The Miami Hurricanes are in …

But is Norchad Omier in, too?

That’s the main storyline for the Hurricanes, who on Sunday were anointed as a 5th seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region.

Miami (25-7) will face 12th-seeded Drake (27-7 overall, 15-5 Missouri Valley Conference) on Friday in Albany, New York.

Friday will mark a week since Omier turned his ankle during a loss to Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals.

Omier, powerfully built at 6-foot-7 and roughly 248 pounds, is Miami’s only legitimate post player, and he is listed as “day to day.”

This will be the Hurricanes’ 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It is also Miami’s 6th bid during the past 11 years, including a program-best Elite Eight run last season.

Miami is 11-11 in NCAA Tournament play, including 7-5 under current coach Jim Larranaga.

Here’s a closer look at Drake – a team Miami has never faced:

Scouting Drake: Second-seeded Drake pounded top-seeded Bradley 77-51 to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.  Exactly 1 week prior, Bradley had defeated Drake 73-61.

Drake is a win away from its school record in wins. The Bulldogs finished 14-1 at home and just 6-6 on the road. However, they are 7-0 on neutral courts.

Top player: Tucker DeVries, a 6-7, 210-pound sophomore wing, came to Drake after winning Iowa’s Mr. Basketball. This season, he is averaging a team-high 19.0 points, and he was named the MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

He shoots 83.8% from the foul line, 52.3% on 2-point attempts and 38.7% on tries from beyond the arc.

He also comes from athletic stock. His father, Darian, is the Drake coach and a former player at Northern Iowa. Tucker’s uncle, Jared DeVries, was an All-American defensive end at Iowa and played for more than a decade in the NFL as a 3rd-round pick of the Detroit Lions.

Other top Drake players: Roman Penn, a 6-foot graduate student and point guard, made the MVC all-tournament team. For the season, he led Drake in assists (5.4) and finished 2nd in scoring (12.6). He is shooting 36.6% on 3-point tries and 81.6% on free throws.

D.J. Wilkins, a 6-2 shooting guard and graduate student, is Drake’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. He is averaging 8.2 points and is shooting 37.2% on 3-pointers.

Garrett Sturtz, a 6-3 guard and yet another graduate student, is 3rd on the team in scoring (9.5). He is shooting 36.8% on 3-point tries.

Darnell Brodie, a 6-10 senior forward, is the tallest player in Drake’s rotation. He is averaging 8.8 points, a team-high 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. He is not a 3-point shooter, however, and he makes just 59.4% on free throws.

What Drake does best: The Bulldogs can shoot. As a team, Drake shoots 76.9% from the foul line, 52.7% on 2-pointers and 37.3% from deep.

Drake also is experienced as 5 of its top 6 players are senior or grad students. However, the Bulldogs are not very tall – just 1 starter stands taller than 6-7 – and that could be a benefit to the guard-oriented Hurricanes.

Drake’s best win of the season: The Bulldogs went 1-0 against Power 5 schools, beating then-No. 15 Mississippi State 58-52 on Dec. 20. Drake trailed by 8 points at halftime against previously undefeated Mississippi State. However, with the score 50-50, DeVries and Penn stuck mid-range jumpers to help Drake seal the victory.

Most important thing to know about Drake: The Bulldogs perform well in close games, going 3-1 in overtime. In fact, the Bulldogs went 2-0 in double-overtime games.

Prediction: Miami 70, Drake 60.

Beyond the opener: The other teams in Miami’s pod are 4th-seeded Indiana (22-11 overall, 12-8 Big Ten) and 13th-seeded Kent State (28-6 overall, 15-3 Mid-American Conference).

If the Hurricanes prevail on Friday, it would play the Indiana-Kent State winner Sunday.

Going deeper in the NCAA Tournament also would mean – presumably – more rest for Omier’s ankle.