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Miami makes a statement with a win over Michigan State

Jim Larranaga

Miami’s head coach Jim Larranaga, right, is congratulated by fans after a 67-59 win over Michigan State in an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

AP

While the Nevin Shapiro scandal centered around the Miami football team, there were a couple of basketball players that found themselves caught in the Ponzi-scheming booster’s web.

Durand Scott was one of those players, and his suspension was handed down so late in the season that he was forced to miss the start of this year as well. And while Miami entered this season with as much expectation as they’ve had seemingly since the internet was invented, the absence of Scott happened to coincide with an ugly start to the season: an eight point win over Stetson in which they trailed in the second half and a loss to lowly Florida-Gulf Coast.

Scott’s first game back resulted in a 15 point win over Horizon League contender Detroit, which happened to be the number of points that Scott scored in the game. He followed that up with another 15 point performance on Wednesday in a much more impressive win, as the Canes knocked off No. 13 Michigan State 67-59.

And in the process, Miami reminded everyone why they were picked by many to be the team that would finish fourth in the ACC behind the Power Triangle.

Trey McKinney-Jones led the way for Miami with 18 points, hitting 5-7 from beyond the arc, while Shane Larkin added 15 points. That trio looked like they could play with perimeter attack in the country on Wednesday. Throw in the front court duo of Reggie Johnson, the burly low-post bruiser, and Kenny Kadji, a stretch-four that creates space in the paint with his ability to shoot, and Jim Larranaga has a formidable starting lineup.

But there are some concerning aspects about this win.

Like, for example, the fact that they only got two point from their bench. Or that they needed to shoot 9-16 from the floor to do it. Or that they only had six assists in the game. None of those are “winning” totals.

It didn’t matter Wednesday, because Miami was able to slow down Michigan State’s work on the offensive glass and because they did a terrific job defending Keith Appling in the screen-and-roll.

The bottom-line is this: Scott is back for Miami, and with him in the lineup, they beat Michigan State pretty thoroughly, keeping control of the game for most of the second half.

And regardless of the situation, that’s a statement for this Miami team.

The question now: is this a step towards becoming a tournament team, or will this win end up being the highlight of Miami’s season?

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.