2011-2012 Season in Review: Miami

20-13 overall, 9-7 ACC

It was hard to expect what kind of year Miami would have.  They had plenty of talent returning, but bringing in a new coach always comes with questions.  To his credit, Jim Larranaga did a very solid job with what he was dealt.  He had to go through an injury to his best player, Reggie Johnson, that would keep him out of the first part of the season.  And eligibility issues with DeQuan Jones.  The non-conference was pretty non-descript.  Miami didn't have any marquee wins, with a few losses to teams that were better than they were.

The Hurricanes pulled it together once they got Johnson back and finished pretty well in conference play.  The highlight was definitely a win at Cameron Indoor over Duke in overtime.  That victory put Miami at least on the bubble for the rest of the season.  Part of the reason why they didn't end up making the NCAA Tournament was probably their struggles against another bubble team, N.C. State.  The Wolfpack beat them twice.  Miami also lost a key road game late against Maryland.  They did beat Florida State in addition to Duke, but in the end nine conference wins in the weak ACC was just not enough.

Scoring was a pretty good balance for Miami this year.  Kenny Kadji had a breakout year, ending up as the second-leading scorer.  He played a large role when Johnson was out.  Johnson probably could have ended up with better numbers than his 10.0 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, but he spent some games in foul trouble.  Larranaga chose to give a lot of guys minutes, more than you see on most college teams.  Ten players averaged at least 11 minutes per game.  That will certainly help the younger players who were able to get some experience.

Biggest Win:
78-74 at Duke (February 5)

Miami surprised a lot of people by winning in Cameron Indoor, which in most years is a very tough place to win.  The Hurricanes did a nice job persevering in this one, losing a late lead in regulation only to come back in overtime and win.  Johnson was the best player for either team in this game, scoring a career-high 27 points and getting 12 rebounds.  This was part of a five game winning streak for Miami.

Worst Loss:
78-73 vs. N.C. State (January 22)

This game didn't really mean a lot at the time, but ended up being a big factor in the NCAA Tournament consideration.  N.C. State ended up in the tournament, and Miami out.  The Wolfpack looked like the better team in this game, really controlling the action.  They had a double digit lead for most of the game before Miami came back to make it a game.  This was one of only two conference home losses for the Canes (besides North Carolina).

Postseason Play:

Miami came into the ACC Tournament needing to do some damage if they wanted to make the NCAA Tournament.  It looked like they might not even make it out of the first round.  They really struggled in the first half against Georgia Tech, but went on a run to put them away, 54-36.  The quarterfinal game was against rival Florida State.  The Seminoles were on a mission that week, and beat Miami fairly easily, 82-71.  After missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid, Miami got into the NIT.  They hosted Valparaiso, and won easily, 66-50.  In the second round, though, Minnesota really it took it to the Hurricanes, winning in Coral Gables 78-60.

Next Year:

Miami loses some key players to graduation.  Malcolm Grant was the team's third leading scorer and led the team in made three pointers.  Jones had a limited role this past season.  They do return as much as any team in the ACC.  Johnson comes back for his senior season.  Leading scorer Durand Scott is back.  Emerging talent Shane Larkin should step into a starting role next year.  With Scott, Kadji, Johnson and Larkin, those are very solid pieces.  On talent alone, Miami should be better than half the teams in the conference.  If Coach Larranaga can get the most out of his players, they should be able to make the NCAA Tournament and could push for a top four finish in the ACC.