Jim Larrañaga shares concerns over Miami's effort this season

Effort is not ever something that you want to hear brought into question in regards to your team. Still, Jim Larrañaga had to do it considering how frequently it has been an issue for Miami this season.

Larrañaga spoke about his team’s desire, or lack thereof, following their 84-55 loss to Duke on Wednesday, which was their fifth consecutive defeat. He compared it to a race and noted how the sprinter who’s going harder and for the longest time often wins. His problem is that that runner isn’t always his Hurricanes based on what he sees out on the floor.

“I use this expression all the time to the players. Basketball is actually a race, right? The court is 94 feet by 50. It’s 94 feet long,” said Larrañaga. “It’s a sprint – a sprint – from one end of the court to the other and the team that runs faster longer is normally the team that wins the race.”

“If you don’t sprint? If you jog, if you’re conserving energy? Whatever your reason is for not getting back defensively or not trying to outrun your man on offense? There’s a very good chance that the other team is outworking you,” Larrañaga said.

It’s one thing for it to be a one-off matter that Miami had done in a loss before and then corrected. However, it has been a persistent problem for them based on what he has seen on tape all year, especially in regards to getting back defensively.

“I’ve actually felt that way all season. I would say I’ve certainly felt that way in all our losses this year,” said Larrañaga. “You go back to Colorado, go back to Kentucky? When I looked at the tape afterwards and saw how many times someone outran us, maybe got a tip-in, maybe got a layup or a dunk, or maybe got an open three? It has been consistent”

“If you look at our KenPom numbers, we’re able, in most games, to score pretty well. We’re averaging, I don’t know, 75 points or more a game,” Larrañaga said. “Our problem is defensively of getting back and setting our defense. We just don’t do it very well.”

The 29-point defeat to the Blue Devils was the worst overall for the Hurricanes of their dozen this season. In those 12 losses, they’ve allowed 80.2 points per game with seven scoring 80 or more and two, the Wildcats and Buffaloes, cracking 90.

Desire is not something that you should have to worry about at this point of the season. It’s what’s apparently costing Miami, though, according to how Larrañaga saw their latest loss.

“Normally, the team that outworks the other is going to win. Duke certainly outworked us tonight,” said Larrañaga.