Jim Larranaga details benefit of playing on Friday of NCAA Tournament

Tournament time is here, and the men’s tournament officially kicks off on Tuesday with the first round of playing games. The field of 64 portion will officially start on Thursday and Friday. One of the teams slated for a Friday opener is none other than the Miami Hurricanes. Miami, a 5-seed, will face off against Drake, the 12-seed in the Midwest region of the bracket.

Some coaches might not be a fan of their team starting play on the second day, but Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga is a huge fan of it. As the Hurricanes prepare for their opening contest in the NCAA tournament, Larranaga details the benefits of a Friday start over Thursday.

“Well, that gives Norchad one more day of rest. And it gives us, as a coaching staff, one more day to prepare,” said Larranaga. “So, I always think Friday’s better. Because Thursday, your players get a feel for the tournament; they watch the games on TV; they practice in the facility where you’re gonna play. And then Friday, you get to play.”

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As mentioned by the Miami headman to start his answer, the later start date gives starting big man Norchad Omier a chance to heal from his injury suffered in their semifinal loss to Duke. Omier was lost in the opening minutes of the Hurricanes’ 85-79 loss to Duke thanks to an ankle injury. And his absence significantly impacted the game as Miami struggled all night to collect rebounds with him out of the game. Something Miami can ill afford to happen if they want to avoid an early-round exit in the tournament.

Larranaga shares first impressions of Drake

The Hurricanes found out on Selection Sunday that they secured the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, and will face the No. 12 seed Drake this Friday. Ahead of their first-round matchup, Larranaga gave his early perception of the Drake Bulldogs.

“Well they’re a great three-point shooting team, and their coach’s son is perhaps their best player,” Larranaga said. “So they’ll be very well prepared, they’ve won 13 out of 14, so you know they’ll play with a tremendous amount of confidence.”

Drake is led off the court by head coach Darian DeVries and on the court by his son Tucker DeVries. Darian is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year winner, who led the Bulldogs to an MVC regular season title and an MVC Tournament victory, putting them in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons.

His son Tucker has had a stellar season, taking home the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year trophy this month. DeVries averaged 19 points and 5.6 rebounds a game this season for Drake. He also led their team in scoring in two of their three conference tournament games.

Drake has an efficient offensive and defensive attack and should not be taken lightly by the Hurricanes. The two teams tip off Friday at 7:25 p.m. ET on CBS.