University of Miami guard Charlie Moore (3) celebrates after teammate forward Sam Waardenburg (21) dunked against Auburn University during the second half of the NCAA Div. 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament preliminary round game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Sunday, March 20, 2022.
The dust has settled on Iowa State’s back-to-back NCAA Tournament wins over LSU and Wisconsin last week, and now the Cyclones have turned their full attention towards the Miami Hurricanes.
Jim Larranaga’s team enters Friday night’s approximately 8:59 p.m. tip in Chicago with one of the nation’s best offenses, ranking No. 18 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency.
That offense is carried largely by a trio of guards — seniors Kameron McGusty and Charlie Moore plus sophomore Isaiah Wong — and ranks No. 6 nationally in turnover percentage, which means the Cyclones’ tenacious defense will face another test in trying to knock the Hurricanes off their rhythm.
“On the offensive end, that trio of guards they have is as good if not better than any trio we’ve seen all year,” Iowa State associate head coach Kyle Green said during an interview on 106.3 KXnO’s Sports Fanatics on Tuesday. “They have three guys that can really score the ball in a variety of levels, in different ways. That’ll be a challenge for us defensively and we’re gonna have to do a great job of neutralizing that, making them really work for the baskets they do get, understanding they’re going to score some, but making them have to do a little bit more than what they’re used to. Get them out of their comfort zone and make them uncomfortable but that’s been kind of what’s fueled our defense.”
That ability to make high-level guards uncomfortable has been on display throughout the year for Iowa State, but most notably during the win over the Badgers when the Cyclones held consensus first-team All-American Johnny Davis to just 4-of-16 shooting from the field.
You can expect Iowa State’s physicality to play a significant role in this game, especially with the fact Miami is not an overly deep team. The Hurricanes rank No. 354 nationally in bench minutes and all three of those guards mentioned above play more than 80 percent of the team’s minutes.
On the flip side, Miami’s defense ranks just No. 121 in adjusted defensive efficiency, making the Hurricanes the lowest-rated defense Iowa State has faced since the Cyclones’ 67-50 win over Missouri on Jan. 31.
While Miami might not be as prolific defensively as Iowa State, the Hurricanes are certainly capable if you make silly mistakes that allow them to get out in transition for easy looks at the rim.
“Defensively, they get a lot of steals and they create a lot of offense from their defense,” Green said. “The games that they’ve been really good offensively have been fueled by the defense creating turnovers, getting easy baskets, getting out in transition. Neutralizing that, us not turning it over, playing off of two feet, being strong with our passes, being crisp, being sharp with our execution, will eliminate some of their offense then keeping them off the glass. Those are all things that are keeping me up at night but we’ll do a great job of it come Friday night.”
