After witnessing senior forward Sam Waardenburg suffer a season-ending foot injury in a late-October preseason practice, Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga eventually realized that the injuries would keep on flowing, a sight seen far too often over the last two seasons in Coral Gables, Florida.
The Hurricanes’ 2020-2021 campaign began on Nov. 29 with a victory over the North Florida Ospreys of the Atlantic Sun Conference, but freshman guard Earl Timberlake, a four-star recruit in the 2020 signing class, wore street clothes and a walking boot on the sidelines. That following Friday, senior guard Chris Lykes, a Preseason All-ACC Team honoree, sprained his ankle in the second half against Stetson and headed straight for the locker room.