The men’s Miami Hurricanes basketball team started their 2026-2027 season off Monday night with a tough 77-67 loss to the top team in the nation, the Florida Gators. On Friday, Miami will host the Wagner Seahawks at the Watsco Center and will try to earn their first win of the new season. Wagner is also looking for their first win of the season, as they were blown out 76-50 by Boston College. The Hurricanes currently rank 14th in the nation; a huge performance could boost them higher, even with their loss to Florida.
Against Florida, Acaden Lewis led both teams with 24 points. Lewis struggled behind the arc, going two-for-eight and committing four turnovers as well. The rest of Miami’s offense struggled as center Somto Cyril was the next highest scorer for the Hurricanes with just 13 points. As a whole, Miami’s offense struggled, shooting 35 percent from the floor and 24 percent from deep. They were also out-rebounded against the Gators, 42-36. On Friday, the Hurricanes offense must find more cohesiveness and play an overall better game if they want to come out with the win.
Just like Miami, Wagner’s offense severely struggled against Boston College. Kareem Watson led the team with 13 points in 24 minutes off the bench while Taj Bryant and Cam Estevez each scored 10 points. The Seahawks shot 30 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc. Wagner committed 13 turnovers compared to Boston College’s 10, while also committing eight more fouls than the Eagles as well. Their offense also must come together if they want to take down a ranked team such as Miami.
Both Miami's and Wagner’s offenses need to find their grooves and find more comfort with the game plan. Lewis needs to be the top guy for Miami; however, he needs to keep his turnovers down and be effective at shooting the basketball. The Seahawks need their starting five to be efficient scorers, as they shouldn’t have to rely on someone coming off the bench to bring the most punches. Miami will need to prove they're still a top 25 team in the nation, while Wagner wants to show their loss on Tuesday night was just getting the nerves out.
Miami should come out on top in this matchup. Wagner scored just 50 points last game as their offense struggled, perhaps more so than the Hurricanes. Both teams need to bring the firepower immediately once the game begins. The Hurricanes should take a 65-48 win on Friday night.
