Canespace

Injuries Mount As First Scrimmage Draws Near

As your Miami Hurricanes prepare for their first football scrimmage of the 2011 Spring practice session on Saturday at Spanish River High School the long, hard practices that new Head Coach Al golden and staff are putting the UM players through appear to be taking their toll.

 
Several casualties of war now wear red jerseys and sit on the sidelines with injuries and either will miss the first scrimmage or the rest of Spring practice. 

The latest player to sit out a regular practice today was Lamar "Speedy" Miller. 

Miller, who is the fastest, possibly the most talented and potentially the most likely running back to be the next 1000 yard rusher at Miami apparently got "banged up" in practice (Golden's term for injured players who he chooses not to discuss in detail with the media).

 
Now #6 hangs out wearing red with the player that Canespace blogger SolarCane for some strange reason repeatedly insists is "UM's most talented WR" in Aldarius "Glue hands" Johnson (seen below) and one of the projected starters at DT Marcus "Dancing Bear" Forston. 

They all congregate on the sideline to watch practice with several other Hurricane players wearing red and doing stretches and "mental reps" all while drinking Gatorade instead of practicing.

 
The scrimmage on Saturday will give UM fans in Palm Beach County the opportunity to see this year's team and the Golden One on the field for the first time. 

Future scrimmages in Dade (4/9/11 at Traz Powell Stadium) and in Broward County (4/16 at Lockhart Stadium) will also give Miami fans from all over South Florida a chance to see the Hurricanes perform live and showcase their talents.

Golden said openly at the beginning of Spring ball that he was going to go hard on this years squad in an attempt to toughen them up both physically and mentally.  He has clearly kept that promise this Spring that began with the off-season workouts with Strength and Conditioning Coach Andreu Swasey. 

Swasey pushed the players to their limits during weight training and physical endurance drills and tried to bring back some of the old school attitude by injecting some of the infamous Hurricane swagger back into this team.

 
The pace established by Swasey has continued to accelerate during the first two weeks of practice at Greentree Field as Golden, D'Onofrio, Fisch, Kehoe and all of the other UM assistant coaches have upped the ante for players wearing "The U" on their helmets. 

Like all football coaches trying to establish their own tempo and mark on a team Golden will need to negotiate the delicate balance of pushing the players hard in practice yet still have them available to perform during scrimmages and more importantly on game day.

Now let's hope that enough players survive the first Golden "boot camp" long enough to perform on the field during the three scrimmages.

Yellow Jackets Sting Hurricanes

Let's just keep it short and sweet because there is no good news and really nothing to see here: Georgia Tech swept Miami this weekend at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

Forget the scores and the reasons why Miami lost, simply put the Yellow Jackets came into Coral Gables and swarmed and then stung the Hurricanes for three straight days. 

 
That's gonna leave a mark don't you think?

All the University of Miami baseball players had to show for their efforts against the Yellow Jackets were some red bumps on their arms, legs and faces after three straight embarrassing losses marked by errors (surprise) and men left on base (shocker).

Both teams entered the weekend series with unblemished 6-0 conference records.  Now Miami stands at 6-3 in the ACC while GT remained perfect in conference play at 9-0.

 
The Hurricanes' fundamentals are, well to put it mildly, fugly. 

While the UM pitching had held up until this weekend it has become obvious that Miami cannot execute in the field (last in the ACC in fielding % and errors with 44), at the plate (no Hurricane player is leading or even in the top 10 in any batting category in the ACC) or on the mound late in games (the bullpen faltered against GT).  

And to add to that the Hurricanes are leaving an average of eight men on base each game.  It's hard to win a big ACC series with those factors going against you.

Before the GT series in Miami Canespace blogger Mephistopheles talked about this weekend being the proverbial "fork in the road" for this 2011 Miami team.

 
If that was indeed the case then Miami's baseball team definitely wound up taking a wrong turn this weekend.

CAUTION: Fork In The Road Ahead

Miami prepares for a statement series against GT this weekend, with the Jackets riding a 13 game winning streak, and gaudy stats both on the mound and at the plate. GT also dispatched the only common opponent (Rutgers) with much more authority than the Canes.

Despite a streak of their own, I'm sure some on this blog would suggest that Miami is over-matched in this one. But are they really? 

Let us begin on the mound, shall we? GT leads the ACC in ERA and has its only 2 complete games. Mark Pope is a legitimate stud. Having begun his career as GT's freshman closer, he is now their #1 starter. I've seen him pitch a few times. He's a hard-throwing righty who tries to set up the fastball with his off-speed stuff which is normally out of the zone. The Canes need to avoid chasing the pitches off the plate and force him inside the black.

Bradley and Farmer round out the likely rotation, and also have strong #'s. All are tall, hard throwers, and the closer Bard is a lanky ¾ armer with decent velocity and a lot of movement. Their staff does seem to lack depth as only 5 pitchers have tossed more than 6 innings all year, so obviously UM wants to get to their pen. Their right-hand dominant staff also shows vulnerability to the running game as opponents are 13/15 stealing bases, and they've only picked off 2.

Consider that Miami is 2nd in the conference in steals and has an 84% success rate, and leads the ACC with only 3 ground-ball DP's (per theACC.com). As we say over and over and over, the run/speed game can be UM's trumping Ace if they'll turn loose the hounds, especially since many of these pitchers will have their backs to the runners. A key to this game will be base-runners, and Miami has averaged 12.5/game (hits plus BB's) which is 67 more than its opponents this year.

Miami's pitching staff has been pretty stout so far too in case you hadn't noticed. Leading the pitching-rich ACC with a sub .200 opponents BA and fewest hits allowed, 3rd in ERA, and a very nice SO/BB ratio of nearly 3.2/1. (9.34 K's/game!)  Miami also has depth with 9 hurlers toeing the stump more than 9 innings each already this season. All 4 starters, (3 sophomores and a freshman) have been sound all year, and seem to get better each start. The closing combo of lefties Robinson & Miranda has been truly special allowing only 1 earned run in 28 innings. The Canes are 10-0 when leading after 8, and have only surrendered 10 runs (9 earned) in 6 ACC games.

After a slow start, the bats have awoken and production is ascending while K's are dropping.  If the top of the order keeps getting on base, Harold, Michael and Nathan seem to be coming around, and I like the aggressive base-running style in the last 7 games.  GT's D is anything but sound, so hopefully the K-birds will not return, and we'll force them to make plays in the field.  I wouldn't mind seeing a half dozen or so bunts attempted in the first few innings of game 1 to set the tone. 

While UM's D may not spectacular, Miami has erased 16 base-runners via pick-offs or caught stealing compared to a meager 4 by the Jackets. The booted routine plays/tosses are overshadowing the otherwise stellar glove-work, and the speed in the gaps is paying off.  As with all other items with this team, it seems to be trending in the proper direction. 

Although GT looks like the superior team on paper, their schedule leaves much to be desired. After a bottom feeding ACC Wolfpack squad coming in at 41, and a game v. painfully average UGA, GT has not played a team in the top 60 of the college baseball RPI. The Canes squared off with #1 on their turf, and aside from a sloppy first 4 innings, Miami went toe to toe with the Gators the rest of the weekend.

I can't say I'm confident Miami takes this series, but its not that hard to see happening.  Friday will be GT's first game outside the state of Georgia all season, and they've only played 3 games away from Atlanta, including a loss to Georgia Southern. Miami features a much younger team predominantly showcasing freshman and sophomores compared to Tech's junior/senior laden squad, but the Canes are the more tested team this season, and have been little more than a hit or two away in all but 2 losses. 

UM isn't at the same level as UF or FSU at the moment, but I think they can compete with Georgia Tech.

A series win with 3 suspect teams next on the menu gives the Canes a chance to be well placed in baseball's meanest division, (ACC Coastal) setting up the stretch run.  It may be a little premature, but if I were among the doomsday brigade I'd keep the dirt on my shovel for at least another week.  

This article was written for Canespace by blogger Mephistopheles.

Baseball Team Wins, Basketball Season Ends

Your University of Miami baseball team rallied from behind once again on Wednesday night to beat Florida Gulf Coast University 5-2. 

With their second consecutive mid-week victory the Hurricanes have now extended their winning streak to 10 games.  On Tuesday night Miami dispatched of the University of Central Florida 4-1.

Last night the Hurricanes looked to be in trouble early-on as Florida Gulf Coast (12-10) scored two runs in the top of the third. But in the bottom of the fourth, Miami narrowed the Eagles lead as the speedy Zeke DeVoss doubled to lead off the inning, then stole third easily. 

Then Harold Martinez continued his eight-game hit streak in which he has lived up to pre-season expectations by hitting .467 over the ‘Canes recent nine-game winning streak.  Tonight at ARP at MLF H-Mart went 1-for-3 to drive in three runs and propeled the Miami Hurricanes (14-8) to another victory over yet another Florida rival.

The Hurricanes can now anticipate their big weekend conflict with ACC foe Georgia Tech.  The Yellow Jackets visit Coral Gables as the only team besides Miami to have a perfect conference record so far this year. Tech comes into the weekend series riding the crest of a 13-game winning streak.

While the Hurricanes were beating up on a few Florida teams on the diamond the UM basketball team was traveling to Alabama for an Elite Eight match-up in the NIT.   Miami hung tough with the Crimson Tide until the six minute mark of the second half when 'Bama opened up a 17 point lead.

That is when Frank Haith failed to call a time out try to break the Tide's momentum and the Hurricanes lost the game.  Haith's team went further in the NIT than many thought they would, but some Miami fans are asking out loud if it was good enough.

The argument FOR Haith is that six of Miami's top eight players are either Freshmen or Sophomores.  Those who support Haith say that he deserves one more year to see what he can do with this team of talented returning starters.  They argue that Haith has recruited well and has gone to the post-season with the UM team in five of his seven seasons.  And finally they say that he is a really sharp dresser.

The argument AGAINST Haith is that while he may be a good recruiter he lacks the ability to be anything more than an average coach.  The Miami team lacks an identity.  They are not a defensive team like FSU.  They are not an offensive team like UNC or Duke.  The Hurricanes are an inconsistent team that ebbs and flows in terms of performance and either gives up too many points on defense or throws up too many three point shots in desperation mode on offense.

In my role as Director and Editor at Canespace I talk to a LOT of Hurricane fans.  I go to basketball, baseball and football games.  I talk to lots of fans on the blog and via email from not only Miami or Florida or all over the United States but from all over the world. 

In my recent contact with fans and in an informal, non-scientific poll it appears that approximately 6 out of 10 fans want Haith gone.  We will see what the new AD at Miami decides to do when he is hired in the coming weeks.

My bet is that Haith WILL be back next year. 

And I'm OK with that.

Faith In Haith

After a typical Spring Break week of University of Miami fun, sun, sand and the usual festivities here is where we stand:

Katie Meier did her job as expected as the Lady Canes beat Gardner-Webb University 80-62. 

Jim Morris did his job as the UM baseball team swept Wake Forest and bolted to a conference lead.

So as we went into Monday night the only question left was: Would UM men's basketball coach Frank Haith do his job?

Katie and the girls went wild (pardon the pun) on poor little Gardner-Webb University in the first round on the NCAA tourney.  Miami led throughout the game and although the Running Bulldogs made it close in the second half and narrowed the lead to 11 points at one point late in the game the Hurricanes wound up with an 80-62 win.  Next up for the Lady Canes are the Oklahoma Sooners.

Meier and her squad has been outstanding this season and have managed one of the biggest turnarounds of any team in UM history.  If you have been following the story then you already know that the Lady Canes have literally gone from worst to first in the ACC and now hoping to inflict some serious damage on the NCAA women's basketball field.

Jim and the boys of Summer continued to surf the crest of the wave known as "The Big Mo" (read: momentum) to sweep Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, NC.  The Hurricanes are now riding a seven game winning streak and have surged to 6-0 in the ACC and stand atop their division of the ACC. 

I have to confess that while Canespace blogger Six and I were down on the 'Canes diamond dogs early this season after our visit to George Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa where we witnessed an ugly loss to USF we may have been ready to give up on this 2011 UM baseball team.  However, Morris and the UM hard ballers have turned the ship around in the last two weeks. 

And now I am obligated to give credit where credit is due.  The big swing for the UM baseball team is something that UM's Rob Dunning predicted over a week ago. Dunning told us all that when the UM lineup was healthy (Chris Palaez was back from a wrist injury) and Morris was back in the Miami dugout after his sick leave that the Hurricanes would excel. 

Turns out that Dunning was right and I was wrong.  As much as I hate to admit that I'll take  a UM seven game winning streak any day!

Now as for Haith...Yes, even he and the Hurricanes men's basketball team held up their end of the bargain as they won their second round game of the NIT behind a strong second half to beat Missouri State by the score of 81-72.

In spite of an early run that lead to a seven point lead Miami trailed by six points at the half.  However, the Hurricanes started the second half with a 23-9 spurt, never trailed late in the game and then coasted to the relatively easy win.

Miami now stands at 21-14 on the season and will face the winner of Monday night’s late game between Alabama and New Mexico.

Now how's that for a Hurricane trifecta?

Hoops, Hits And Other Happenings

Here is what's happening in and around Canespace...

Women's Basketball: Today at noon your Miami Hurricanes will face the Running Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb University in the opening round of the women's basketball NCAA tournament.  The game from John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA will be carried on ESPN2.  The Lady 'Canes and head coach Katie Meier look to blow the 'Dogs out of the JPJ arena and a likely second round match-up with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Baseball: Today at 1 PM your Miami Hurricanes baseball team will go for their second consecutive ACC series sweep when they face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.  Last night Miami won 4-3 in a thrilling, ninth inning comeback against Wake in Winston-Salem, NC.  The Canes remain undefeated in ACC play (5-0) and look to keep their perfect record intact today as starting pitcher Eric Whaley takes the mound for Miami.

Men's Basketball: The second-seeded Miami Hurricanes pulled away from seventh-seeded FAU for a 85-62 win in the opening round of the 2011 National Invitational Tournament Wednesday night at the BankUnited Center. The win advances second-seeded Miami (20-14) into the NIT’s second round where it will host to third-seeded Missouri State (26-8) on Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Spring Games: We know what you have been waiting for: football, football and more football!  New head coach Al Golden and his Miami Hurricane football team will be on display in Palm Beach County on April 2 (Spanish River HS), in Dade County on April 9 (Traz Powell Stadium) and in Broward County on April 16th for the annual Spring Game at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

 
Canespace Weekend Retreat: In conjunction with the FSU game on Saturday, November 12 Canespace is hosting a weekend retreat at Suwanee River State Park.  We will be arriving Friday afternoon for a pre-game party, attending the game on Saturday and then kayaking the Suwanee River on Sunday.  There are several new, modern cabins (A/C, kitchens, fireplace) that sleep 6 people comfortably available for rental at the park for $100/night.  The park is about one hour from Trailerhassee and we will be carpooling to the game.  Please join us for this relaxing good time!

To find out more about the park or to make reservations click here:

http://www.floridastateparks.org/suwanneeriver/default.cfm

 
Canespace T-shirts: Have arrived and are ready for distribution!  Due to a slight delay (one week) and scheduling snafu (wife's birthday) I will begin mailing out shirts this week to those that donated to support Canespace operations and to those that have won a shirt on the blog for trivia questions or "firsts".  The new, completely re-designed 2011 version of the Canespace T-shirt (seen above) is sure to be a much sought after apparel item for all Canespacers.

Black Eye For The Buckeyes: Liars And Cheaters Part II

As all college sports fan know the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is supposed to make and enforce rules that govern college athletic competitions in various sports and also guide the conduct of coaches, student-athletes and the institutions they represent.  

These rules are intended to reward those institutions of higher education that play by the rules and punish those that cheat.  Unfortunately, based on several recent examples, that does not always appear to be the case.

As we have previously noted NCCA rule violations occur on a fairly regular basis in multiple sports but several of the most recent, documented and well-publicized infractions occurred in the sport of football at the following schools:

• University of Southern California
• Florida State University
• Auburn University
• Ohio State University 

We decided to take a look at and analyze these violations and situations one by one.  In Part I of the series we focused our attention on the well documented, scandalous behavior in both football and men's basketball that occurred at USC and resulted in NCAA sanctions against the Trojans. 

 
Today we shift our attention to Ohio State University in our second article in the series: "Black Eye For The Buckeys: Liars and Cheaters" Part II...

When it comes to the sheer number of NCAA rule violations at specific institutions of higher education we thought USC took the grand prize. 

We were wrong.

According to recent published reports Ohio State University, in spite of having one of the largest compliance departments in the Country, yet they have reported 375 violations to the NCAA from 2000-2009.  That number of violations is the most in the entire Country during that 10 year period.

When it comes to Ohio State football over the last decade there is one image that often comes to mind: The Sweater Vest.  OSU head coach Jim Tressel has made it his trademark in what seems to be an concerted effort to try to symbolize his allegedly squeaky clean reputation. 

Tressel has even written books about character and integrity and sportsmanship.  The titles of his books also reflect the "holier than thou" image he apparently attempts to portray:

"Life Promises For Success: Promises From God For Achieving Your Best" (February 2011)

The Winner's Manual: For the Game Of Life" (August 2009)

Is it just me or does it seem like The Sweater Vest, I mean Tressel, may need to take a long hard look in the mirror and do some more research on his subject matter before publishing his next piece of work?  Or should we just move his books from the self-help to the fiction section of the bookstore?

You see it was early in Tressel's tenure at OSU that he had to deal with the Maurice Clarrett debacle which was followed by the unpleasant situation where and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith was suspended for two games for accepting money from a booster.

The latest violations made public just recently are just another black eye in the recent history of the Buckeye program while under the direction and guidance under of The Sweater Vest.

The most recent highly publicized scandal in Buckeye Nation centers around Christopher Cicero, a former walk-on player for the Buckeyes in the early 1980s and a lawyer from Columbus, OH who back in the Spring of last year sent the now infamous e-mails to Ohio State coach Jim Tressel last April about players selling memorabilia to a tattoo artist and alleged drug dealer. 

To be exact it was in April of 2010 that Tressel received an e-mail from Cicero telling him that at least two of his star players, QB Terrelle Pryor and WR DeVier Posey, were caught up in a federal drug-trafficking investigation due to their relationship with the alleged dealer and that the sale of OSU uniforms and other memorabilia were involved which is an obvious violation of NCAA rules. 

According to reports by ESPN Tressel responded: "I will get on it ASAP." However, Tressel never mentioned it to Ohio State's compliance department or his athletic director for more than nine months.

Tressel did not turn over the names to the university or to the NCAA after he received the first e-mail from Cicero on April 2, 2010. As a result last week, Ohio State officials announced that they will suspend Tressel for the first two games the 2011 season and fine him $250,000.

In a stunning move made just yesterday, Tressel issued another mea culpa and in a desperate attempt to regain some shred of credibility asked for and received the same punishment as the offending players: 5 games including the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Sun life Stadium on September 17.

The NCAA is still investigating and could levy further sanctions against Tressel and the program. A total of six OSU football players have been suspended for games next season, including Pryor and Posey, who are among five players who will miss five games. One player will miss one game.

Tressel signed an NCAA Certificate of Compliance Form -- on which indicated he had no knowledge of any possible NCAA violations -- on Sept. 13, 2010.  It was only when he was confronted with information that university officials were aware of the presence of the e-mails between Tressel and Cicero that Tressel admitted to receiving them.

Do these actions sound as though they come from a man who writes books about God, honesty, integrity and sportsmanship in his books? 

Apparently, these are three issues that Tressel, while wearing his cute little sweater vest of course, may need to do some remedial studies on. 

Do you think they offer those classes at OSU? 

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Whatever Men Can Do, Women Can Do Better

Trust me, I know it is difficult for some of you men out there to accept, but it is true. 

And nowhere is this commonly used phrase more evident then when it comes to the University of Miami basketball teams.  Whatever Haith can do, Meier can do better.

There is no doubt that Miami women's basketball coach Katie Meier has out-coached and out-classed her male coaching counterpart at UM this year.

Meier led her ladies squad from worst to first in the ACC and was rewarded for her efforts with the ACC Coach of the Year award.  The only thing men's coach Frank Haith won was the ACC Best Dressed award as voted on by his players, his peers and some guy named "Sal" who allegedly lives on Calle Ocho. 

While Haith's coaching skills may be called into question by some fans like Sebastian57, SlingBlade CaneRock, HerbieIbis and others here on the blog, even his worst critics have to admit that his taste in fine men's apparel is impeccable.  If you don't believe me even CanesGirlNC said so!

Anyway your University of Miami Hurricane basketball teams both head into post-season play in two different tournaments starting tomorrow night. 

First up it will the Miami men's basketball team will play their opening round match of the NIT tournament against local rival Florida Atlantic University at the beautiful Bank United Center on the lovely UM campus in Coral Gables.  The second-seeded Hurricanes play host to seventh-seeded Owls on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.

 
Wednesday's winner will advance to the second round to take on the winner of the contest between third-seeded Missouri State (25-8) and sixth-seeded Murray State (23-8). Those two teams square off in Springfield, MO on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Should the Hurricanes win on Wednesday, they would also host the second-round match on a day determined by the NIT between March 18-21.

The Hurricanes lead the all-time series with the owls 19-1 and have won four straight against FAU including the 87-69 victory at last season's 2009 Orange Bowl Classic.  The Owls matched a program high with 21 wins this season and earned an automatic bid to the NIT after winning the Sun Belt's regular-season title. 

Next it will be the third-seeded Lady Canes turn as they tussle with 13th seed Gardner-Webb (23-10) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Charlottesville, VA. The winner of that game will face the winner of the match-up between No. 6-seed Oklahoma and No. 11-seed James Madison.

 
According to UM's Rob Dunning at www.hurricanesports.com Miami's No. 3 seed is the second-lowest seed in program history behind the No. 2 seed earned by the 1991-92 Hurricanes, who reached the Sweet 16 that season. The NCAA appearance is the seventh in school history. Miami is 2-6 all-time in NCAA play, with the last win coming on March 17, 1993 against St. Peters.

While most of the college students around the Country are getting wasted on spring break this week, the Lady Canes have been making sure that this opportunity will not be wasted. 

It has been seven long years since the UM women's team has made the NCAA tourney.  You can bet that Coach Meier has made sure that her players have spent their break time getting their dancing shoes, and their basketball skills, polished and ready for the bright lights of the "Big Dance".

Triple Play: Hurricanes Sweep Hokies

The University of Miami baseball team is undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.

 
OK, OK, I know the Canes are only three games into conference play but still it sounds good to say "Miami" and "undefeated in the ACC" in some sport, make that any sport, especially after what the UM football and men's basketball teams went through in the conference during their respective seasons.  

 
The Hurricanes swept the Hokies over three straight games during the opening weekend of ACC competition.  Miami used the home field and home crowd advantage at Alex Rodriguez Park to beat Virginia Tech in two close games on Friday (3-1) and Saturday (2-1) before opening a big 'ol can of whoop a** on the Hokies to take the third game by the score of 11-1 on Sunday.

The series evened the Hurricanes season record at 8-8 overall and 3-0 in ACC. 

 
It was UM’s outstanding starting pitching that was the story all weekend as hurlers Radziewski, Encinosa and Whaley (that's his mother throwing up "The U" above) all had excellent outings for Miami.  The bullpen was also solid for the Hurricanes as a total of seven UM pitchers combined to allow just three runs in three games against the Hokies.

The Hurricane hurlers were dominant as they produced a weekend ERA of just 1.00.  Miami allowed just three earned runs on 15 hits, while striking out 21 Tech batters. The Hokies batting average was a measly .161 during the weekend series in Coral Gables.

In the final game of the series on Sunday, it was the Hurricane hitters that finally woke up and earned much of the credit for 10-run victory.  Miami's bats came alive in the sixth inning as the Hurricanes scored seven runs in that frame on their way to a season-high 11 runs.

 
Hurricane fans were glad to see UM head coach Jim Morris back in action this weekend after missing several games over two weeks due to surgery to remove his gall bladder. 

Morris was masterful at handling the pitching changes during the three game series and in deciding to move Harold Martinez from first to third base and also shifting Canespace blogger Six's favorite player Brad Fieger to third. 

Martinez's bat finally woke up and his timely hitting was big in the series against VT and Fieger made several nice plays at third base to preserve the Hurricane's lead in the two close games on Friday and Saturday.

 
Hurricane fans hope that Morris can to continue his team's positive turnaround from an early season slump when the Hurricanes face FAU at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on Tuesday at 6 PM. 

Hurricanes Lose Faith, Game To Tar Heels

Supposedly according to the script, your Miami Hurricanes went into the ACC tournament in North Carolina with nothing to lose. 

The Hurricanes appeared primed and ready to attempt to shock the NCAA college basketball world just as they did last year in advancing to the ACC tourney finals by playing as loose as a goose and surprising a few ACC foes by winning a few games and even pulling off some huge upsets along the way.

So fittingly, the Hurricanes had all but lost their opening round game against Virginia before they came storming back from a 10 point deficit in the last 28 seconds to stun the Cavaliers 69-62 and advance to the second round. 

Certainly you would think that if nothing else this game would have taught the Miami players and coaches a valuable lesson: That no lead is ever safe in college basketball.

Unfortunately, you would be wrong.

After the shocker over Cavaliers, Miami was rewarded with a rematch with North Carolina in a game the offered a chance to avenge an early season, last second loss to the Tar Heels.  UM was given little chance by the college basketball experts to beat UNC in front of a hugely partisan crowd of over 23,000 fans at what was virtually a home game for the Tar Heels at the Greensboro Coliseum. 

This time the "experts" looked to be wrong for almost the entire game. 

Miami led the entire first half and took a nine point lead into halftime.  The Hurricanes would come out like Storm Troopers again in the second half to build their lead to what seemed to be an insurmountable 19 point lead with just 8 minutes to go in the game.

 
Most watching the game assumed there was absolutely no way North Carolina would be able to come back and win this game in spite of their team full of former McDonald's All-Americans, ACC All-Conference players and their smart, seasoned and experienced head coach in Roy Williams. 

Unless of course the Hurricanes and their team of under-achievers and their young and struggling head coach Frank Haith just completely blew the game.  I mean that would just be simply unthinkable and practically mathematically impossible, right? 

Wrong!  the Hurricanes lost faith in themselves, their abilities, their game plan and their coach and eventually blew the 19 point lead and lost the game in the final second.  Literally, and I am not making this up, the only time that UNC led the game was at the final buzzer. 

The final score was UNC 61, UM 59. 

But the final score matters not.  What matters is that the Hurricanes failed to learn a vaulable lesson from just one day before in their game against Virgina.  Just one day after celebrating a jubilant last second comeback Miami suffered a horrendous late game collapse and a terrible loss. 

What matters is that the Tar Heels won the game and now move on in the ACC tournament and the Hurricanes lost the game and now go home. 

However, in the larger scheme of things, what may really matter most is this:

Most Miami Hurricane fans have tried valiantly to keep up their faith in Coach Frank Haith over the past seven years.  Unfortunately that effort appears to have died on the floor of the Greensboro Coliseum at approximately 2:15 PM on March 11, 2011.

Sadly, it seems that for some UM fans, "Faith in Haith" may have finally, officially ended yesterday.