Miami ousts Indiana, becomes ACC’s only team in Sweet 16
Wong, Miller give Hurricanes a shot at No. 1 seed Houston
Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller led a decisive second-half spurt Sunday night as Miami beat Indiana 85-69 in Albany, New York, to reach its second straight Sweet 16.
Wong, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, was limited to five points in a firstround win over Drake. But he had 27 points and eight rebounds against the Hoosiers for coach Jim Larrañaga’s fifth-seeded Hurricanes (27-7), the only ACC team left in March Madness.
Miller scored 19 points and Indianapolis native Nijel Pack had 10 of his 12 points in the first half as Miami got off to a fast start, led most of the game and ended fourth-seeded Indiana’s hopes of a sixth national title.
Miami will face top-seeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday.
All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis
had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers (23-12), who have not been to the Sweet 16 since 2016.
Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino added 19 points and Race Thompson had 11.
Florida Atlantic 78, Fairleigh Dickinson 70: Johnell Davis had 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals in Columbus, Ohio, as FAU ended 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson’s magical March.
The ninth-seeded Owls (33-3) needed everything they had to put away the Knights (21-16), the nation’s smallest team, who beat Purdue on Friday night for the second 16-over-1 upset in tournament history.
FAU will play Tennessee in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Owls’ staff includes assistant coach Drew Williamson, an Old Dominion point guard from 2003-07 who guided the Monarchs to two NCAA Tournament appearances and holds the program record for most consecutive games played (130).
Demetre Roberts scored 20 points and Sean Moore had 14 for FDU, which didn’t even win the Northeast Conference Tournament before becoming an NCAA team that won’t soon be forgotten.
Alijah Martin added 14 points for FAU, which finally took control late in the second half. He became a topic of conversation after attempting a 360 dunk in the final seconds and missing it.
Gonzaga 84, TCU 81: Drew Timme extended his one-of-a-kind college career by at least one more game, scoring 28 points to help thirdseeded Gonzaga (30-5) make its eighth straight Sweet 16 with a come-from-behind victory in Denver.
Timme made his first 3-pointer since December as part of a 13-1 run that helped the Zags take a sevenpoint lead with just less than nine minutes left after trailing most of the night.
After TCU pulled within three late, Timme made a twisting shot in the lane with a defender draped all over him.
Gonzaga will face UCLA in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas.
Mike Miles Jr. scored 24 points for the Horned Frogs (22-13).
Creighton 85, Baylor 76: Ryan Nembhard scored a career-high 30 points and No. 6 seed Creighton found its shooting touch to beat third-seeded Baylor in Denver and earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
With Baylor heavily focused on containing big man Ryan Kalkbrenner, Nembhard and the Bluejays went to work from outside. They shot 45.8% from 3-point range after a 3-for-20 showing in a first-round win over North Carolina State. They also went 22 of 22 from the free-throw line, including 10 for 10 from Nembhard.
The Bluejays (23-12) will meet 15th-seeded Princeton in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday in the South Region semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky.
LJ Cryer finished with 30 points for Baylor (23-11), which lost in the second round for the second consecutive year after winning the championship in 2021. Big 12 Freshman of the Year Keyonte George was held to seven points, well below his average of 15.6.