Previewing Miami MBB’s Loaded Non-Conference Slate: Part 2

Miami men’s basketball released its 2023-24 non-conference schedule on Thursday, locking in an impressive array of games against several NCAA Tournament-worthy teams.

In the first part of a two-part series, LifeWallet Sports previewed the opponents that UM will and could play in the Baha Mar Classic.

Here’s what you need to know about the other high-profile teams that Miami will face this out-of-conference season.

vs. UCF (Nov. 10)

Miami has played the University of Central Florida (UCF) three times over the past four seasons, and each game was decided by nine or fewer points. Last year’s matchup was especially close, with the Hurricanes squeaking past the Knights by two.

This year’s game may not be as competitive, as UCF lost five of its six leading scorers, including top-10 NBA Draft pick Taylor Hendricks.

Third-year guard Darius Johnson, who averaged 10.0 points and a team-high 4.2 assists per game during the 2022-23 campaign, leads UCF’s returnees. The Knights are also bringing in a six-player transfer portal class led by former Boston College guard Demarr Langford Jr., who scored 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field against Miami last year.

This will also be the first season that UCF will be competing as a Big-12 team.

@ Kentucky (Nov. 28)

Largely because of its lofty preseason expectations, Miami drew one of college basketball’s most popular brands for the first annual ACC/SEC challenge.

The Wildcats are expected to be a high seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as they return veteran guard Antonio Reeves and bring in West Virginia transfer forward Tre Mitchell along with a recruiting class that the 247Sports Composite ranks as the best in the country.

Highlighting this recruiting class, five-star prospects Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner will likely be immediate contributors.

Kentucky holds a 3-1 series lead over Miami, but the Hurricanes came out on top in the last matchup between the two teams in 2008.

vs. Colorado (Dec. 10)*

The Buffaloes will be a team to watch out for in 2023-24, as they return the four leading scorers from last year’s NIT team, including forward Tristan da Silva and guard KJ Simpson, who made the All-Pac-12 first and second teams, respectively.

Colorado also added TCU transfer center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who started 19 games for the Horned Frogs last season, and five-star freshman Cody Williams. The 6-foot-8 first-year forward has been ranked by the 247Sports Composite as Colorado’s highest-rated signee since the metric first started in 2000.

This will be the Hurricanes’ first time playing a Pac-12 team in the regular season since 2016, when they defeated Stanford.

“*” indicates that the game will be played at a neutral location