Here comes the story of the Hurricanes

A quick look at Miami, and how Sunday’s title game of the Charleston Classic might shake out.

The Hurricanes basically have a three-guard, two post lineup. Their big men – including Dwayne Collins, an honorable mention All-ACC pick last year – are going to play down low. Their guards are mostly going to be on the perimeter.

There’s no Dominique Archie, pure small forward type. But the guards aren’t classic 3-point shooters either. They’re bulky and have speed. They lack consistent shooting. Jack McClinton took that with him when his eligibility ran out.

James Dews is the key on the outside. The 6-foot-5 senior is known as a heady player, who is the team’s best outside shooter and can score on drives and scoop shots.

The Hurricanes go about 10 deep, and played 11 in a competitive first half against UNC Wilmington. So they may be able to go deep into the game, depth-wise, against the Gamecocks’ press. I don’t know if their last depth is as quality as the Gamecocks, however.

The Hurricanes are also capable of good defense when they want to. A couple backcourt steals propelled them back into the game during the first half against UNC Wilmington.  Sophomore guard Malcolm Grant, who comes off the bench, showed some assertiveness and an ability to hit the 3.

Collins, a senior forward, had a quiet game against UNC Wilmington, mostly because of foul trouble. But Collins, who is 6-8 and 241, can give the Gamecock big men problems if he’s isolated. Look for the Gamecocks to try to provide help for Mike Holmes, Sam Muldrow or whoever is on Collins.

The Hurricane big men are good in weakside rebounding, particularly Collins and Cyrus McGowan, who’s 6-9 and 237. McGowan’s points come on put-backs and other garbage points.

All in all, Miami seems on par with South Florida in terms of overall talent. I might even give the edge to South Florida because of its big men. But Miami has been playing together longer.

I’d look for Archie to have a good game for South Carolina, since he’s a matchup problem for Miami. As for Devan Downey, the temptation is to say he’s about to break out, but opponents seem to be keying in on him better than the last two seasons, and Downey seems content to not have to take 20 shots a game – as long as his teammates are producing. And they are.

Expect the Hurricanes to play more than a little zone. In fact, the Gamecocks will see a lot of that until they develop a consistent zone-busting 3-point shooter.

South Carolina will be favored to win, and it should be. I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes exactly as the last three have gone: The opponent takes an early lead, then USC uses a big mid-game run to go ahead.