Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes vs. Texas Longhorns: How Each Team Advanced to The Elite 8

Category Four: Watch Out for the Hurricanes

The fifth-seeded Hurricanes finished the regular with eight wins over their final 10 games.

In the opening round against the No. 12 seed Drake Bulldogs, though, Miami was in danger of an early exit. But that is when the Hurricanes turned up the intensity on defense, scoring the final 10 points of the game (16-1 run overall) to escape with a 63-56 victory.

In the next round, Miami faced the fourth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers. The Hurricanes led by five at the break, but the teams eventually battled to a 49-49 tie in the second half. As was the case in its win over Drake, Miami used another pivotal run to go up 75-60 with 3:23 left to play, en route to an 85-69 victory.

But if anyone thought that Miami’s tournament run was a fluke, the team certainly silenced its critics with an 89-75 win over the top-seeded Houston Cougars on Friday night, advancing to the Elite Eight round for the second straight season. 

Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Hurricanes’ defense has limited each opposing team to under 42 percent shooting in their three tournament games. 

Steer Clear of the Longhorns

Meanwhile, the Longhorns finished their regular season on a solid note as well, posting seven wins in their final 10 contests.

Texas began its tournament run with an easy 81-61 win over the 15th-seeded Colgate Raiders in the opening round. The Raiders entered the tournament shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. But they managed a pedestrian 3-for-15 effort against the Longhorns’ defense.

In the second round, the 10th-seeded Nittany Lion gave Texas all it can handle. But thanks to a solid effort from Dylan Disu (28 points and 14 rebounds), the Longhorns escaped with a 71-66 victory.

The win over Penn State came at a cost because Disu sustained a foot injury, which was not good news for Texas heading into their matchup against Xavier. 

And while Disu played just a couple of minutes, and was relegated to the role of cheerleader, the Longhorns emerged victorious by an 83-71 margin, thanks to a balanced offense in which five players scored in double digits. The good news is Texas has advanced to the Elite Eight round for the first time since 2008. The bad news is they may have to face the Hurricanes without one of their key players.