The Miami Hurricanes Men’s Basketball team (5-2) didn’t have the ideal Thanksgiving day, being defeated 72-62 by the No. 9 ranked BYU Cougars (5-1) in the semi-final of the ESPN Events Invitational. The loss marked the Hurricanes’ second defeat against a ranked opponent this season.
The star of the show was expected to be the No.1 prospect in the 2025 class, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
Averaging 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, all eyes were on the projected top 5 NBA draft pick. But, behind a suffocating second-half zone defense and a three-point aerial assault from the entire BYU side, the Cougars erased a four-point halftime deficit, taking the win.
The Hurricanes started the scoring off with a deep Tre Henderson three-pointer — one of the few highlights in Miami’s rough night, 23% from outside the arc.
And down 27-26 in the final minute before the break, Miami put together what felt like a game-defining tilt at the time.
Shelton Henderson put the ’Canes ahead on a floater that sent him to the line for an and-one. Then, a strong Ernest Udeh Jr. layup, followed by a Tre-Henderson 15-foot midrange brought Miami into halftime with a 33-29 lead.
It felt like Miami would come out of the break looking to secure Jai Lucas’ first signature win as a ’Cane, but BYU came out of halftime utilizing active zone defense that stifled Miami’s offense.
Tre Henderson’s layup at 40-39 four minutes into the half was the last lead Miami would see all day. BYU’s Kennard Davis, playing in his first game back after his team suspension was lifted following an alleged DUI, shot lights out, going 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from three. His 3-pointer that put BYU ahead 42–40 ignited a 10-0 run where the Hurricanes went more than five minutes without a field goal.
As the zone tightened, BYU’s 6-foot-10 rim protector Keba Keita turned the paint into a no-fly zone. Four of his seven blocks came in the opening seven minutes of the second half forcing Miami to settle for jumpers. BYU outscored Miami 30-12 to open the half, building a 59-45 gap with seven minutes remaining. Keita’s seven rejections were the most by a BYU player since Shawn Bradley who had 10 in 1991.
On the offensive end, the Cougars shooters were locked in. BYU knocked down 9-of-19 from three point land, a whopping 47.4% and shot 45.5% overall. The perimeter trio of Davis, Dybantsa and Robert Wright III combined for 71% of BYU’s points on the day.
Davis’s three-second half triples were part of his season-high 18 point performance. Each subsequent three-pointer felt like an additional nail in Miami’s coffin.
Dybantsa was elite getting to the rim, drawing four shooting fouls, on top of 16 points and eight rebounds. Wright III had 17 points, four assists, and three steals. During Miami’s last push, Wright calmly buried four free throws in the final 39 seconds.
For Miami, 62 points marked a team low on the season. This is also Miami’s second loss of the year, coming to two ranked teams (The first being against No.10 Florida). The glaring weak spot was the shooting. 32.9% from the field, 22.7% from three, and 41.2% from the line, a performance that made a comeback nearly impossible.
Moreover, BYU’s transition defense cut off one of Miami’s biggest weapons — its fastbreak attack. The Hurricanes were locked down in the open floor and managed only seven fast break points.
For Miami, Malik Reneau shot an efficient 7-13, tallying 14 points. This was his first time this season scoring under 20 points.
Henderson supplied 13 points, five boards, and four assists, while Donaldson scored 12 points, and had three steals, but shot 4-16 (25%) from the field. Guard Tru Washington also had a rough night from the field: 5 points on 2-9 shooting.
Friday’s game against 5-1 Georgetown will be a good indicator for the season — a strong non-ranked Big East who already took down an ACC team in Clemson.
Miami has walked through their mid-major opponents like Elon and Stetson already, and the Hoyas will provide a good challenge to the Hurricanes in the Magic Bracket third place game at 7 p.m. EST.
