Jim Larranaga praises Miami's defensive effort, strong start in first half vs. Duke

Miami wasted no time jumping out to an early lead Monday in a matchup against Duke. The Hurricanes made four of their first five shot attempts and played stifling defense to build a 13-1 lead over the first three minutes.

That quick start helped Miami to take a 40-26 lead into halftime as it held the Blue Devils to 11-of-32 shooting (34.4%) and forced 11 turnovers. Speaking with ESPN’s Andraya Carter, coach Jim Larranaga had high praise for his defense, in particular their six steals.

“I think we were very active with our hands,” he said. “We were swarming the ball pretty well. We got off to a great start and since then it’s kind of been going back-and-forth pretty even.”

Hurricanes guard Jordan Miller impacted the game in a variety of ways over the first 20 minutes. Miller led the team with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in addition to five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.

Larranaga was impressed with Miller’s decision-making in the first half, saying he has attacked the Duke defense perfectly.

“It depends on the defense they’re using and how do we utilize Jordan,” the coach said. “Against the zone, he plays the middle of our offense. He has the decision (of) shoot or pass and he makes great decisions.”

All 40 of Miami’s first half points came from four players as Isaiah Wong, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar combined for the other 26. The Hurricanes shot 14-of-33 (42.4%) as well as 3-of-9 from 3-point range.

If Miller and the Miami defense can keep it up in the second half, things look very good for the Hurricanes’ chances against Duke. They lost their first matchup against the Blue Devils 68-66 on Jan. 21, and it’s clear they came out with revenge on their minds.