How Haley and Hanna Cavinder boost Miami's 2025 March Madness run

Twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder have announced that they will return to Miami for one final season after stepping away from college basketball last season.

The two played three seasons at Fresno State before transferring to Miami in 2022. The twins gained a large following on TikTok and have picked up endorsement deals with brands like Crocs, Dr. Pepper, Venmo and WWE.

After one season away from college basketball in 2023–24, the Cavinder twins have announced their return to Miami for their final season of college eligibility. Here's a look at how their return to the program will benefit Miami's chances to make a deep March Madness run next season.

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How Haley and Hanna Cavinder will boost Miami's March Madness run in 2025

Miami v Villanova

The Miami Hurricanes are coming off a 19-12 2023–24 season, finishing ninth in the ACC regular season. They failed to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament after back-to-back tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.

The Hurricanes shift their focus to next season with hopes of returning to the March Madness tournament. The addition of Haley and Hanna Cavinder will give Miami their best chance to not only return to the tournament but also make a deep March Madness run.

Scoring threats

Last season, Miami struggled to put points on the board, ranking 146th in the nation in points per game. They had only two players averaging double figures last season, with all the other players averaging under eight points per game.

Junior guard Shayeann Day-Wilson led Miami, averaging 11.9 points per game, followed by 11.1 points from junior Jasmyne Roberts. Both players are eligible to return to Miami next season and join forces with the Cavinder twins.

These four players together will give Miami multiple scoring options, allowing them to spread the floor and force defenses to adjust to whoever has the hot hand.

Haley Cavinder is the biggest scoring threat of those four players. She averaged 12.2 points per game during the 2022–23 season with Miami. She shot 40.7% from the field but is lethal from beyond the arc, shooting 40.4% from outside during her time with the Hurricanes.

Free throw shooting

Haley and Hanna Cavinder were both among the top free throw shooters in the country in terms of percentage during their most recent season with Miami. Miami is in desperate need of reliable shooters from the line after finishing last season as one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country at 64.6%.

Haley Cavinder shoots a career 85.9% from the free throw line, including her junior season at Fresno State, where she went 109-112 from the stripe, which equates to 97.3%.

Hanna Cavinder only averaged around 16 minutes per game with Miami during the 2022–23 season. However, she's an extremely efficient free-throw shooter. She had just 23 free throw attempts in her most recent season but connected on 19 of those attempts. She shot 78.3% from the line in her four-year career.

So many March Madness game situations come down to who can make free throws in the late stages of the game. Having the twins on the floor late in the game gives Miami an advantage due to their ability to consistently knock down shots from the free throw line.

Depth

Adding Haley and Hanna Cavinder will allow Miami's new head coach, Tricia Cullop, to build a deeper rotation next season. While it has not been made clear yet whether both twins will start next season, the Hurricanes are loaded with talent at the guard position.

Miami's two leading scorers from last season are eligible to return to the team in 2024–25. Although they will be losing Ja'Leah Williams and Jaida Patrick, they will get back Lashae Dwyer, Lemyah Hylton and Lazaria Spearman, who should all take an elevated scoring role next season.

The depth Miami has at the guard position should allow them to be more flexible with their rotations and help conserve players energy throughout the season to make a deep tournament run.

Do you think Haley and Hanna Cavinder will help lead Miami to a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let's know in the comments section below.

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