No. 14 Miami Battles No. 1 Florida to the End of Its Opener — and Falls 77-67 in Tampa
The Hurricanes started fast, cut a 10-point halftime deficit to two in the second half, and got a game-high 24 points from Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis — but the top-ranked Gators answered every run, and Miami's cold shooting (21-of-60, 4-of-17 from three) closed the door in the season opener for both teams.
The first benchmark of Miami's season measured exactly what it was supposed to measure. The No. 14 Hurricanes went at No. 1 Florida on a neutral floor in Tampa on Monday night and stayed in the fight into the final minutes before falling 77-67 in the season opener for both teams. Miami scored on its first five possessions for an 11-8 start behind Villanova transfer guard Acaden Lewis, but a 9-0 Florida run built on three-pointers off Miami turnovers flipped the game, and the Gators — who got 13 first-half points from Thomas Haugh on three three-pointers — led 46-36 at halftime, with five Hurricanes already carrying two fouls.
Miami's answer came from the paint. Georgia transfer center Somto Cyril's putback dunks keyed the push that cut the lead to 53-51 in the second half, and Cyril finished with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in his first Miami start. Florida responded the way the preseason No. 1 is supposed to: a 13-4 run restored the double-digit margin, and from there the game settled into a 7-to-10-point band the Hurricanes could not break. Haugh finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Florida; Lewis led everyone with a game-high 24 points for Miami.
The numbers explain the rest. Miami shot 21-of-60 from the field and 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, and its preseason all-ACC returning standouts, Shelton Henderson and Malik Reneau, combined to shoot 3-for-20 against a Florida defense that kept the Hurricanes out of the paint. The second half turned chippy — both teams in the double bonus, three flagrant fouls called — and Miami's foul trouble, present since the first half, never let up. It is Florida's second straight win in the rivalry, after last November's 82-68 result, but unlike that game, Miami was in this one throughout. UM (0-1) comes home to Coral Gables for its home opener against Wagner on Friday, November 6, at 9 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
