Jim Larranaga shares unique analogy for Miami's confidence

Following a tough loss at Pittsburgh, Miami managed to bounce back in a big way with a home win over Virginia Tech. The win helped rebuild Miami’s confidence.

And coach Jim Larranaga had an interesting analogy for confidence and what happens when things go the wrong way on the court.

“Here’s what I say about confidence,” Larranaga said. “I don’t know if you guys will agree with this. Terry Holland, great head coach at the University of Virginia, used to describe it to me.

“It’s like a glass that you’re pouring water in. Every success the level of water goes up, you just keep pouring. It goes up. But if you take a hit, knock that glass and it shatters, you’ve got to rebuild that confidence.”

If Miami’s glass was shattered following the Pittsburgh loss, the ‘Canes did a nice job repairing it pretty quickly.

How?

“It starts in practice,” Larranaga said after beating Virginia Tech. “We had a great practice yesterday. I was so pleased with our energy. And we gave them Sunday off. No practice on Sunday, no walk-through. We watched a little bit of video.

“I told them, I’m heartbroken that we lost that game, and I’m in a bad mood. But I can tell you this: Tomorrow I’ll be focused on Virginia Tech, I’m going to bring a lot of energy and I want to have a great practice, and I hope you guys feel the right way. Rest, recover and let’s go to work tomorrow. And we did.”

Miami currently a projected No. 6 seed

ESPN’s latest bracketology was released on Friday following the mid-week games, and Miami’s win over Virginia Tech had an impact.

The Hurricanes are firmly in the field, listed as a 6-seed playing in the West Region.

The current listing has Miami headed to Denver for opening round games, while the regional round (the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight) would take place in Las Vegas.