CORAL GABLES, Fla. — There was every reason to assume the 19th-ranked Miami Hurricanes would beat Louisville at home Saturday night, and they did, 93-85, as three UM players surpassed 20 points.
But nobody expected the Canes would have to work so hard to stave off the Cardinals, whose 3-22 record is the worst in school history.
Miami entered the game 13-0 at the Watsco Center this season, including an emotional blowout victory over Duke last Monday. The Hurricanes had rolled over the Cardinals by 27 points on the road in December.
The box score looked much different this time around.
The first time UM played Louisville, Miami led by 19 points at halftime. On Saturday, the Hurricanes led by just one, 42-41, at the break after letting their 10-point lead slip away.
The last time they played, Cardinals senior guard El Ellis went 1-of-10 for seven points. Saturday, Ellis led all scorers with a career-high 33 points despite solid defending from Miami guards.
“Ellis was unstoppable,” UM coach Jim Larranaga said. “Nijel Pack and Bensley Joseph did as good a job as you can contesting his stuff, but he was so quick, so fast, and shot the ball lights out. When a guy gets it going, not only does that mean he’s playing well, but oftentimes it lights up his teammates.”
Ellis said he let the game come to him, “and when you do that, the rim gets even bigger.”
When they played in December, the Hurricanes held the Cardinals to 29% shooting, 15% from beyond the arc. Saturday, they shot 58% from the floor and made 43% of their 3-point shots.
“Whatever an opponent did prior or what you did prior is not relevant to what’s happening this night,” Larranaga said. “El Ellis is one of the best players in the league. High octane scorer. We knew it and were guarding him pretty good but had a great night. I’m very, very pleased with our effort and focus.”
Sandwiched between the big win over Duke and a road game against North Carolina on Monday, there was a danger the Hurricanes would suffer an emotional letdown against Louisville. It didn’t help that the late-arriving Watsco Center crowd Saturday night lacked the electricity it had in the game against the Blue Devils.
But UM came out energized and raced to a 10-0 lead before Ellis hit a pair of 3s to spark a Louisville run that got the Cardinals to within one point, 22-21, with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Miami clamped down on defense in the second half, kept building on its lead and a three-pointer by Bensley Joseph put the Hurricanes up by 11 with 15 minutes to go. Ellis kept making big shot after big shot, and the Cardinals trailed by just four with under five minutes left in the game.
The Canes didn’t panic. They got a few steals and big rebounds, Norchad Omier made critical free throws, Nijel Pack made a deep three, and Harlond Beverly had a dunk and four straight free throws to close out the win.
“This was one of those games you have keep your fingers crossed you can finish well because the opponent is having a great night,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga, whose team improved to 20-5 overall and 11-4 in the ACC. It is his eighth 20-win season in 12 years at Miami.
Pack led the Hurricanes with 22 points. Omier and Isaiah Wong added 21 apiece. Wong also had four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Omier shot 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, had a team-high seven rebounds and two blocks. Jordan Miller chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
UM scored 20 points off Louisville turnovers and had 19 second-chance points after dominating the offensive glass.
“I liked what we did offensively, but defensively we didn’t bring the effort we needed to beat a team like this,” said Louisville coach Kenny Payne. “They are really versatile, good shooters, good post play, multiple scorers. When you play a team like Miami, you can’t give them 20 points off your turnovers and 19 points off their offensive rebounds. Impossible to win.”
He added: “At the end of the day, I see three of their players had 20 points or more. That’s impossible. When three players have that kind of an impact on the game, you’re not winning. We made Miami uncomfortable at times, but I want to win.”
Louisville dropped to 1-13 in the ACC.
The Hurricanes head to Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Sunday and play the North Carolina Tar Heels Monday night.
Note: The UM Sports Hall of Fame honored four former UM players in an on-court ceremony: Julie Cohen, Steve Edwards, Johnny Hemsley and Jack McClinton. Larranaga will be inducted into the Hall on May 4.
