After finding a way to win over in-state rival Florida State the Florida Gators (2-1) will once again look to take down a Sunshine State foe when they take on the Miami Hurricanes.
Despite the relative proximity of the two high-major schools, Florida and Miami have not been regular opponents with their last meeting coming in 2019, with the Gators coming away with a big 78-58 win in what was a down year for the Hurricanes. In fact, that bad year for Miami triggered a series of tough years with the Hurricanes struggling in most seasons other than in 2023 when Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier, and Isaiah Wong led a talented roster that had the jump in the early days of NIL. After a couple years of struggle, and after a lengthy career that saw loads of success, head coach Jim Larranaga announced his retirement midway through the 2024-25 season. Miami chose to hire first year coach Jai Lucas who came to the Hurricanes after serving as an assistant at Duke, banking on his youth and ACC experience to breathe some new life into the program.
Through three games things are off to a clean start for the Lucas era, though they are yet to play a high or mid-major opponent, so far hammering Jacksonville, Bethune Cookman, and Stetson. Notably, Miami has put up over 100 points in each of the last two games–something that may not have been expected going into the season. Lucas is known for his focus on the defensive end, something he was vocal about when he got the Miami job, and something that was evidenced with his time at Duke where he was responsible for overseeing the defense. Going into the year the Hurricanes were expected to be a team that would win with physical toughness and defensive intensity, though in their buy games they have been showcasing an offensive attack that can put up points in a hurry. With Florida being their first real test of the season we will find out if the offense will truly be a strength, or whether they will revert back to the defense that the roster was built on.
Leading the way offensively for Miami is a player that will be familiar to many of you reading this–forward Malik Reneau. If that name is ringing a bell, it’s because at one point he was Florida’s top recruit who committed to Mike White’s staff largely due to the work of assistant Erik Pastrana. When White left for Georgia Reneau decommitted and ultimately landed at Indiana where he had three productive years, though in situations that didn’t result in a lot of winning. A Miami native, Reneau took the opportunity to go closer to home and experience a new situation, and so far the results have been excellent. He is averaging 21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists as an absolute force on the inside, and he will be a fascinating matchup for the Gator frontcourt. Reneau is a unique player in that he’s not actually that physically dominant despite being listed at 6’9” and 233 pounds, but he scores with ease around the pace with advanced footwork that you don’t often see from players at the college level. The lack of elite athleticism or crazy length might hurt him at times defensively or on the glass, but it isn’t a problem at all when he’s using his light feet and excellent hands around the rim. Florida will certainly have a length advantage over Reneau with a number of their pieces, but they could greatly struggle with his below the rim work.
Another familiar player to Florida fans will be Tre Donaldson who spent two years at Auburn before transferring to Michigan last year. Donaldson, also a native of Florida, came to Miami to get closer to home and have a fresh start and so far he has been featured as the point guard who is setting the table and making a lot of decisions, largely using his speed and muscle as a way to create initial space. Donaldson notably struggled against the Gators during his time at Auburn so fans won’t have to see ghosts when they see him take the floor, but after his time at Michigan he looks like a more developed player and one that Florida’s staff will have near the top of the scouting report.
Perhaps the most interesting player on the roster is guard Tru Washington who came to Miami after averaging 11.1 points per game at New Mexico last year. Here’s the thing–while his points per game were solid for the Mountain West level–this pretty much had nothing to do with why Jai Lucas was interested in his services. What Lucas did want was Washington’s defense. Washington is one of the most disruptive perimeter defenders you are ever going to see, someone whose ability to stay in a stance while somehow staying glued to offensive players sprinting at full speed is nearly unbelievable to understand. After averaging a whopping 2.1 steals per game last season he’s averaging 3.0 per game to start this year, and it is not at all an exaggeration to say this might be the best perimeter defender in the country. It will be interesting to see who Lucas tasks Washington with guarding, as whoever he takes could be in for a bit of a tough night. No one is going to know about Washington for his offensive highlights, but smart fans will know all about his defensive acumen.
Watching the film, it’s still a bit difficult to know what Miami will look like after their first three games came against low-major opponents, but it’s clear they can really guard and turn turnovers and defensive rebounds into quick points on the other end with the transition attack. The roster doesn’t have a lot of offensive flash on the perimeter, and their most explosive scorer is certainly Malik Reneau on the inside. Given how Florida has struggled to shoot to start this season they’ll need to come up with some offensive answers, as Miami could certainly swallow up a confused offense with the defensive talent on the roster.
This game will be played as a neutral site competition in Jacksonville, with the event called the “Jacksonville Hoops Showdown.” Florida and Miami will tip off Sunday, November 16th at 8:30 PM ET, and it will be televised on ESPN.