Regardless of sport, Miami currently has Notre Dame. The Hurricanes, led by floor general Tre Donaldson, defeated the Fighting Irish by 12 points in South Bend on Tuesday night. UM has won ten straight and remains undefeated in conference play.
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The winning streak marks the program’s longest winning streak in eight years. Miami won its first 10 games in 2017-18, including an upset victory over No. 12 Minnesota on the road. UM won again thanks to the hard work of many players.
Donaldson stole the show, scoring 23 points on 57 percent shooting. He also dished out five assists. The outing allowed the veteran to reach the 1,000-point career milestone. Starters Malik Leno and Sheldon Henderson each scored 17 points. Reneau led the team in rebounding with 10 rebounds.
For the third straight game, Jay Lucas saw one of his frontcourt stars get into foul trouble. Leno had four fouls in the team’s first three games, while Ernest Ude also picked up four fouls against the Fighting Irish. He scored three of them in the first half.
Symbolizing his inefficiency, the former TCU big man didn’t score and only grabbed two rebounds. Fortunately, he managed to stay in control and continue to cause chaos on the defensive end. The foul out was detrimental to the team as Notre Dame stayed in the game.
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The Irish led by 11 points with 4:44 left in the game, but then the Irish cut the Hurricanes’ lead to single digits. Fortunately, UM was able to come out of Purcell Pavilion with a 15-2 overall record thanks to several key shots from Reneau and Donaldson and excellent foul shooting.
Along with Donaldson, Leno and Henderson’s combined 57 points, freshman Dante Allen came off the bench to provide some key minutes for Lucas. The Miami native finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
At halftime, the two teams were tied at 39. It was clear Notre Dame was roughing Miami in the opening 20 minutes as the Canes gave up 10 Irish offensive rebounds. In this game, UM lost the important rebounding battle 28-35, but its ability to control rebounds improved in the second half.
The Hurricanes made up for it with 18 turnovers. Notre Dame has the worst turnover in the ACC, and its biggest issues were on display in front of a national audience Tuesday night. The hot-shot team from South Beach trailed the Takeaways by a total of 19 points.
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Not only did Miami take advantage of turnovers, but it also took advantage of its size on offense. One of the ACC’s best offenses outscored Notre Dame in the paint, 40-28. The Heat also get to the free throw line frequently, shooting 81% from the line.
They are continuing to make progress to improve one of their biggest issues all season long. Now 13 games over .500, the Miami Heat should no longer be viewed as dark horses heading into the NCAA Tournament. They have successfully battled adversity throughout the season.
The team showed tremendous poise and chemistry. Each player fills a specific role perfectly. The talent is there and the motivation for this team is there. Confidence soars after every win and now they will be put to the test.
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The Canes will hit the road again on Saturday, taking on Clemson in the afternoon. The Tigers are one of three teams in the ACC with a perfect record at 5-0. With a national ranking in sight, Miami was eager to steal another game in a hostile environment. A win would put UM in a position to retain first place.