Though the Hurricanes entered the season with the bulk of their lineup intact, expectations were that in the talent-laden Atlantic Coast Conference, Miami's men's basketball team would struggle behind some of the league's traditional powerhouse programs.
But this year, the Hurricanes have more than proven they belong with the ACC's elite.
Miami finished the regular season with a 24-6 record, including a 13-5 mark in conference play. And until late Saturday night, was in the running for at least a share of the ACC regular-season title.
Though that ultimately didn't happen after Saturday's loss to Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes efforts this year still earned Miami coach Jim Larrañaga recognition as the ACC Coach of the Year after a vote by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.