February 21, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes guard Tre Donaldson (3) shoots the ball while Virginia Cavaliers forward Thies De Ridder (28) defends during the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images No. 24-6 and the most improved team in the country. 22 Miami plays Louisville on Saturday in an ACC matchup that serves as the team’s regular season finale.
The Hurricanes went 7-24 last season, including 3-17 in the ACC, before cleaning house with head coach Jai Lucas and an entirely new roster. The plan worked well, as the Hurricanes went 13-4 in league play and advanced to next week’s ACC Tournament.
Lucas, a strong candidate for ACC and National Coach of the Year awards, said, “I will reflect on everything after the season is over.” “I’m trying to keep everyone in the moment because there’s so much basketball left and so much work to do to get better.”
Miami, which is on a three-game winning streak, uses veterans Tre Donaldson (16.6 points, 5.9 assists) and True Washington (11.8 points) in the backcourt, and Malik Renaud (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Ernest Ude Jr. (7.1 points, 9.5 rebounds) in the front line. Miami’s freshman class is also solid, led by starters Shelton Henderson (14.0 points) and Dante Allen (6.3 points).
Little-used 6-foot-5 Israeli guard Noam Dovrat is listed as a junior but is in his first year in the United States and has been a big surprise in the past two games against Boston College and SMU. Dobrat posted identical numbers in both games, scoring 12 points on 4-for-4 3-point shooting.
On the season, Dobrat is averaging 3.6 points in just 9.3 minutes, but his 3-point percentage (48.8%) leads the team. He made 21 of 43 from beyond the arc.
“Noam got more time.” Lucas said.
The Cardinals lead the series 15-8, including two straight wins. The series was tied 6-6 with Miami hosting.
With the addition of a new Miami roster and coaching staff, this will be another challenge for the Cardinals (21-9, 10-7), who have lost three of their last five games and dropped out of the top 25.
But on Tuesday, Louisville beat host Syracuse 77-62.
“Our guys played with urgency on defense and good spacing on offense,” Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey said.
Kelsey, 48-17 in two seasons at Louisville, isn’t counting on five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who will come off the injured list Saturday.
Brown (18.2 points per game) is second on Louisville in scoring behind Ryan Cornwell (18.5 points). Conwell and Isaac McKneely (10.7) are excellent perimeter shooters.
They are two of Louisville’s eight seniors, a list that also includes starting wing J’Vonne Hadley (11.6).
“We have one of the most experienced teams in college basketball,” Kelsey said. “We’re also a very talented offensive team. People’s eyes light up when they play us in the zone.”
However, Louisville is just 3-7 in actual road games, while Miami is 15-2 at home.
“My only focus is to beat a really good Miami team,” Kelsey said. “We have great people who love Louisville. This will be a big win for us.”
–Field level media
