February 21, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes forward Malik Renault (5) shoots the ball while Virginia Cavaliers center Ugona Oyenso (33) defends in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images In a surprising twist, Miami will look to solidify its NCAA Tournament qualification when it plays Boston College in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday.
What seemed impossible before the season began has become within the reach of the Hurricanes under first-year head coach Jai Lucas. An all-new roster has given Miami (22-6, 11-4 ACC) legitimate NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Hurricanes, who went 7-24 last season and 3-17 in ACC play, currently sit in third place in the ACC behind first-place Duke and 11th-ranked Virginia. A top-four finish in the regular season will give Miami a double bye when the conference tournament begins March 10.
Seniors Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson helped lead Miami to an impressive turnaround.
Reneau, who spent his first three seasons at Indiana before returning to his hometown of Miami to finish his college career, leads the Hurricanes with 19.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He had 23 points and 12 rebounds in Miami’s 83-73 win at Florida State on Tuesday.
“I’m always screaming and yelling at him, and I look up and he’s scoring 18 points and 8 rebounds,” Lucas said. “Then you have to check and say, ‘He’s doing well.’ For me, it’s very difficult to find someone better than him in the ACC.”
Donaldson, a Michigan transfer who also played at Auburn, finished with 21 points and six assists against the Seminoles. The guard also made 4 out of 8 3-point shots.
“He was one of the guys that carried us all year,” Lucas said.
Boston College is one of two ACC teams that Miami will face twice this season, along with Florida State. Miami won 74-68 at Boston College on Feb. 7 behind Renault’s 23 points and eight rebounds.
While Miami aims for an extra game after the conference tournament, Boston College (10-18, 3-12) has watched its season go off the rails. The Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 68-67 home win over Wake Forest on Wednesday.
Aidan Shaw scored on a putback basket with less than a second left and Fred Payne scored a team-high 23 points in Boston College’s first win since Jan. 21.
“Everyone’s character is tested when things aren’t going well,” Eagles coach Earl Grant said. “You see the ugliest side of people, and I thought the way our players handled the adversity we went through, just the energy, spirit and character, was at a really high level.”
–Field level media
