Dec 21, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes guard Jalen Blackmon (5) drives to the basket past Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers guard Carmelo Pacheco (1) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Miami will aim to secure its first win under interim coach Bill Courtney when it visits Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.
The Hurricanes (4-9, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) likely still are reeling from the sudden departure of coach Jim Larranaga, who stepped down on Dec. 26 after leading the program to six NCAA Tournaments over his 13 full seasons at the helm.
Courtney, whose previous head coaching experience came at Cornell from 2010-16, said his players have responded well to the abrupt leadership change.
“They’ve done a great job of really locking in,” Courtney told the Miami Herald. “You think sometimes when the assistant takes over, there’ll be a drop off or some slacks or some things that go by the wayside, but not this group. They’ve really been locked in and concentrated.”
Miami looked plenty locked in while building a 32-13 lead at Boston College in Courtney’s interim debut on Wednesday. The Hurricanes, however, faded from there and fell 78-68 for their ninth loss in 10 games.
Leading scorer Nijel Pack (13.9 points per game) has missed Miami’s last three games with a foot injury, and his status for Saturday remains unknown. Matthew Cleveland has stepped up with Pack sidelined, averaging 21.3 points over his last three contests.
Former Virginia Tech center Lynn Kidd paces the Hurricanes with 7.3 rebounds per game to complement his 11.6 scoring average.
The Hokies (5-8, 0-2) will get their first crack at an unranked conference opponent after losing to then-No. 18 Pittsburgh 64-59 on Dec. 7 and No. 4 Duke 88-65 on Tuesday.
Virginia Tech last started 0-2 in ACC play in the 2021-22 campaign but recovered to finish 11-9 and win the conference tournament in Mike Young’s second season as coach.
“I’ve seen enough of this league now. … Continue to fight. Continue to play together. Continued improvement,” Young said. “We’ll win our fair share of games.”
Virginia Commonwealth transfer Tobi Lawal seemingly has settled in with the Hokies, as he leads the team with 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward boasts a 49 1/2-inch vertical leap that helps him play above the rim at both ends of the court.
Lawal paired 19 points with five boards against the Blue Devils and hit a season-high three 3-pointers on four attempts.
–Field Level Media
