CORAL GABLES – The Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
The fifth-seed Hurricanes defeated the second-seed Texas Longhorns (88-81) in the Elite Eight to punch their ticket to the big dance.
The University of Miami has been very dominant during the NCAA Tournament, defeating Drake (63-56), Indiana (85-69), Houston (89-75) and Texas (88-81).
Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga is the only coach remaining with Final Four experience. He led George Mason to the Final Four in the 2006 tournament.
This morning, the U. hosted a press conference for local media with Coach Larrañaga.
When asked about the performance of his team in the Elite Eight against Texas, Coach Larrañaga said: “I thought our team played extremely well. Our guys rose to the occasion, and we got the win.”
During the Texas game, the Hurricanes shot 59 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.
Miami was led in scoring by senior guard Jordan Miller with 27 points and 3 rebounds. Miller shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and went 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
The University of Miami received multiple awards after the Elite Eight game, including the following:
Midwest Region MVP – Nijel Pack
All-Midwest Region Team – Jordan Miller
All-Midwest Region Team – Isaiah Wong
This is the first time in NCAA Tournament history that two schools from Florida (Miami and Florida Atlantic) have advanced to the Final Four.
When asked to speak on the Owls, Coach Larrañaga said:
“FAU’s win over Kansas State was very, very impressive. They have thrirty-five wins this season. Coach Dusty May and his staff have done a great job this season.”
Coach Larrañaga also said that shortly after the game he received a congratulatory text from Coach May.
The Miami Hurricanes will face the UConn Huskies on Saturday, April 1 for a spot in the national championship game.
Best of luck to Hurricane Hoops in Houston!
