On Tuesday night, the Miami Hurricanes will face off against Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils, with tip-off set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN. Duke enters the game as the overwhelming favorite, boasting a 15-1 ACC record compared to Miami’s struggling 2-14 mark. However, the matchup carries added intrigue following reports that Miami has agreed to hire Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas as Jim Larrañaga’s replacement.
The deal is still being finalized, with one key complication being Lucas’s official start date. Miami’s season concludes on March 8, while the NCAA transfer portal opens on March 24. Meanwhile, Duke is expected to make a deep tournament run, potentially keeping Lucas occupied until late March or early April.
While the details of the move are still being finalized, making Tuesday’s game an awkward situation for Jai Lucas, a well-known college basketball broadcaster fully supports the hire. Dick Vitale, a longtime Duke supporter who recently returned to broadcasting after another battle with throat cancer, praised the decision on social media Monday morning.
“Great choice to replace future Hall of Famer Jim Larrañaga by @CanesHoops,” Vitale wrote. “JAI LUCAS—who brings great hoop knowledge having worked for [John Calipari] at Kentucky & now for [Jon Scheyer].”
https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1894071468897550595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1894071468897550595%7Ctwgr%5E48585e29a6a3f41dbc71a4f44974fd97abfedb44%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fcollege%2Fmiami-fl-hurricanes%2Fmiami-basketball-dick-vitale-praise-jai-lucas-hiring-duke
Larrañaga stepped down in December following a rough start to Miami’s season, just over a year removed from the program’s Final Four run. Interim head coach Bill Courtney has since led the team.
Jai Lucas, the son of former NBA head coach John Lucas, has built a strong coaching résumé. He has spent the past three seasons under Jon Scheyer at Duke, previously worked for John Calipari at Kentucky, and began his career at Texas. Lucas played a key role in recruiting Miami natives Cameron and Cayden Boozer to Duke, sparking speculation that his move to the Hurricanes could lead the Boozer twins to reconsider their commitments.
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