2017 ACC tournament preview: Miami

Miami: 20-10, 10-8 in the ACC

Head coach: Jim Larrañaga (6th season)

Players to watch: Davon Reed (15.3 PPG, 40.3 3PT%); Ja’Quan Newton (13.9 PPG); Bruce Brown (11.8 PPG)

Season recap: After losing three starters that had the Hurricanes among the ACC’s elite for a few years, many wondered how head coach Jim Larrañaga’s club would fare in a loaded ACC. But Larrañaga has proven his mettle as one of the most underrated coaches in the country yet again, molding a defensive-minded unit that allows just 63.4 points per game. With veterans Ja’Quan Newton and Davon Reed making enough plays to keep Miami in contests and freshman Bruce Brown coming on late in the year, Miami only lost to Iowa State and Florida—two top-25 teams that look dangerous heading into March—in nonconference play.

The Hurricanes then overcame a 2-4 start in ACC play by winning eight of their next 10 games, including wins against North Carolina, Virginia and Duke, marked by Miami’s stifling defense. Although the Hurricanes dropped close road games against Virginia Tech and Florida State to fall into the No. 9 seed, they have shown they have the toughness to hang with just about anyone in the country if they can get a few shots to fall.

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Brown will be a player to keep an eye on this week in New York—the freshman torched the Blue Devils for 25 points Feb. 25 and has improved steadily as the year has gone on. As the player who will likely command Miami’s offense for years to come, he will look to impress in a quality matchup against Syracuse’s stacked backcourt Wednesday afternoon.

How they make a run: Miami takes Syracuse's high-powered offense out of rhythm to set up a rematch with North Carolina, then uses strong efforts from Reed and Newton to pull another upset and bolster its chances of earning a top-six seed in the Big Dance.