Happy Monday, folks. Hope your week has gotten off to a great start.
Lots going on in the world of Miami sports, so let’s get to it.
1) The Miami Hurricanes were mini-swept by the Florida Gators over the weekend.
Game 3 was rained out, so it came down to Friday and Saturday for the Hurricanes. And lord have mercy, how ugly it got.
On Friday, Miami fought, scratched, and clawed their way into the game after the Gators took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Canes plated two in the sixth on
a pair of RBI singles, and the vibes were good.
But then, the eighth inning came along, and the Canes’ brought a gas can to the mound. AJ Ciscar, who was awesome for seven innings, gave up a jimmy jack to Florida’s Jacob Kendall, who bounced it off the parking garage in right center for a 3-2 lead. From there, Miami turned to four relievers to get through the inning. Jack Durso finally got the third out, but five runs were plated in the inning, including one from old friend Blake Cyr on a sac fly. And that was all she wrote.
Saturday saw another dog fight. Miami struck first on a three-run homer by Derek Williams in the first. But Rob Evans allowed four runs in the top of the second to put Florida back in their familiar place of being ahead on the scoreboard. Miami tied it in the fifth on a sac fly as Evans settled in.
But, then, one of the dumbest moments of the year happened. With the bases loaded and no one out, it looked like Miami was out of the inning when Ryan Bilka got a fly out to the track for the third out. However, the third base umpire called a phantom balk on the pitch, so everyone was pulled out of the dugout, and Florida was given a fifth run.
Miami couldn’t respond offensively, and in the top of the ninth, a three-run homer by the Gators took all remaining doubt out of the equation.
Just an ugly, ugly pair of games for Miami.
2) And goodness almighty, does Miami have a bullpen problem right now.
Florida is good, to be sure. College World Series good. But Miami has guys struggling big time with command right now. I hope they can figure it out moving forward, because it would be a shame to see a possible postseason run get wasted.
Florida has dudes in their pen, by comparison. Guys who can throw it where they want and fool hitters, not just fight to get it over the plate. The difference between both groups is STARK.
3) Canes hoops SHOULD be a lock at this point, even if the outlets won’t say it.
I bet if the name was Duke next to that record and resume, it would have locked weeks ago. And yes, I do believe this is a heavy reputation sport. Sue me.
But the Hurricanes did manage to avoid a bad loss on Saturday, rolling Boston College 78-54 to complete the cupcake portion of their schedule. There should be no bad losses left to damage the Canes’ resume at this point, with SMU and Louisville on the schedule.
If Miami wins one or the other, you should finally start to see Miami move into more locksville sections in these outlets. But, it’s pretty stupidly ridiculous that they haven’t already yet.
And don’t get me started on metrics as a sane reason. 15-14 Auburn sits at 38 in NET rankings after a home loss to Ole Miss. Just take those ranking systems and toss them in the trash.
4) A number of Canes measured and worked out at the Combine.
Rueben Bain, Jr. measured 30 7/8-inch arms, while Francis Mauigoa had 33 1/4 and Markel Bell blew everyone away with his measurements and 40-yard dash time.
(But we could’ve told out about big Markel if y’all had asked. He’s got an NFL frame, and hopefully an NFL game.)
Bain is getting questioned by some, who seem to forget that some dudes can just play football. He’ll be a first-round pick, but some folks might overthink it and be scared off. Mauigoa’s arm length and measurements almost all exactly match Detroit Lions All-Pro RT Penei Sewell, so there’s a comp for him to stay at tackle in the NFL.
