
Miami was run off the court by SMU on Saturday to the tune of a 43-point blowout, losing 117 to 74.
SMU came out of the gate firing. A quality three-point shooting team averaging 37% from behind the arc, the Mustangs showed it early. They started 4-of-5 from three and 8-of-10 from the field to lead 20-7 before the halfway mark of the first half.
Former Miami forward Matt Cross and senior guard Chuck Harris led the scoring barrage, and the team moved the ball well through guards B.J. Edwards and Boopie Miller.
Miami, on the other hand, struggled offensively. The ’Canes had multiple stretches where they went minutes without a basket and had nothing going for them.
The difference in the ball movement was seen in both teams’ assist totals. Through the first half, the Mustangs had 18 assists on 26 made shots. Miami, in comparison, had just five opening-half assists and finished with 10 on the day.
“We’ve yet to really play like we do in practice, where we’re sharing the ball and everyone is involved,” interim head coach Bill Courtney said.
This lack of playmaking and facilitation on the team has been one of Miami’s biggest issues with lead guard Nijel Pack out of the lineup. This has left freshman Divine Ugochukwu as the Hurricanes’ only true point guard, but coming off an injury, he played just four minutes in the first half.
With no real facilitator to dissect the defense and open up the floor for the rest of the team, Miami’s offense was sluggish and stagnant. SMU’s offense ran much more effortlessly, as Miller and Edwards were able to draw in the defense and make the lob to the big man or hit the open teammate in the corner.
“We’re playing guys at point guard who are not point guards, and Boopie Miller is terrorizing those guys,” Courtney said.
Miller led SMU with 18 points and 10 assists, tying Miami’s team total. He also recorded two steals. All game long, he was disruptive and showed the massive difference in the two teams’ backcourts.
Never in a rhythm, the Hurricanes shot just 42% from the field in the first half, compared to SMU’s 76%. These multiple stretches of stagnant offense let the Mustangs get out and run multiple times, leading to 11 fastbreak points for SMU.
The first half ended well for Miami on offense, as it made its last four shots, including its first fastbreak basket of the game with a Matthew Cleveland dunk off a steal from Brandon Johnson.
But it meant very little, as the Hurricanes’ awful start put them in a massive 34-point hole with the Mustangs ahead 60-26 at halftime.
“It was embarrassing at halftime, 60 points, so the only thing you can do is go out and have some type of pride,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland led Miami to open the second half, scoring 14 points in just six minutes. He was aggressive, attacking the paint, drawing fouls and giving Miami a spark on offense, slightly chipping into SMU’s lead.
Miami’s offense slowed down again, and SMU got back to rolling. A Kario Oquendo fastbreak windmill dunk was part of a 14-2 run by the Mustangs, and just like that, Miami was down 44 points.
Cleveland, Miami’s lone player with over 10 points, ended the game with two free throws to give him a career-high 31 points on the day.
“At the end of the day it doesn’t matter when you lose by about 40,” Cleveland said.
SMU’s 117-point total was a program record and the most Miami has given up all year. The Mustangs shooting splits of 69% from the field and 56% from three were also Miami’s worst allowed this season. Seven Mustangs were in the double digits, led by Miller, who, along with his 18 points, tied Miami’s team assist total with 10.
Up next, Miami hits the road and heads to the West Coast for a two-game trip. The first will be at Stanford on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tip-off is at 11 p.m.