Miami Basketball Set To Renew 305 Rivalry vs. FIU

Miami renews a local rivalry in the Watsco Center Tuesday, with visiting FIU riding momentum and the Hurricanes stacking wins behind a red-hot offense. Tipoff lands at 7 p.m. ET in Coral Gables.

Miami (9-2) has turned shot quality into a habit under Jai Lucas, drilling 51.7% from the field while averaging 87.3 points per game through 11 contests. Malik Reneau powers that efficiency with his 20.4 points per game on the year.

FIU (5-3) has won three straight for the first time since 2022-23, highlighted by an 88-65 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 6 that helped earned Corey Stephenson Conference USA Player of the Week honors. Stephenson fuels the Panthers’ scoring punch at 17.5 points per game, and he’ll test Miami’s perimeter containment from the opening horn. Coach Jeremy Ballard’s group also blocks shots in bunches; 5.5 per game for 17th in the nation.

History leans hard toward Miami. The Hurricanes own an 11-1 edge in 12 all-time meetings, including a 9-1 mark in Coral Gables, and the UM has strung together seven straight wins in the series. Rivalry emotion still matters, though, and FIU’s confidence has climbed with each win during this streak.

Tuesday also brings a health watch. Miami has missed guards Dante Allen and Marcus Allen in recent action, and freshman Shelton Henderson left Saturday’s 104-79 win over Louisiana-Monroe with an apparent lower-leg issue that left his Tuesday availability unclear. If the rotation tightens again, Miami may lean even heavier on Reneau’s scoring gravity and Donaldson’s pace control.

Keys To The Game:

• Miami shot selection vs. FIU rim protection. Early paint touches and quick extra passes can force FIU’s shot-blockers into rotations instead of highlight hunts.
• FIU’s guards vs. Miami’s pressure points. Stephenson plus Brit Harris (19 points from 1,000 for his career) can’t waste possessions with live-ball turnovers against Miami’s athletes.
• Tempo management. Miami loves a fast scoreboard; FIU will have to keep the game from turning into a track meet by the second media timeout.