game, while Dorian James leads the Ospreys on the boards, averaging 5.9 rebounds per contest.

Lanier etched his name into the conference record books as the ASUN Player of the Week after career performances on three straight days in the First Coast Classic on Nov. 21.

Miami Athletics and North Florida Athletics Contributed to this report

Talk with Canes Fans about the game on Inside Canes Hoops

Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond

• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify

• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @TheCribSouthFLA, @AnthonyYero1, and @MichaelYero

• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County

Follow us on Facebook