2025 North Carolina Sports Network
Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Spotlight:
University of Miami
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
School: University of Miami
Location: Coral Gables, Fla.
Previous NCAA Conference Affiliations: Independent (1926-71 and 1985-91), Big East Conference (1991-2004)
ACC Member Since: 2004-05
ACC Ranking Among 31 Leagues (KenPom): 5th (2025), 5th (2024), 7th (2023), 5th (2022), 5th (2021), 4th (2020)
NCAA Tournament Bids: 12 (1960, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023)
NCAA Championships: 0
Final Fours: 1 (2023)
Conference Titles: 1 (2013 in ACC)
Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 3 (2000 in Big East; 2013, 2023 in ACC)
Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (75 years old, 14th season at Miami) resigned at midseason; interim coach = Bill Courtney
As A Player: Providence (1968-71)
Record At Miami (Through Jan. 13): 274-174 (.612) in 13+ seasons
Previous HC Experience: American International (1977-79), Bowling Green (1986-97), George Mason (1997-2011)
College AC Experience: Davidson (1971-76), Virginia (1979-86)
Assistant Under: Bo Brickels, Terry Holland
2023-24 Record: 15-17, 6-14 (14th in 15-team ACC)
2024-25 Preseason Prediction (Media): 6th in 18-team ACC
2024-25 Record (Through Jan. 13): 4-12, 0-5 ACC
2024-25 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #139 nationally (16th in ACC)
Upcoming Schedule: at Duke (1/14), SMU (1/18), at Stanford (1/22), at Cal (1/25), Virginia (1/29), Notre Dame (2/1), at Louisville (2/8), Syracuse (2/11), at Pitt (2/15)
When 75-year-old Jim Larrañaga — the most successful coach in Miami Hurricanes basketball history — resigned on the day after Christmas earlier this season, in the midst of a stretch where the Canes lost 12 of 13 games, he cited his distaste for and exhaustion over the current state of major college basketball.
“What shocked me was after we made it to the Final Four, just 18 months ago, the very first time I met with the players, eight of them decided they were going to put their name in the portal and leave,” Larrañaga said. “I said, ‘Don’t you like it here?’ They said, ‘No, I like it here, it’s great.’ But the opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself, as a coach, what is this all about?
“The answer is that it’s become professional.”
While few would argue with Larrañaga’s basic premise in that regard, the legendary coach’s comments also came off as extremely tone-deaf in a different way.
Why? Because the two greatest postseason runs in Miami basketball history not only occurred during the relatively brief time this chaotic NCAA framework (Name-Image-Likeness money, immediately eligible transfers, etc.) has been in place, they happened in large part because Larrañaga and the Hurricanes used the new rules to their advantage.
On UM’s sensational 2023 team, which shared the ACC regular-season title and advanced to the program’s first and only Final Four, three of the top four performers (Jordan Miller, Norchad Omier and Nijel Pack) were — you guessed it! — major college transfers the Canes had lured to Coral Gables in large part with — right again! — significant NIL money.
Just as Florida State’s football program learned the hard way over the past two seasons (a record-setting fall from 13-1 to 2-10), the Miami basketball program now also has experienced the fact that, while the portal may giveth, the portal also may taketh away.
When you sign the right guys, win a bunch of games and gradually build positive chemistry, great things are possible. If you sign the wrong guys, lose a bunch of games and/or ultimately fail to click as a group, really bad things are probable.
Last year and again this season, the Canes have had enough talent to compete. In 2023-24, though, team chemistry ultimately became an embarrassing disaster. This year, after three talented starters departed via the portal (details below), horrifically bad defense has been the main culprit during the team’s 4-12 start.
No basketball program in the 72-year history of the ACC has had a wilder roller-coaster ride than what Miami has experienced over these last six seasons: three consecutive losing campaigns, then back-to-back Elite Eight/Final Four trips, and now almost certainly another losing season and bottom-tier conference finish here in 2025.
“Going into this year, I felt like, ‘OK, we need to get back to where we were,'” Larrañaga said. “I have a great group of kids, so it’s not their problem. It’s the system now — or the lack of a system. I didn’t know how to navigate through this.”
2024-25 Miami Hurricanes
(4-12, 0-5 ACC; through Jan. 13)
STARTERS (stats = 2024-25 numbers)
PG Nijel Pack*, Gr. (6-0/185) — 2022 Kansas State transfer (2-year starter)
31 mpg, 14 ppg, 3 rpg, 45% FG, 83% FT, 39% threes, 39/12 ATO, 1 block, 4 steals
G AJ Staton-McCray, r-Jr. (6-4/196) — 2024 Samford transfer (2-year starter)
19 mpg, 7 ppg, 3 rpg, 39% FG, 85% FT, 27% threes, 17/14 ATO, 6 blocks, 16 steals
G Matthew Cleveland*, Sr. (6-7/210) — 2023 Florida State transfer (starter)
27 mpg, 14 ppg, 5 rpg, 52% FG, 72% FT, 42% threes, 15/16 ATO, 10 blocks, 11 steals
F Brandon Johnson, Sr. (6-8/223) — 2024 East Carolina transfer (2-year starter)
30 mpg, 8 ppg, 7 rpg, 42% FG, 73% FT, 23% threes, 27/26 ATO, 14 blocks, 17 steals
C Lynn Kidd, Gr. (6-10/241) — 2024 Virginia Tech transfer (starter)
28 mpg, 11 ppg, 7 rpg, 66% FG, 79% FT, 0 threes, 27/20 ATO, 12 blocks, 7 steals
KEY RESERVES (stats = 2024-25 numbers)
G Jalen Blackmon, Sr. (6-2/180) — 2024 Stetson transfer (2-year starter)
21 mpg, 8 ppg, 1 rpg, 41% FG, 88% FT, 33% threes, 26/17 ATO, 3 blocks, 9 steals
G Jalil Bethea, Fr. (6-5/190) — 5-star HS signee (McDonald’s All-American)
15 mpg, 7 ppg, 2 rpg, 40% FG, 82% FT, 33% threes, 15/14 ATO, 1 block, 11 steals
G Austin Swartz, Fr. (6-4/200) — 4-star HS signee (NCISAA all-state)
16 mpg, 6 ppg, 1 rpg, 36% FG, 86% FT, 29% threes, 8/9 ATO, 4 blocks, 9 steals
G Divine Ugochukwu, Fr. (6-3/190) — 3-star HS signee (Clements HS near Houston)
14 mpg, 6 ppg, 1 rpg, 67% FG, 59% FT, 14% threes, 21/17 ATO, 1 block, 8 steals
G Paul Djobet, So. (6-7/209) — 3-star HS signee (West Oaks HS in Orlando)
14 mpg, 5 ppg, 3 rpg, 51% FG, 83% FT, 39% threes, 17/15 ATO, 5 blocks, 8 steals
Departures from 2023-24: BF AJ Casey (So./transfer/Saint Louis), WF Kyshawn George (Fr./early NBA entry/Washington Wizards), PG Bensley Joseph* (Jr./transfer/Providence), C Michael Nwoko (Fr./transfer/Mississippi State), C Norchad Omier* (Sr./transfer/Baylor), WG Wooga Poplar* (Jr./transfer/Villanova), WF Jakai Robinson (So./transfer/Bryant), WF Christian Watson (So./transfer/Southern Miss)
*—2023-24 starter (started at least 50% of Miami’s games last season)
Miami Hurricanes
10-Year Snapshot
Season: Overall, League (Place), Postseason
2023-24: 15-17, 6-14 ACC (14th), no postseason (Jim Larrañaga)
2022-23: 29-8, 15-5 ACC (t-1st*), NCAA Final Four (Jim Larrañaga)
2021-22: 26-11, 14-6 ACC (4th), NCAA Elite Eight (Jim Larrañaga)
2020-21: 10-17, 4-15 ACC (13th), no postseason (Jim Larrañaga)
2019-20: 15-16, 7-13 ACC (10th), no postseason (Jim Larrañaga)
2018-19: 14-18, 5-13 ACC (11th), no postseason (Jim Larrañaga)
2017-18: 22-10, 11-7 ACC (3rd), NCAA Round of 64 (Jim Larrañaga)
2016-17: 21-12, 10-8 ACC (7th), NCAA Round of 64 (Jim Larrañaga)
2015-16: 27-8, 13-5 ACC (2nd), NCAA Sweet 16 (Jim Larrañaga)
2014-15: 25-13, 10-8 ACC (6th), NIT Runner-Up (Jim Larrañaga)
*—conference champion (regular-season or tournament)
NOTE: In the coming weeks and months, please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2024-25 profiles and 10-year snapshots for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina and all 18 Atlantic Coast Conference programs. The items below will become “live links” as new articles are posted.
Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference
Boston College Eagles, Atlantic Coast Conference
California Golden Bears, Atlantic Coast Conference
Campbell Camels, Coastal Athletic Association
Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference
Clemson Tigers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Davidson Wildcats, Atlantic-10 Conference
Duke Blue Devils, Atlantic Coast Conference
East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference
Elon Phoenix, Coastal Athletic Association
Florida State Seminoles, Atlantic Coast Conference
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Big South Conference
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlantic Coast Conference
High Point Panthers, Big South Conference
Louisville Cardinals, Atlantic Coast Conference
Miami Hurricanes, Atlantic Coast Conference
North Carolina Tar Heels, Atlantic Coast Conference
North Carolina A&T Aggies, Coastal Athletic Association
North Carolina Central Eagles, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
North Carolina State Wolfpack, Atlantic Coast Conference
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Atlantic Coast Conference
Pitt Panthers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Queens Royals, Atlantic Sun Conference
SMU Mustangs, Atlantic Coast Conference
Stanford Cardinal, Atlantic Coast Conference
Syracuse Orange, Atlantic Coast Conference
UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro Spartans, Southern Conference
UNC Wilmington Seahawks, Coastal Athletic Association
Virginia Cavaliers, Atlantic Coast Conference
Virginia Tech Hokies, Atlantic Coast Conference
Wake Forest, Atlantic Coast Conference
Western Carolina Catamounts, Southern Conference