Coral Gables – The Miami Hurricanes men’s hoops squad finished off their three-game opening run with a nice 87-61 win over Florida A&M.

The Canes got off to a slow start and were ice cold from behind the arc midway through the first. Thankfully, forward Norchad Omier was getting busy on the inside on his way to a game high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting. He was also a defensive monster with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

For guards Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack, some days are gonna be like this and they combined for nine points and shot a combined 2-of-13. Picking up the slack were Jordan Miller and Joseph Bensley who added 19 and 12 respectively while shooting 4-of-6 from three land. Fellow guard Wooga Poplar added 15 points on 7-of11 shooting. Once the Canes got into a groove, it was fun basketball to watch, especially in transition.

Defensively, the pairing of Omier and Miller had a very good night and might be something to look to for the season. Miller added three steals as well, and added a block for good measure. For the game, the Rattlers shot 49% and were at 58% (14-of-24) in the second half, so coach Larranaga has plenty to work on before they head off to Connecticut to face Providence in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

The Canes did a good job of holding onto the ball as they only committed 10 turnovers on the game. This team is more athletically gifted than last year’s squad. Barring unforeseen issues, this team should be able to turn some heads and make some noise early in the season. Get a little respect shown their way.