UM women face No. 1 Hoosiers on their home floor
University of Miami basketball fans will be rooting against Indiana twice in 24 hours, as the ninth-seeded UM women’s team faces the topseeded Hoosiers Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The 8 p.m. game is on Indiana’s home floor at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and will air on ESPN2.
The Hurricanes advanced after a 17-point comeback win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, the sixth largest halftime comeback in NCAA Tournament history. It will be Miami’s third game against a No. 1 seed this season, having played Virginia Tech twice (regular season and ACC Tournament).
UM beat the Hokies by 11 points on Jan. 8, the only unranked team to beat a top seed by double figures. The Hurricanes and the Hoosiers have played five times, most recently last season in the Baha Mar Hoops Showcase in Nassau, Bahamas. Then-fourth-ranked Indiana escaped with a 53-51 victory.
“Great opponent, great atmosphere, unbelievable crowd,” UM coach Katie Meier said in anticipation of the matchup against the Hoosiers. She added that she has great respect for IU coach Teri Moren and they have exchanged strategies during the offseason.
“She’s special. She’s very, very good, and I love the way her teams play,” Meier said. “We’re excited. It’ll bring out the best in us.”
IU is 28-3 and led by 6-3 All-American center Mackenzie Holmes, who missed the first round win over Tennessee Tech with a sore knee. She is expected to play against UM. She averages 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
The Hoosiers won the Big Ten regular-season title for the first time in 40 years and their No. 2 ranking was a school record.
“They’re really prolific, and almost 18 assists a game, which threatens us,” Meier said.
Another player UM must focus on is sharpshooting guard Grace Berger.
Asked if there is a player similar, Meier smiled and said: “Dwyane Wade when he played for the
Heat. [Laughter.] When he wanted his pull-up, he got it. Yeah, she’s really that good.
“She’s so efficient. She’s very, very poised, very balanced, incredibly athletic in terms of the lightness of her feet. She can get a shot off pretty easily, and if she’s determined to do something, you’d better have a lot of determination to stop her because she’s pretty determined.”
Meier and her players are aware there is a danger of being sapped of energy after an emotional comeback like they had Saturday. They plan to get off to a better start.
“I’m worried about not getting in that deficit, that’s for sure,” Meier said. “You can’t do that two nights in a row and get away with it.”
GAMECOCKS ROLL
No. 1 South Carolina
● defeated South Florida 76-45 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
South Florida took control of the game early on, getting out to an 8-3 lead. It was led by the offense of leading scorer Elena Tsineke, who finished with 17 points. The Bulls led 16-12 after 10 minutes.
South Carolina slowly began to regain control, though South Florida never went away. The Bulls were shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range by halftime, but USC led 33-29.
The Gamecocks created separation in the third quarter, tightening up on defense and outscoring South Florida 19-7. USC also took advantage of extra possessions, with 21 rebounds in that period alone.
At halftime, the USC players were “talking amongst each other before coach (Dawn Staley) comes in and just pointing out some things, some ideas we have,” senior guard Brea Beal said.
“And just going out there and making that adjustment because we understand their playing style and adjustments they made.”
Aliyah Boston finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Gamecocks now move on to the Sweet 16, where they will face Monday’s winner of the UCLAOklahoma game. USC will play its next game on Saturday.