Miami has become one of the most veteran teams in college basketball with 342 combined starts from the starting five.
Wing Kameron McGusty (Oklahoma), point guard Charlie Moore (DePaul) and forward Jordan Miller (George Mason) have bostered the squad.
Miami is off to a 9-3 start and will host NC State at 9 p.m. tonight on ESPNU.
Overview
Miami has a pair of wins at Penn State and over Clemson to kick-off December and have a five-game winning streak.
The three losses have come against UCF, Dayton and Alabama. Only UCF and Alabama have scored more than 81 points against the Hurricanes.
Rankings
Miami is No. 111 in the NET rankings this season.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Hurricanes currently ranked No. 94 overall, and NC State is No. 116.
KenPom.com has Miami at No. 99, and NCSU checks in at No. 113.
RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 163 in the country, and Miami is No. 73.
Shooting
Miami is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 32.8 percent on three-pointers and 75.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Four different players have made at least 11 three-pointers, with McGusty leading the way with 20, and sixth-year senior point guard Charlie Moore with 17.
Rebounding
Miami has struggled on the boards, averaging 31.8 rebounds per game. Opponents have out-rebounded the Hurricanes at 34.6 boards a game.
George Mason transfer Jordan Miller leads the way with 5.9 rebounds a contest and he has 22 offensive boards. McGusty is right behind him at 5.5.
Defense
Opponents are shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 37.1 percent on three-pointers and 66.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Post players Sam Waardenburg and Anthony Walker lead the team with nine blocks in 12 games of action. Moore has a team-best 20 steals, with four players with at least 10 steals.
Depth
Miami has faced so many injuries over the last few years, that having a full roster must feel amazing. That said, the Hurricanes usually play four guys off the bench.
Athletic post player Anthony Walker is averaging 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. Backup center Deng Gak and freshman guards Wooga Polar and Bensley Joseph round out the rotation.
Sixth-year senior center Rodney Miller, a former starter, has missed the last two games with a groin injury. Sophomore wing Harlond Beverly, who started last year, has been injured since Nov. 25.
Star Watch
Third-year sophomore Isaiah Wong took advantage of injuries to point guard Chris Lykes last year and established himself.
Wong jumped from 7.7 points per game to 17.1 points a contest last year, with 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His numbers have dipped a smidge, but he’s improved from 43.1 percent to 49.0 percent this season. The 6-3, 185-pound Wong is averaging 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season.
Wong has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. He had 21 points against North Texas on Nov. 26, and had 20 points apiece in two other games.
Rivals.com ranked Wong at No. 78 overall in the country and the No. 12 point guard coming out of Drexel Hill (Pa.) Monsignor Bonner in the class of 2019.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 3 Cam Hayes (6-3, 180, Soph., 11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)
SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 160, Fr., 13.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg)
SF — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 19.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 spg)
PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 14.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg)
C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Soph., 4.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.0 apg, 2.5 bpg)
Miami (Fla.)
PG — 3 Charlie Moore (5-11, 180, Sr., 10.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.7 spg)
SG — Isaiah Wong (6-3, 185, Soph., 15.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)
SF — 23 Kam McGusty (6-5, 190, Sr., 18.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
F — 11 Jordan Miller (6-7, 195, Jr., 6.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
C — 21 Sam Waardenburg (6-10, 225, Sr., 7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Numbers Of Note
3.75: Turnover margin this season for Miami. The Hurricanes have forced 164 turnovers and have committed 119, which is second in the ACC. Miami is No. 13 nationally in offensive turnover percentage (14.4) per KenPom.com.
4 Colleges Charlie Moore has attended in six years. He started off at California, but transferred to Kansas, where he struggled. He then left to go back home for DePaul for two years before making his way to Miami. He has 1,373 career points and 468 assists.
21: Miami is one of 21 teams that have produced at least four NBA Draft choices over the last five years — Davon Reed (2017), Lonnie Walker IV and Bruce Brown in 2018 and Dewan Hernandez in 2019.
Game Within The Game: Miami’s Kam McGusty vs. NC State’s Dereon Seabron
The 6-5, 190-pound McGusty, who transferred after two years at Oklahoma, has been in college for six years. He’s saving his best for last, averaging 18.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season.
McGusty had a season-high 29 points in a 76-59 win over Lipscomb on Dec. 8, and he has scored at least 20 points in five contests this season.
McGusty is fresh off of going 6 of 8 on three-pointers for 27 points in a 82-72 win over Stetson on Dec. 20. He also has three double-doubles this season for points and rebounds. McGusty has also drained at least two three-pointers in five contests.
McGusty might end up matched up against NC State redshirt sophomore Dereon Seabron, who leads the Wolfpack with 19.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is looking for a bounce-back game after going 4 of 12 from the field for 10 points in the 84-70 loss against Wright State on Dec. 21.
Follow on Twitter:
@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal
Subscribe for free on YouTube:
For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central
Like on Facebook:
