Miami opens its season against visiting Fairleigh Dickinson Monday in Coral Gables, Fla., looking ahead while longing to outrun fresh memories of last season. One player longing for those recent glory days with the Hurricanes is Nijel Pack, an elite 3-point shooter who averaged 13.
3 points last season and was selected to the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason first team this season. He was a starter in 2022-23 when Miami finished 29-8 and reached the NCAA Final Four. Last season, Miami slipped to 15-17 (6-14 ACC) and didn't make the tournament.
The ACC preseason poll projected the Hurricanes to finish sixth in the conference this season. Fairleigh Dickinson was predicted to finish third in the Northeast Conference preseason poll after a 15-17 (9-7 NEC) record last season. The Knights lost their best player from last season as first-team All-NEC forward Ansley Almonor (16.
4 scoring average) transferred to Kentucky. Now, the Knights are powered by 6-foot-6 junior post Jo'el Emanuel, 6-6 senior wing Cam Tweedy and 6-3 sophomore guard Terrence Brown. Emanuel is the team's leading returning scorer (10.
6). Tweedy missed last season due to a knee injury. Brown is regarded as the league's top defender, and junior-college transfer Dylan Jones, a 6-5 junior who is a 3-point shooter, could be a key contributor.
Knights coach Jack Castleberry said he's eager to see Tweedy back in action. "He's still gaining confidence in his knee," Castleberry said. "He hasn't run around at a high level.