After its first Elite Eight run in program history, Miami's men's basketball team is looking to advance even further in what will be head coach Erik Karlsson Women Jersey Jim Larraaga's 12th season at UM.The Hurricanes held their media day on Thursday and opened up the first hour of practice to the media. Here are three takeaways from the day.1. Wooga Poplar is in line for a starting spotFour of Miami's five starting spots figured to be locked up already. Guards Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack are expected to start in the backcourt together. Returning starter Jordan Miller, officially listed as a guard, and Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier will most likely hold down UM's frontcourt.There is one vacancy in the lineup, small forward, and through watching Miami's initial rotations in practice, it appears sophomore Wooga Poplar could be in line to fill the open spot on the wing.Poplar is an explosive athlete who showed promising flashes in his freshman season, averaging2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.6 minutes Chris Tierney Men Jersey per game with a high of 12 points in 17 minutes against Florida Atlantic. He told that he's worked on improving his defense over the course of this past offseason.2. Transfers to make an immediate impactThe Hurricanes made a pair Anders Nilsson Women Jersey of splashes this season, as Pack and Omier, who were all-conference players at their previous schools committed to playing at Miami for the 2022 campaign.Pack is expected to start at point guard this season after playing mostly shooting guard last year at Kansas State. The 6-foot scorer lit the Big 12 Conference on fire with the Wildcatslast season, averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting an efficient 45.5 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from deep.Omier, who is listed at 6-foot-7, plays way taller than his size might indicate. He averaged 12.4 rebounds per game last year with the Red Wolves, which ranked fourth in the country. The forward also scored Chris Tierney Jersey 17.9 points per contest, establishing himself as one of the premier inside scorers in all of college basketball.3. Christian Watson has the potential to be Miami's "best defender"Larraaga has loved what he has seen so far from freshman Clarke MacArthur Kids Jersey guard Christian Watson, whose mix of shot-making along with defense and athleticism made him a worthy prospect that was also offered by the likes of Florida, LSU and Illinois.While his scoring is inconsistent, according to Larraaga, Watson has tremendous upside on the defensive end."He may become our best defender," Larraaga said to reporters. "He's gotta work at that, but at 6-foot-7 , he's quick enough to guard point guards and big enough and strong enough to guard inside guys."
