February 24, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes guard Tre Donaldson (3) dribbles the ball while Florida State Seminoles forward Thomas Basson (3) defends during the first half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Image Seeding in the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference tournament will be in focus Wednesday when No. 22 Miami visits dangerous SMU in a key late-season clash in Dallas.
The Hurricanes (23-6, 12-4 ACC) have won two straight and six of their last seven games. The successful stretch puts them in the AP top 25 for the first time since December 11, 2023, when they were ranked 24th.
The Hurricanes are one win shy of tying the school record for regular season wins.
Miami’s most recent win was a 76-54 home shellacking of Boston College on Saturday. Tre Donaldson scored 15 points and Tru Washington added 14 for the Hurricanes.
Ernest Udeh Jr. had 11 points and 12 rebounds, Noam Dovrat had a season-high 12 points off the bench and Miami went on a 19-2 run to take a 36-19 halftime lead and waltz to the finish line.
“We are entering the most important part of the season,” Dovrat said. “And that’s where we have to step up and be who we can be as a team and who we need to be. We just have to keep working hard and try to get better every day to be in the best shape possible when the money is on the line.”
Hurricanes are one of America’s greatest transformation stories. Under first-year coach Jai Lucas, Miami is 16 wins better than last season and has its largest wins nationally, and its 23 wins are already the most by a first-year coach in program history.
“These are games that take place in early March, and if you want to compete at a high level, you have to win and find a way to win,” Lucas said.
The win over Boston College strengthens Miami’s chances of earning a double bye in the conference tournament, which begins next Tuesday in Charlotte. Miami, in third place with two games remaining, is one win ahead of Virginia and one win ahead of Clemson and North Carolina.
SMU began the week tied for 8th in the league standings and barely maintained a first-round knockout bye.
The Mustangs (19-10, 8-8 ACC) head home after a disastrous trip to the Bay Area, where they dropped games to Cal last Wednesday and Stanford on Saturday. SMU allowed the most points of the season and lost by the largest margin in a 95-75 dismantling of Stanford.
Boopie Miller led SMU with 26 points and Jaron Pierre Jr. added 21.
SMU played without guard BJ Edwards, the team’s third leading scorer behind Miller and Pierre. Edwards’ return Wednesday is uncertain after suffering an ankle injury in the loss to Cal.
“The Cal game was difficult. We missed 15 free throws and some easy buckets,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “After the five-day road trip (against Stanford) we were a little sluggish, and that’s how we played. There’s no excuse. We just didn’t play very well.”
–Field level media
