Can U believe it? Hurricanes KO final No. 1 seed Houston
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Knocking No. 1 seed Houston out of the NCAA Tournament made Jim Larrañaga feel like dancing.
Much to his players’ delight, the 73-year-old Miami coach busted moves straight out of the disco era in the locker room Friday night to celebrate an 89-75 Sweet 16 victory that left the tournament without a No. 1 seed among its final eight teams for the first time since seeding began in 1979.
Larrañaga is known to dance in the locker room after his biggest wins, and this one surely qualified.
“We were all hyped up,” Jordan Miller said. “We love when Coach L dances. That’s probably the best celebration we could look forward to.”
Nijel Pack and Miami (28-7) hit shots from near and far against the stingiest defense in the country as the Hurricanes became only the fifth team this season to score at least 70 points against Houston (33-4).
“We just wanted it really bad,” Miller said. “We came into this game as the underdogs. We had a lead throughout the whole game. I wouldn’t say a comfortable lead, but a lead, and we just didn’t want to let up.”
The fifth-seeded Hurricanes reached the Elite Eight for a second straight season and will play second-seeded Texas on Sunday in the Midwest Region final. Larrañaga is seeking his first Final Four with Miami and second overall — he took George Mason there as an 11 seed in 2006.
About 30 minutes before Houston’s loss, top-overall seed Alabama fell to San Diego State in Louisville, Ky. Fellow No. 1 seeds Purdue and Kansas lost during the tournament’s first weekend.
The Cougars simply couldn’t stop a multifaceted Miami offense led by Pack’s 3-point shooting. He had season highs of seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts and 26 points.
Isaiah Wong’s mid-range game helped get the ’Canes out to a fast start, and he finished with 20 points. Miller hurt the Cougars with his penetration and had 13 points, and Norchad Omier was his usual rugged self under the basket while recording his 16th double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The Hurricanes reached the regional final just a few hours after Miami’s ninthseeded women’s team hung on to beat Villanova and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.