In year one under Jai Lucas, the Hurricanes are still dancing in the NCAA Tournament 

The Miami Hurricanes are dancing into the Round of 32. 

Behind a massive second-half performance from their leaders in Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau, the 7-seeded Hurricanes took down the 10-seeded Missouri Tigers 80-66 in a game that seemed like a road environment for Jai Lucas and his team.  

Miami controlled the game for most of the first half, but Missouri would go on a 9-0 run to end the half, with the Canes leading 27-26 going into the break. Both teams struggled heavily to find offensive rhythm, but coming out of the half, Miami flipped the switch.  

Leading the way were the seniors in Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson. Reneau would finish his night with 24 points (7-16 FG) and would step up late knocking down clutch free-throws when the team needed them most. Donaldson would have a huge second half, hitting big time shots down the stretch and finishing with 17 points. Freshman Shelton Henderson would also come up big, scoring 15 points on top of 6 rebounds.  

For Miami, the win is another statement in year one under Coach Lucas, who now has tied the record for the biggest win differential in a single year, with a 19-win improvement dating back to last season.  

The turnaround in year one is just a sign for a bright future to come, but the job is not finished yet. 

Tonight, the Hurricanes won their first NCAA Tournament game since defeating Texas in the Elite 8 three years ago, but look to continue their dance on Sunday as they will take on the 2-seeded Purdue Boilermakers at 12:10 PM EST.  

Go Canes.  

(Photo Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images)