As the NCAA Tournament comes to a close, GMS likes to review some of the power conference or power program teams that made it to the Big Dance and ask whether or not they’ve got a shot to return to the show next season. We continue on with teams eliminated in the Sweet 16.
Recruit and Reload: Miami Hurricanes
Key Losses: Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez, Tonye Jekiri
Key Returners: Davon Reed, Ja’Quan Newton
Key Newcomers: Dewan Huell, Bruce Brown, Rodney Miller
Breakdown: Few teams in the country, and certainly in the ACC, lose as much production and importance as Miami. McClellan and Rodriguez were one of the most explosive backcourts in the country last season but couldn’t overcome Villanova in the Big Dance. So, where does Jim Larranaga go from here?
Reed proved to be a valuable option last season and Newton made a huge jump from his freshman season, becoming an extremely valuable sixth man. If they can get Newton comfortable as a starter, while bringing in five-star Huell and two four-star prospects in Brown and Miller, the Hurricanes will have a chance to settle in right below the top ring in the ACC next season–which should mean an NCAA Tournament berth, if things hold.
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