Miami Basketball Season Preview: Can Miami make history again?

In March, Miami made a historic run to the Final Four, beating Drake, Indiana, top-seeded Houston, and second-seeded Texas along the way. It was the first Final Four in program history.

The Hurricanes start this season ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll and begin its season Monday night at home in the Watsco Center against NJIT.

The team will watch its Final Four banner raised into the rafters against UCF on Friday, Nov 10.

Last season, Jim Larrañaga brought in Norchad Omier (Arkansas State) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State), which were vital pieces to Miami's magical run.

Pack, who averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, is back, as is 6-foot-7 forward Norchad Omier, who averaged 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Also returning is junior guard Wooga Poplar, who averaged 8.4 points a season ago and is expected to be one of Miami’s most significant contributors this year, especially after the departures of scoring leaders Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller, who are now playing in the NBA.

Miami assimilated a top-25 recruiting class last season, only to see 6-foot-11 Favour Aire (Penn State) and 6-foot-7 Danilo Jovanovich (Louisville) transfer out after the season.

That shortens their bench and prioritizes contributions from sophomores AJ Casey and Christian Watson.

Mathew Cleveland - Small Forward

Miami returns 54.2% of its minutes but will need a significant contribution from Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland.

The Canes won with an elite offense last season - sixth in adjusted efficiency per KenPom. Without Wong or Miller, that will be tough to replicate. The Hurricanes need to improve on defense to match last year’s success.

Miller was arguably the most valuable player on the Final Four roster, and adding the 6--6-foot-7 wing is what Miami needs. Cleveland can guard multiple positions on the floor without sacrificing size and length. In Tallahassee, Cleveland developed into a reliable shooter from deep (18% as a freshman to 35% last season).

Cleveland, of course, hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot at the Watsco Center for FSU last season - Miami's only home loss. He was a top-ten candidate for the Julius Erving Award, given annually to the nation’s top small forward.

He played in 30 of 32 games and started each contest in which he appeared. He averaged 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.6 minutes per game. Cleveland also totaled 11 double-doubles, including eight in a row.

Kyshawn George, Guard

Miami found a gem overseas that can immediately contribute to this Miami Hurricanes basketball team. George, a 6'7" guard from Switzerland, averaged 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 steals in 28 minutes in France's Espoirs B league w/ Chalon.

Domestically, George helped lead his team to a 2016 Swiss championship at the U16 level while just 13 years old. He has plenty of experience and facilitates as well as scores.

Michael Nwoko, Center

The young talent from Canada fills a void that Miami lacked last season - size. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward/center from Toronto was considered one of the top big men in the class of 2023.

This past June, Nwoko played for Canada in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico, and helped his home nation to a 3-2 record and a third-place finish.

Nwoko averaged 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 66.7 percent (28-of-42) from the floor and leading all rebounders thrice.

The Kansas State transfer significantly impacted last season and is looking to do much more with the departure of Wong at the guard spot. He shot 40.4 percent from deep and led the squad with 2.5 3-pointers made per game this past season.

With all of the primary ballhandling duties on his shoulders in 2023-24, he should see his production increase. He’ll be looked upon to do more in the Miami backcourt as a scorer and playmaker in his final college basketball season.

The question for Pack will be, can he defend at a high level?

Bench – Bensley Joseph

Joseph is a vocal leader for this team and commanded the second unit last season. He appeared in 20 mpg, the most by any bench player in 2022-23, while putting up 5.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, and 2.0 apg on 39.8 percent shooting from 3-point land.

He could be Sixth Man Player of the Year candidate as he should see minutes at both backup guard roles this season. Look for his name to grow in the rotation this year as a big presence off the bench.

George also has much experience playing the point, so wouldn't be surprised to see the Swiss guard playing at the one position.

Wooga Poplar returns for the Hurricanes with a more significant role with the departure of Miller and Wong as offensive weapons.

Poplar has the most significant opportunity to be a breakout candidate after producing 8.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, and 1.1 spg across 37 games (36 starts) in 2022-23.

He scored 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals against Texas on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in the NCAA Tournament.

Bench - Kyshawn George

George will be a versatile piece for Miami, playing at the point guard and the wing position. He should see the floor plenty this season.

Watson should take the next step in his development and could rotate as a wing player for the Hurricanes.

Cleveland is a versatile forward presence who can handle the ball and make plays for himself and others. Cleveland finished his sophomore season, shooting 44.5 percent from the floor.

He won the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award in his debut season with the Seminoles in 2021-22. With more offensive freedom to roam and other playmakers with him on the floor, look for his numbers to increase as a pivotal addition to the Hurricanes rotation.

Omier was a crucial transfer portal addition who joined the Hurricanes rotation in 2022-23. He finished with 13.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg, and 1.1 bpg in his debut season in the ACC this past year.

He earned third-team All-ACC honors with his play while finishing fifth in the conference in PER (26.0). He’s a versatile forward presence, given his athleticism and hustle at 6-foot-7 to make plays on both ends of the floor.

Bench – AJ Casey

Casey showed some promise as a freshman, but the coaching staff wants to see him take the next step in his development.

Nwoko joins the Hurricanes out of Prolific Prep, and will look to make his presence felt in the starting center role. He posted 12.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 1.0 rpg in his final season of high school basketball, and a legit center could be a game-changer for the Hurricanes.

Nwoko will have to grow up fast in his debut season.

Bench – Omier/Casey

This will very likely be a three-man rotation in the frontcourt. Omier could find himself playing the defensive anchor role and should act as a backup center when needed this season. Omier can definitely hold his own as he served as the "big man" in the middle while the Hurricanes made a Final Four run.

The additions mentioned are vital to the team's success. The sky's the limit for George's potential, and Nwoko allows Omier to play more offensively and defensively. The X-factor is Cleveland. If he can play to the level that Miller did last season, then the chances of Miami making another run to the Final Four are great.

The tournament is a weird animal, however. Bounces must go Miami's way, and the Hurricanes must sustain injuries to equal last year's output.

Larranaga finds a way, however, to work with what he's got and maximize the potential, so I'll predict they make it to at least another Sweet Sixteen, with a ceiling of making it to the championship game.

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