After its debacle at Virginia Tech, UM visits Florida State tonight with little margin for error if it hopes to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Coach Frank Haith walked into the silent University of Miami locker room after Saturday's 13-point loss at Virginia Tech, stood in front of his team for a minute, took a deep breath as if he were about to launch into a tirade and said, simply, ``Forget it, just get out of here.''
Haith's short speech spoke volumes, and his players' downcast eyes as they filed out showed they got his message loud and clear.
That Haith was in Blacksburg at all was remarkable, considering he had his appendix removed less than 48 hours before tipoff. But the Hurricanes did not put in the same valiant effort as their coach, and the Hokies capitalized. UM dropped to 15-9 and sixth place in the conference (6-7) with three games to go. If they lose tonight's game at Florida State, they will slip from the NCAA tournament bubble.
The Seminoles are also coming off a loss -- a 76-75 heartbreaker against Georgia Tech. They have lost six in a row and are 11-15, 3-9 in the ACC.
''We took a step backward against Virginia Tech, and now we have to take two steps forward,'' Haith said Monday. ``It took almost two days to get that out of our system. It's good we came straight to Tallahassee because it gave us a lot of time to talk and be together and reexamine our goals.''
STRESSFUL DAY
In retrospect, Haith said he probably ''overdid it a little bit'' by traveling so soon after surgery. He said the stress and agitation of the loss got to him more than he would have expected.
''It was not a time for me to talk to the guys after the game because there was nothing I could say at that point,'' he said. ``I was just very disappointed that we didn't bring it. Not to take anything away from Virginia Tech, but that was our worst ACC performance. It left me searching as a coach. For whatever reason, the players were not motivated to win that game.''
Assistant coach Michael Hunt said the team was ''shellshocked'' after the game, but the smiles were coming back by Monday.
Haith said he expects a much better effort tonight. He challenged all his players -- junior guard Rob Hite, in particular -- to put it all on the line. Hite has tended to disappear in big games this season. He scored six points each against North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke and was 4 of 10 for 11 points against the Hokies.
''We can't have Rob Hite disappearing for long spells,'' Haith said. ``He is a very talented player, and we need his assertiveness and his scoring. We are not good enough to win without a great effort from all our guards. We need Anthony Harris to take more good shots, too.
``I'm looking for them to step it up from the start against Florida State.''
`BACK ON THE HORSE'
Senior Will Frisby said he has no doubt his team will ''get back on the horse and play like we did earlier in the year'' against the Seminoles.
Hite insisted his team is still ''in the hunt'' for an NCAA tournament berth and will not be affected by the loss to the Hokies. ``We just need to win these last three, or at least two of the three, and we're right back in there.''
The Seminoles' record is a bit deceiving. Six of the 15 losses have come by a combined 10 points, and five games were lost in the final minute.
''We've done a good job of not feeling sorry for ourselves, of getting stronger from these losses,'' FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. ``We can look at our record as half-empty or half-full, and we're choosing to look at it as half-full.''
Coach Frank Haith walked into the silent University of Miami locker room after Saturday's 13-point loss at Virginia Tech, stood in front of his team for a minute, took a deep breath as if he were about to launch into a tirade and said, simply, ``Forget it, just get out of here.''
Haith's short speech spoke volumes, and his players' downcast eyes as they filed out showed they got his message loud and clear.
That Haith was in Blacksburg at all was remarkable, considering he had his appendix removed less than 48 hours before tipoff. But the Hurricanes did not put in the same valiant effort as their coach, and the Hokies capitalized. UM dropped to 15-9 and sixth place in the conference (6-7) with three games to go. If they lose tonight's game at Florida State, they will slip from the NCAA tournament bubble.
The Seminoles are also coming off a loss -- a 76-75 heartbreaker against Georgia Tech. They have lost six in a row and are 11-15, 3-9 in the ACC.
''We took a step backward against Virginia Tech, and now we have to take two steps forward,'' Haith said Monday. ``It took almost two days to get that out of our system. It's good we came straight to Tallahassee because it gave us a lot of time to talk and be together and reexamine our goals.''
STRESSFUL DAY
In retrospect, Haith said he probably ''overdid it a little bit'' by traveling so soon after surgery. He said the stress and agitation of the loss got to him more than he would have expected.
''It was not a time for me to talk to the guys after the game because there was nothing I could say at that point,'' he said. ``I was just very disappointed that we didn't bring it. Not to take anything away from Virginia Tech, but that was our worst ACC performance. It left me searching as a coach. For whatever reason, the players were not motivated to win that game.''
Assistant coach Michael Hunt said the team was ''shellshocked'' after the game, but the smiles were coming back by Monday.
Haith said he expects a much better effort tonight. He challenged all his players -- junior guard Rob Hite, in particular -- to put it all on the line. Hite has tended to disappear in big games this season. He scored six points each against North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke and was 4 of 10 for 11 points against the Hokies.
''We can't have Rob Hite disappearing for long spells,'' Haith said. ``He is a very talented player, and we need his assertiveness and his scoring. We are not good enough to win without a great effort from all our guards. We need Anthony Harris to take more good shots, too.
``I'm looking for them to step it up from the start against Florida State.''
`BACK ON THE HORSE'
Senior Will Frisby said he has no doubt his team will ''get back on the horse and play like we did earlier in the year'' against the Seminoles.
Hite insisted his team is still ''in the hunt'' for an NCAA tournament berth and will not be affected by the loss to the Hokies. ``We just need to win these last three, or at least two of the three, and we're right back in there.''
The Seminoles' record is a bit deceiving. Six of the 15 losses have come by a combined 10 points, and five games were lost in the final minute.
''We've done a good job of not feeling sorry for ourselves, of getting stronger from these losses,'' FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. ``We can look at our record as half-empty or half-full, and we're choosing to look at it as half-full.''
