After winning 26 games last season with a Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Miami Hurricanes return two key starters and have an endless amount of talent on the team this season compared to last year.

Jai Lucas also has an expensive roster with major expectations. Those start with winning the ACC, having some players win awards, and keeping their resumes among the top in the country.

Moreover, the Hurricanes have a schedule that will highlight if they are good or not early:

Nov. 2 vs. Florida% Tampa, Fla. 6 p.m. ESPN2

Nov. 6 Wagner Coral Gables, Fla. 9 p.m. ACCN

Nov. 9 North Florida Coral Gables, Fla. 7 p.m. ACCN

Nov. 13 North Alabama Coral Gables, Fla. 5 p.m. ACCN

Nov. 17 Rider Coral Gables, Fla. 7 p.m. ACCNX

Nov. 20 Manhattan Coral Gables, Fla. 5 p.m. ACCN

Nov. 24 vs. TCU^ Las Vegas, Nev. 3 p.m. ESPNU

Nov. 26 vs. Michigan/Creighton^ Las Vegas, Nev. TBD TBD

Nov. 27 Players Era^ Las Vegas, Nev. TBD TBD

Nov. 28 Players Era (if nec.)^ Las Vegas, Nev. TBD TBD

Dec. 2 Alabama+ Coral Gables, Fla. 9:15 p.m. ESPN

Dec. 5 Stetson Coral Gables, Fla. 5 p.m. ACCN

Dec. 12 vs. Texas$ Houston, Texas 5:30 p.m. ESPN

Dec. 16 Alcorn State Coral Gables, Fla. 7 p.m. ACCNX

Dec. 21 USC Upstate Coral Gables, Fla. 1 p.m. ACCNX

Dec. 29 NC State* Coral Gables, Fla. 8 p.m. ACCN

Jan. 2 at Pitt* Pittsburgh, Pa. 2 p.m. ESPN/2

Jan. 5 at Georgia Tech* Atlanta, Ga. 7 p.m. ACCN

Jan. 9 Syracuse* Coral Gables, Fla. 3 p.m. ACCN

Jan. 16 Virginia* Coral Gables, Fla. 6 p.m. ESPN/2

Jan. 19 at Louisville* Louisville, Ky. 7 p.m. ESPN/2/U

Jan. 23 at Virginia Tech* Blacksburg, Va. 6 p.m. ESPN/2/U

SPN2/U

Jan. 30 Wake Forest* Coral Gables, Fla. 12 p.m. The CW

Feb. 1 at Duke* Durham, N.C. 7 p.m. ESPN

Feb. 6 Florida State* Coral Gables, Fla. 2 p.m. ESPN/2

Feb. 10 at Stanford* Palo Alto, Calif. 9 p.m. ESPN2/U

Feb. 13 at Cal* Berkely, Calif. 10 p.m. ESPN2

Feb. 20 Notre Dame* Coral Gables, Fla. 4:30 p.m. ACCN

Feb. 22 at North Carolina* Chapel Hill, N.C. 7 p.m. ESPN

Feb. 27 Pitt* Coral Gables, Fla. 6 or 6:30 p.m. ESPN/2

March 2 SMU* Coral Gables, Fla. 7 p.m. ESPN/2/U/ACCN

March 6 at Florida State* Tallahassee, Fla. 2 p.m. ESPN/U

March 9-13 ACC Tournament Greensboro, N.C.

BOLD = home game

* ACC game

% Orion 180 Tip-Off Classic

^ Players Era 16

+ SEC/ACC Challenge

$ Houston Hoopfest

All times Eastern and subject to change

With this schedule, what can the Hurricanes do with it, and how far can they go? Here are the floor and ceiling for the 2026-27 men's basketball team:

Floor — Sweet 16

Good teams run into good teams, and sometimes someone can have an off night while another goes off. However, the Hurricanes should be a highly ranked team by the time the NCAA Tournament comes around and, at worst, a 5-seeded team.

That is the level of talent that the Hurricanes have. They have more depth than last season, when the team gassed out against Purdue in the Round of 32. The talent is better, and Shelton Henderson put on a great performance against Purdue in that tournament loss.

Add a pure point guard like Acaden Lewis, Dante Allen getting better, and a bench that has shooters on it, and Miami will cause anyone trouble inside the paint or outside.

The key will be them knocking those shots down and limiting turnovers. They also have to find ways to avoid offensive lulls when Lewis goes to the bench.

Ceiling — Final Four

After the Vanderbilt exhibition scrimmage win, it's clear Miami has an identity this season, something that took until ACC play to identify last year. UM is going to batter you inside, kick it out, and knock down three-pointers.

Rinse and repeat.

Henderson, Lewis, and Allen were unstoppable against a Vandy frontcourt, to which a lot of money was allocated too. Moreover, if they continue that trend in the opening game of the season against No. 1 Florida, with one of the best players and front courts in the country, who is going to stop them?

Furthermore, depth and everyone already accepting their roles make things easier. Miami will likely have a five-star freshman, Caleb Gaskins, come off the bench who could be a one-and-done and has bought into his role. Some didn't want to do that last year, causing plenty of frustration in the program.

Miami doesn't have that this year. Year two has a clear mission and goal. That makes them a national championship contender with Final Four and National Championship aspirations.