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Jim Larrañaga reveals message to Miami players

PeterWarrenPhoto2by:Peter Warren•03/13/23•

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(Hunt/Getty Images)

Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga and his Hurricanes team found out their NCAA Tournament future Sunday night. The team is heading to Albany, N.Y., to face off with Drake in first round of the tournament.

Miami is in the Midwest Region, which is headlined by No. 1 seed Houston. Miami is the No. 5 seed in the region, which also features ACC foe Pittsburgh. The Panthers are playing in a First Four game against Mississippi State to try and earn an invitation to the main draw of the Big Dance.

With his team having just a few days to get ready for the Bulldogs, Larrañaga relayed his message to his team to the media on Sunday.

“The message was they should start reviewing anything on the internet about Drake and try to familiarize themselves, told them that we’re going to practice tomorrow at noon, to get their rest and nutrition and be ready to go,” Larrañaga said.

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Jim Larrañaga doesn’t have an update yet on Miami big Norchad Omier

Miami could be without forward Norchad Omier for its first round matchup in the NCAA Tournament. Omier was injured in the Hurricanes’ ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Duke

“There’s really no update at this point,” Jim Larrañaga said Sunday. “We’ve got our fingers crossed and we wish him the best but we’ve got to prepare both ways. We’ll have him or we don’t have him. Because we don’t know what his status will be for quite a while.”

Omier is averaging 13.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on the season for Miami. He leads the team in rebounds, blocks and shooting percentage at 59.0%.

“We have doctors and trainers taking care of him 24/7…Norchad is working on it,” Larrañaga said. “Of course, he wants to play…He’s got more energy than anybody. He’s always going to have a smile on his face. And he’s going to do everything possible to get himself ready and to help this team.”

The Hurricanes are 25-7 on the season with a 15-5 record in the ACC. They are 2-2 in neutral site games this year.