Houston's Jamal Shead shares concerns over Miami's offense

Friday night’s contest between Houston and Miami in the Midwest Regional features two teams that couldn’t be much more different. For the Cougars, it’s all about defense, physicality, and being the hardest-playing team every time they step on the court. For Miami, though, it’s about putting points on the board and doing it in a hurry.

Ahead of the game in Kansas City tonight, junior guard Jamal Shead highlighted how and why the ‘Canes offense could give him and Houston trouble tonight. He said having a variety of connected scorers and shooters, getting extra looks at the rim, and the pace at which they play makes them an incredibly tough cover.

“They’re really good at what they do,” pointed out Shead. “They’re a really good offensive team. Everybody on their team can score the ball in a variety of ways. They can really shoot the ball. Like I said, they’re a really good offensive team. They offensive rebound. They get out and run.”

“Everything that they do? They do it at a good pace,” Shead said. “And they know how to play with each other. They play well together.”

Miami has posted a Top-25 offense during their 27-7 campaign by scoring 79.1 points per game. The Hurricanes get there by shooting great clips from the field, three, and the free-throw line. They also move the ball as they average just under 15 assists per game. Throw in nearly 10 offensive rebounds a night and it only adds to the firepower they have on that end.

As far as individuals, junior guard Isaiah Wong is the focal point offensively for Miami. He leads them in scoring (16.1), in assists (3.3), and in steals (1.4) on the season. Wong has also been a big game performer with three 20-point outings in his six career NCAA Tournament games.

Wong isn’t alone, though. Jordan Miller, Norchad Omier, Nijel Pack, and Wooga Poplar all provide something unique or add to what Miami does on offense. For Miller and Omier, it’s efficient scoring as they each average at least 13 points on at least 53% shooting from the field. As for Pack and Poplar, they’re spark plug scorers, specifically from distance as they each shoot at least 39% on threes.

Something is going to have to give when it comes to the defense of Shead and his teammates and the offense that Wong and Miami can put on the floor. We’ll have to wait and see which way things break until later this evening when the two very different squads meet up inside T-Mobile Center.