December 21, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes guard Jalen Blackmon (5) catches Mount St. Petersburg during the second half at Watsco Center. Drive to the basket past St. Mary’s Mountaineers guard Carmelo Pacheco (1). Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Miami will aim to get its first win under interim coach Bill Courtney when it visits Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday afternoon.
The Hurricanes (4-9, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) are likely still reeling from the Dec. 26 resignation of coach Jim Larranaga, who led the program to six NCAA Tournaments in 13 seasons. .
Courtney, who had head coaching experience at Cornell from 2010 to 2016, said his players responded well to the sudden change in leadership.
“They did a really great job,” Courtney told the Miami Herald. “Sometimes when an assistant takes over, you think there’s going to be things that are dropped off or slacks or put aside, but that’s not the case with this group. They were really focused.”
Miami had plenty of trouble Wednesday in Courtney’s interim debut, blowing a 32-13 lead at Boston College. But the Hurricanes faltered from there, falling 78-68 for their ninth loss in 10 games.
Leading scorer Nijel Pack (13.9 points per game) has missed Miami’s last three games with a foot injury, and his status Saturday is still unknown. Matthew Cleveland has stepped up from the pack, averaging 21.3 points over the past three contests.
Former Virginia Tech center Lynn Kidd leads the Hurricanes with 7.3 rebounds per game to complement her 11.6 scoring average.
The Hokies (5-8, 0-2) will get their first crack at an unranked conference opponent after losing to then-No. No. 18 Pittsburgh 64-59 on Dec. 7 and No. 4 Duke 88-65 on Tuesday.
Virginia Tech last got off to an 0-2 start in ACC play in the 2021-22 campaign, but recovered to finish 11-9 and win the conference tournament in Mike Young’s second season as coach.
“I’ve seen enough of this league now…keep fighting. Keep playing together. We need constant improvement,” Young said. “We will win at a fair game.”
Toby Rawal, a transfer from Virginia Commonwealth, appears to have settled in with the Hokies, leading the team with 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward boasts a 49 1/2-inch vertical leap that helps him make plays above the rim on both ends of the court.
Lawal paired 19 points and five boards against the Blue Devils and hit a season-high three 3-pointers on four attempts.
–Field level media
