Miami found their shooting stroke in Albany and hit the boards hard against the bigger BIG TEN squad.
Oh, what a night! Back-to-back Sweet 16s for our guys! I’m pumped!
The Miami Hurricanes beat the Indiana Hoosiers tonight, 85-69. Isaiah Wong led the Canes with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Jordan Miller had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Norchad Omier scored 7 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Miami advances to play the #1 seed Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16 on Friday, 3/24 at 7:15 PM EST in Kansas City, MO. The game will be televised on CBS.
Below are some random thoughts from tonight’s game.
The Canes finally got used to the rims in Albany
Coach L talked about how the team wanted to show how they can play tonight after Friday’s lackluster performance. Scoring 85 points against a long and talented Indiana team did the trick. Miami started hot, making 9 of their first 12 field goals. The Canes finished the game shooting 48.6% from the field and 39% from three-point range. That’s the team we know and love from this season.
Isaiah Wong: ACC Player of the Year
Miami’s top man came back with a vengeance, scoring 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. The looooong distance three over TJD was my personal favorite highlight of Wong’s tonight. The ACC Player of the Year was an efficiency king, shooting 9-17 from the field, 4-6 from three, and 5-5 from the free-throw line. He also had some momentum changing buckets throughout the game. Tonight was yet another great NCAA Tournament performance from Isaiah Wong.
Jordan Freaking Miller
Miller got off to a slow start. And what’s with the missed free-throws?! It’s too many at this point. Those nitpicks aside, Miami’s All-ACC Second Team selection was all over the place. Miller was fronting and fighting with TJD on a regular basis. It was effective. The senior is strong enough to play against bigger guys given his basketball IQ. Miller also had a couple pretty weak fouls called against him. Similar to Wong, Jordan showed out in the second half. He scored 15 of his 19 points and has both of his blocks after halftime. A clutch performance by a clutch player.
What a sweet feeling!!!! pic.twitter.com/mRm5ZjqynC
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 20, 2023
Omier the Monster
Wow. What a performance. Omier committed his second foul with 8:55 left in the first half and didn’t see the court again before halftime. He grabbed his NCAA Tournament team-record 17 rebounds in only 26 minutes of playing time. Oh, and 8 of his 17 rebounds were offensive. Haha! I love it! Omier was consistently beating Indiana players to the ball all game long. Further, his positioning underneath the basket was incredible. In large thanks to him, Miami outrebounded Indiana, 48-31. That was unexpected. Big Norchad would not allow TJD to bully him tonight. Omier’s ankle must be feeling great, and the four days of rest can only help. I can’t wait to see what he can do against Houston’s front line.
The Houston game is going to be a war
I don’t know a ton about the Cougars. I do know they are tough as hell, don’t get scared, and have some real athletes on their roster. That said, I like Miami’s chances. The Canes have the guard play to match up with Houston. And after tonight’s performance, I like Omier against any front line in the country. Get a good week of practice in and rest up Wooga. Friday night’s game is going to be a war.
GO CANES!