SMU and NC State were eliminated in the first 4. Duke almost lost to Siena before righting their ship and getting to the Sweet 16. Virginia struggled with Wright State before they closed them out. We’ll exempt Louisville, as they played to their seeding and lost to a very good Michigan State. We all know about UNC’s implosion, too.
It’s been a mixed bag at best for the ACC at best in the 2026 tournament. One of the few ACC teams you can’t knock though, is Miami.
Jai Lucas and company played a virtual road game in knocking off Missouri, and then gave a credible performance against 2 seed Purdue. Jai Lucas won 26 games, an NCAA game, an ACC Tournament game, and finished in the top 4 of the ACC.
It was the single biggest turnaround in NCAA basketball history, from winning just 7 games to 26. I don’t care if you have an unlimited NIL budget; that takes incredible coaching from Jai Lucas.
Lucas has a star written all over him. Miami plays hard, smart, and has a wide-open style that recruits will want to play for. Jim Larranaga proved you could win big at Miami. During his tenure at Miami, he won an ACC Championship, went to 5 NCAA tournaments with an Elite 8 and a Final 4. The Elite 8 and Final 4 were post-COVID, too.
He’s already signed Caleb Gaskins one of South Florida’s best players, for next year too.
Sure, this could have been a 1 hit wonders, but it doesn’t feel like it. This feels sustainable, and Miami will be a force in the ACC for years to come.
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