The internet can't get over how much Miami coach Jim Larrañaga looks like Jim Boeheim

Sam Jarden

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The internet can't get over how much Miami coach Jim Larrañaga looks like Jim Boeheim image

If we hadn't seen Jim Larrañaga and Jim Boeheim in the same room together, it might be easy to think they're the same person. 

As Miami's magical March Madness run continues this weekend with the first Final Four appearance in program history, many fans have taken to social media to comment on the striking resemblance between the Hurricanes head coach and the former Syracuse head coach. 

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Boeheim is 78, five years older than the 73-year-old Larrañaga. Their coaching careers overlapped in the ACC for more than a decade after Larrañaga arrived at Miami in 2011. However, Boeheim parted ways with Syracuse this month after 58 years with the program as a player and coach.

Larrañaga seems to be just getting started in Miami. After leading the Hurricanes to their first Elite Eight last season, he one-upped that this year by knocking out Drake, Indiana, Houston and Texas to advance to the Final Four. He and his team will take on UConn on Saturday night with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

MORE: Miami's best basketball finishes: Inside Hurricanes' March Madness record

Does Jim Larrañaga look like Jim Boeheim?

The internet certainly seems to think so. With Larrañaga's Miami squad capturing national attention recently, social media has been awash with comments about the resemblance between the two coaches. 

There are some obvious similarities. They both wear glasses. They both have a penchant for wearing polo shirts and quarter-zip jackets during games. They both have, shall we say, slightly thinning hair on top of their heads.

If there's one major difference spotted by fans online, it's that Larrañaga tends to have a more upbeat demeanor on the sideline than the typically stern Boeheim. 

MORE: Odds, prediction, betting trends for Miami vs. UConn in the Final Four

Jim Larrañaga vs. Jim Boeheim head-to-head record

Fittingly, the doppelgängers will forever be tied in terms of head-to-head record.

During Larrañaga's tenure at Miami, the Hurricanes went 7-6 in 13 games against Boeheim's Orange. However, the two also faced off once when Larrañaga was the head coach at Bowling Green — all the way back in 1995. Syracuse triumphed that day at the Carrier Dome, meaning both coaches have seven wins in head-to-head matchups. 

Here's a look at every matchup between the two coaches:

Date Result
Dec.13, 1995 Syracuse 75, Bowling Green 64
Jan. 4, 2014 Syracuse 49, Miami 44
Jan. 25, 2014 Syracuse 64, Miami 52
Jan. 24, 2015 Miami 66, Syracuse 62
Jan. 2, 2016 Miami 64, Syracuse 51
Jan. 4, 2017 Syracuse 70, Miami 55
March 8, 2017 Miami 62, Syracuse 57
Feb. 17, 2018 Syracuse 62, Miami 55
Jan. 24, 2019 Syracuse 73, Miami 53
March 7, 2020 Miami 69, Syracuse 65 (OT)
Jan. 19, 2021 Syracuse 83, Miami 57
Jan. 5, 2022 Miami 88, Syracuse 87
March 5, 2022 Miami 75, Syracuse 72
Jan. 16, 2023 Miami 82, Syracuse 78

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.