Late in Miami’s Elite Eight contest against Texas, Hurricanes sophomore guard Wooga Poplar had to remind UM coach Jim Larrañaga of a key mantra the veteran coach has for his team.
During a timeout while down four points late in the game, Larrañaga told his team to look at the score. Poplar reminded Larrañaga what he usually tells the team.
“Wooga said, ‘We don’t play the score, we play the game,” Larrañaga recounted.
The Hurricanes (29-7) ultimately completed the comeback, beat Texas and punched their ticket to the program’s first-ever Final Four. Poplar has been a key cog in Miami’s machine, providing crucial defense and solid offense in No. 5 UM’s biggest games this season.
“He’s worked that hard to improve his defense, and it shows,” Larrañaga said before Miami’s Elite Eight game. “He’s helped us in a big way to get to the Elite Eight.”
Before signing with the Hurricanes, Poplar was a good but not elite prospect coming out of Philadelphia. He was listed as a four-star prospect and the No. 128 player in the 2021 recruiting class, signing with Miami over offers from Auburn, LSU, Marquette and more.
Poplar played sparingly as a freshman, getting into 34 games with no starts. He played 8.6 minutes per game and averaged 2.3 points as the Hurricanes made a deep NCAA Tournament run to the program’s first Elite Eight.
Miami graduated two guards from that 2021-22 team: shooting guard Kameron McGusty and point guard Charlie Moore. The Hurricanes added Nijel Pack from Kansas State to fill Moore’s role, and Poplar entered the lineup as a shooting guard.
This season, Poplar has started all but one of Miami’s games. He is averaging 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.7 minutes per game.
“He’s a much-improved shooter,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “He’s really good on a live dribble. He’s athletic, he’s tenacious. He’s going to play in the NBA. Obviously, like a lot of players, this guy’s got to keep getting better, but he’s a draft-pick talent.”
When the NCAA Tournament began, Poplar stepped up. After averaging 8.2 points during the regular season, he has scored in double-digits in three of UM’s four tournament games.
Only Indiana kept Poplar in the single digits, and he played only 18 minutes of that game because of a back injury. Poplar returned for Miami’s Sweet 16 game against Houston and delivered 11 points and four rebounds.
Poplar proved crucial in the Hurricanes’ win over Texas, scoring 16 points, notching six rebounds and getting four assists. Poplar had two steals in the win, and Larrañaga had effusive praise for his defense against Longhorns guard Sir’Jabari Rice. He also had a heads-up play where he inbounded a ball off a Texas player, caught the ball and dunked it.
“His trajectory is so high right now, I can tell you,” Larrañaga said. “His defense on Rice was, I’d say, at the highest level I’ve seen in college basketball because Rice can really score. He’s got a fantastic shot fake, and normally everybody jumps for it. Wooga wouldn’t let him catch it. He fought over every screen. He boxed him out. He got some rebounds.”
The Hurricanes sophomore has shined when the lights are brightest, earning a crucial role on Miami’s first Final Four team. If Miami beats No. 4 UConn (29-8) on Saturday night and earns a trip to the team’s first national title game, Poplar will likely be a major reason why.
“Wooga, if I looked down the road, if I had a crystal ball, this guy is going to be something special,” Larrañaga said. “He’s got all the ingredients of a major league college and pro player. He’s got the size, the strength, the skills and the competitive spirit. We put him now on the guy who’s got the hot hand or the best scorer on the other team no matter how big he is.”
‘Canes get support from football team
The Hurricanes football team is halfway through its spring practice slate, but the UM men’s and women’s basketball teams’ deep postseason runs have not gone unnoticed in the football locker room.
“How about those basketball teams?” Miami football coach Mario Cristobal said Tuesday. “Both of them. Awesome. What awesome competitors. What a great example for our university, our community and all the student-athletes. They keep it going. And tremendous props to the women’s team, just having an awesome year. Katie Meier and that whole team — awesome.”
For quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, the showdown with the Huskies is a particularly big game. Van Dyke is a Connecticut native, and he said he grew up a UConn fan. But on Saturday, he will be pulling for his fellow Hurricanes.
“I’ve always grown up a UConn basketball fan my entire life with former UConn greats] Shabazz Napier, Kemba Walker,” Van Dyke said. “Now that I’m here, I’m a Miami basketball fan. It’ll be cool. I have a lot of friends that go to UConn, so just been talking a little garbage with them. It’s good. I’m excited for that game.”
Miller gets call from NCAA great
Jordan Miller hit every one of his shots in Miami’s comeback win over Texas in the Elite Eight, going 7-for-7 from the field and 13-for-13 from the free-throw line.
That accomplishment put the fifth-year senior guard in rarified air. The last player to shoot 100 percent for a game with Miller’s numbers in an NCAA Tournament game was Duke star Christian Laettner, who accomplished the feat in an Elite Eight game that ended with him making “The Shot” — a last-second basket to give the Blue Devils a win.
Laettner gave Miller a shoutout on his Twitter account on Monday and later called Miller on FaceTime.
“We’ll be pulling for you,” Laettner said in a video posted on UM’s Twitter account.
