Miami Hurricanes defeated Indiana in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to move on to the Sweet 16. Isaiah Wong led the team with 27 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Miller contributed 19 points. The Hurricanes shared the ACC regular-season title with Virginia, which was eliminated in the first round. Miami is the only ACC team remaining in the tournament. Indiana has not made it to the Sweet 16 since 2016, but head coach Mike Woodson has taken the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament in both years he has been on the job. All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers. Another win for Miami will put them in the Elite Eight for the second straight year.
Miami’s Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller helped secure a win for their team in the second half of their NCAA Tournament game against Indiana. With a final score of 85-69, the Hurricanes moved on to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. This came after a near upset in the first round of the tournament, which left Miami with a point to prove.
The team got off to a strong start, with Miller contributing 19 points and Indianapolis native Nijel Pack scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first half. Wong, who had only managed to score five points in their previous game, was named the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year after scoring 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The game was tied at 49-all when Miller hit a layup to ignite a 16-4 burst, with Wong hitting two 3-pointers and Miller contributing seven points during that stretch. Miami then led 69-60 when Wong hit a 3-pointer, followed by a steal by Bensley Joseph, who passed to Miller for a wide-open 3-pointer, bringing the score to 75-60 with just 3:23 left.
Miami will go up against top-seeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals on Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga said that his team was ready to prove that they play “Miami basketball” and are “very hard to guard.”
Indiana coach Mike Woodson gave credit to Miami, saying they were the better team and played a well-coached game. All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed 23 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers, but it was not enough to secure the win.
Miami held a significant advantage in rebounding, with a score of 42-26. While Miami needed a 16-1 run to beat Drake in the first round, their second-half run against Indiana was more composed and less desperate.
Miami Hurricanes basketball player, Isaiah Wong, believes that winning games is the way to earn recognition. Following their victory against Indiana, the team will move on to the Sweet 16. Miami is the only Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team remaining in the tournament, after sharing the regular-season title with Virginia, which was eliminated in the first round.
On the other hand, Indiana coach Mike Woodson has successfully led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament in both years he has been on the job. While it might be tough next year without some key players, including Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson, Jackson-Davis said it was a special moment for him to have the Indiana fans cheering for him.
Miami will face top-seeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals, while another win could land them in their second straight Elite Eight.
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