"Not really a big change for us": Miami's interim coach Bill Courtney discusses potential hiring of Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas 

As ACC plays near its end ahead of the conference tournament, No. 2-ranked Duke visited Miami on Tuesday. Although the game itself didn't come with a lot of anticipation and ended in a 97-60 win for the Blue Devils, the conference contest did generate interest for another reason.

The Hurricanes are currently under the direction of interim coach Bill Courtney after veteran coach Jim Larranaga stepped away 12 games into the 2024-25 season. Miami has had a brutal 6-22 season and is on the search for a permanent replacement for Larranaga, who led the team for 13 full seasons.

NCAA Basketball: Miami (FL) at Pittsburgh - Source: Imagn

Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas has been linked to the job, and the idea that Lucas may have been visiting his future place of employment for the matchup wasn't lost on Courtney. He touched on the coaching rumors postgame.

“It’s not really a big change for us,” Courtney said. “We’ve got to stay focused and keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is the game, preparation for the game. I’m sure our guys, especially younger guys, may have thought about it.

"It’s almost impossible to not hear the noise but all the time, when you’re coaching guys, you want them to try to block out as much noise as possible. There’s always going to be noise, it’s just a different kind of noise each time. You try to do your best to stay focused through all this stuff.”

Lucas was likely aware of the tension at Tuesday's game himself. His Duke team dominated, but this also means that the team he could take over fell to 2-15 in the ACC, the worst record in the conference.

If he was chosen for the Hurricanes job, Lucas would go from coaching one of the best teams in the nation to trying to rebuild a severly struggling program. However, it would give him the opportunity to take a head coaching position for the first time in his career. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Lucas is ready for the next step.

“Absolutely he’s a head coach, no question about it. It’s part of why I hired him,” Scheyer said recently of Lucas. “The job he’s done for us has been incredible. Any report or anything that’s out there, I’m just getting wind of it now.

"We’ll cross that bridge and figure it out. But I can tell you, 100%, Jai is an amazing coach. He’s been great for these guys. We’ll continue to move forward together and figure all that out. But he’s terrific, man. All across the board, he’s great."

NCAA Basketball: Duke Countdown to Craziness - Source: Imagn

Duke's defeat of Bill Courtney's Miami

The Blue Devils are hot this season and entered Tuesday's ACC contest with a 24-3 record. ESPN Bracketology has Duke as a top seed for March Madness and freshman star Cooper Flagg is expected to be the top pick in this year's NBA draft.

Even with junior guard Tyrese Proctor leaving the Miami game with a knee injury, Duke still dominated.

Lucas helped lead his team, showing up on the court for warmups 90 minutes before tip-off and working alongside Scheyer to guide the Blue Devils to the ACC win.

SentinelOne Classic: Illinois v Duke - Source: Getty

Courtney's Hurricanes looked as defeated as they have been all season. But Lucas' guidance of the impressive Blue Devils provides promise for the future of the Miami basketball program if he were to take over as coach.