And in a decidedly uncrowded Roberto Clemente Coliseum, Miami will also have the hometown advantage: Starting point guard Angel Rodriguez is a Puerto Rico native.
One thing the Utes have managed to put their finger on: The Canes like to push the tempo.
"What I've heard and what I've seen, they play very fast and [the Hurricanes] kill them on the fast breaks," Jakob Poeltl said. "That's something that we really gotta take away from them."
The match-up pits Krystkowiak against Jim Larranaga, the 66-year-old who has led Miami winning seasons in each of his four years so far, including an NCAA Sweet 16 berth in 2013.