A Crosstown Rivalry Revealed This About Miami Hurricanes Basketball & Free Empanadas!

There Are Games You Schedule to Win. Then There Are Games That Remind You Rivalries Don’t Care.

There are games you schedule to win, and then there are games that remind you rivalries don’t care about point spreads.

Miami vs. FIU at the Watsco Center was the second kind.

This one had city energy. Crosstown tension. Former NBA players in the building. John Wall. Yes, that John Wall. Five-time NBA All-Star, best hoop mixtape of all-time…John Wall. And Miami cult legend Goran Dragić courtside to witness it.

What they saw was Shelton Henderson announcing himself.

“This is what we’re headed to,” Miami head coach Jai Lucas said. “Everybody’s gonna punch back.”

FIU punched first.

The Panthers refused to play the role of warm-up opponent, trading blows throughout the first half and forcing Miami into a 43–43 tie at the break. FIU shot 48 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes and built leads of up to five, turning the night into a test instead of a tune-up.

“We needed this,” Lucas said. “We haven’t dealt with a lot of adversity yet.”

John Wall & his son at the game!
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Malik Reneau stays on Point…As Always

If you’ve watched Miami basketball this season, then you already know how dominant Malik Reneau has been this year because his games starting hot feels less like a trend and more like a requirement.

Reneau once again dropped another 20 piece, with his 22 points and on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting while adding six rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. Reneau set the tone early, pouring in 10 points in the first 13 minutes, steadying Miami when FIU kept answering runs.

“The guys trust me,” Reneau said. “Coach puts me in good positions. I make things work.”

And it keeps working.

Reneau attacked downhill, drew fouls, and finished through contact, going 6-of-8 at the free-throw line. When Miami needed composure, they found it through him.

Jai Lucas sees it every night.

“I’m screaming at him the whole game,” Lucas said. “And then I look up and he’s got 23 and eight. It happens every game.”

Before the season even began, Lucas told the team Reneau would be the lead scorer. Everyone bought in. The clarity has turned into consistency.

“I think he can be an All-American,” Lucas said. “I think he’s as good as anybody in the country.”

Shelton Henderson: When Downhill Becomes Unavoidable

Shelton Henderson has quietly turned getting to the rim into a recurring event….like a daily prayer.

Against FIU, Henderson had the Golden Panthers saying theirs.

Henderson finished with a career-high 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting, living in the paint and at the free-throw line, where he went 10-of-11, and stayed on his bully the entire game. Henderson also added five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block, while committing zero turnovers in 37 minutes, and to mention one of the best alley oop passes you’ll see all week.

“I think my main thing is being versatile,” Henderson said. “I can do more than one thing on the court.”

He showed all of it.

Henderson bullied his way to finishes, played out of the post, and made quick reads when help collapsed. Miami lived in the paint scoring 54 points of their points inside of 3-5 feet which is a clear reflection of Henderson’s pressure on space.

Earlier in the week, Henderson had exited a game with a heel issue. On Tuesday, there was no hesitation.

“When I got hurt, I just felt something in my heel,” Henderson said. “I didn’t want to risk anything.”

The patience paid off.

“He’s spent a lot of time on his free throws,” Lucas said. “That wasn’t recent. That’s been all season.”

FIU head coach Jeremy Ballard noticed immediately.

“I didn’t see a freshman,” Ballard said. “Zero turnovers in 37 minutes. That speaks to his toughness.”

And Ballard, FIU, and no one in Watsco did either because by the time the final horn sounded, Henderson had delivered a career night. Not loud. Just inevitable.

FIU Didn’t Flinch & it didn’t matter

To FIU’s credit, this never turned into a blowout, so that’s a badge of honor in some right.

Corey Stephenson, did what he does as he led the Panthers with 23 points, six assists, and three steals, scoring efficiently on 10-of-15 shooting. Julian Mackey added 17 points, while Thiago Sucatzky chipped in a “scrappy” 10 points off the bench.

FIU finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field, moving the ball well with 16 assists, and repeatedly testing Miami’s defensive discipline.

“They came out with fire,” Lucas said. “They wanted this bad.”

That’s the danger of rivalry games. Familiarity shortens the gap, and FIU never let Miami coast.

Miami handled business, but not without learning something along the way.

The Hurricanes finished the night shooting 53.8 percent from the field, surviving a 26 percent night from three by dominating inside and at the line, where they went 22-of-31.

Malik Reneau remains the stabilizer. Shelton Henderson continues evolving from scorer into problem. And FIU reminded everyone that crosstown games come with edge, energy, and discomfort.

“This is what we need to grow,” Lucas said.

Which, honestly, is exactly what a rivalry should feel like.