Miami hoops loses ninth in a row to close out regular season, falls at FSU 83-75

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team (15-16, 6-14 ACC) fell to the Florida State Seminoles (16-15, 10-10 ACC), 83-75, Saturday afternoon at the Donald L Tucker Civic Center.

Four Hurricanes scored in double-figures, paced by junior Bensley Joseph, who poured in 17 points for his sixth consecutive double-digit outing.

Fourth-year junior Norchad Omier recorded his 16^th double-double of the season, hauling in 17 rebounds to go along with his 16 points. in the contest. Omier’s 17 rebounds ties his season high, which was set earlier this year against Stonehill.

Juniors Matthew Cleveland and Wooga Poplar also scored in double-figures, totaling 16 and 12 points, respectively.

“From the defensive standpoint, we did okay on the first shot, but their offensive rebounds just absolutely killed us,” head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “They ended up with 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 points. When you play good defense but keep giving them second shots, it becomes very difficult.”

The Hurricanes shot 46 percent from the field in the first half, paced by Cleveland who tallied 10 first-half points, but turnovers plagued Miami as the Hurricanes recorded 11 in the frame.

Florida State dominated the glass in the first 20 minutes, totaling 12 offensive rebounds compared to Miami’s four. Between the Miami turnovers and the Florida State offensive rebounds, the Seminoles took 17 more shots than the Hurricanes and led 37-32 at the halftime break.

The Hurricanes regrouped at halftime are started the second half on a 7-2 run to tie the game back up at 39-all. The final 20 minutes featured four ties and two lead changes until the Seminoles pulled ahead, 65-58, midway through the half thanks to a 12-2 run.

Foul trouble afflicted the Hurricanes for a majority of the second half as Florida State took 19 second-half free throws compared to Miami’s three.

The Hurricanes cut the deficit down to four, 68-64, on a layup by Omier, but the Seminoles ultimately knocked down 9-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes to secure the 83-75 victory.

The Hurricanes head to Washington, D.C., next week for the 2024 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Miami’s opponent and game time will be decided Saturday evening upon conclusion of the remaining ACC games.

MIAMI TO FACE BC IN ROUND 1 OF ACC TOURNAMENT

– The University of Miami men’s basketball team (15-16, 6-14 ACC) will open play at the 2024 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament against the No. 11 Boston College Eagles (17-14, 8-12 ACC), Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C.

Tipoff at Capital One Arena is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ACC Network.

Miami is seeded fourteenth heading into the tournament after finishing the regular season with a 6-14 conference record.

The Hurricanes went 0-2 against the Eagles during the regular season, most recently falling to Boston College, 67-57, earlier this week.

Miami has faced Boston College three times before in ACC Tournament history, holding a 2-1 record in those games. Last time the two teams met in postseason play, the Hurricanes recorded a 71-69 overtime victory over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the 2022 ACC Tournament.

The 2024 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule:
 
Tuesday, March 12
First Round
2 p.m. – No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 13 Georgia Tech (ACC Network)
4:30 p.m. – No. 10 NC State vs. No. 15 Louisville (ACC Network)
7 p.m. – No. 11 Boston College vs. No. 14 Miami (ACC Network)
 
Wednesday, March 13
Second Round
Noon – No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Florida State (ESPN/ESPN2)
2:30 p.m. – No. 5 Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame-Georgia Tech winner (ESPN)
7 p.m. – No. 7 Syracuse vs. NC State-Louisville winner (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. – No. 6 Clemson vs. Boston College-Miami winner (ESPN2/ESPNU)
 
Thursday, March 14
Quarterfinals
Noon – No. 1 North Carolina vs. Wednesday Noon winner (ESPN/ESPN2)
2:30 p.m. – No. 4 Pitt vs. Wednesday 2:30 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2)
7 p.m. – No. 2 Duke vs. Wednesday 7 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. – No. 3 Virginia vs. Wednesday 9:30 p.m. winner (ESPN/ESPN2)
 
Friday, March 15
Semifinals
7 p.m. – Thursday afternoon winners (ESPN/ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. – Thursday evening winners (ESPN/ESPN2)
 
Saturday, March 16
Championship
8:30 p.m. – Semifinal winners (ESPN)