Miami advances to second-straight Elite Eight with win over No. 1 seed Houston, makes March Madness history

After failing to make an Elite Eight for more than 50 years, the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team is headed to a second-straight — and second-ever — regional final in the NCAA Tournament. And Miami did it by blasting a No. 1 seed and one of the best defenses in the country in the Houston Cougars.

But behind a 3-point shooting blitz and stellar defensive effort, Jim Larrañaga has once again guided the Hurricanes to the precipice of a Final Four. Miami will face the winner of No. 3 seed Xavier versus No. 2 seed Texas, being played right after the Houston-Miami contest.

With Miami knocking off Houston and San Diego State making its first-ever Elite Eight by toppling top overall seed Alabama, the Hurricanes completed a bit of history making for this NCAA Tournament. For the first time since teams were officially seeded, there will be an Elite Eight without a No. 1 seed making it.

In defeating Houston and making it back to the Elite Eight, Miami eviscerated the No. 2 ranked scoring defense in the country. On the season, Houston allowed just a shade more than 56 points per game. By the end of the first half, Miami had scored 42. However, Auburn did something similar to Houston before being suffocated out of the contest in the second half.

Miami had no such issues. The Hurricanes finished shooting greater than 50% from the field and over 40% from 3 (11-for-25). Leading the charge shooting was transfer guard Nijel Pack, who poured in seven 3s on 10 attempts. He scored a game-high 26 as teammate Isaiah Wong added 20 points of his own on a 9-for-11 shooting performance.

Pack effectively put the game away after Houston cut it to a two-point margin in the second half, burying three-straight 3s and helping the Hurricanes play on in to the Elite Eight.

“All the credit goes to this guy, who just makes every shot,” Larrañaga said as Pack walked up to him during a postgame interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.

Jim Larranaga is PUMPED 😂 @CanesHoops pic.twitter.com/go2CPFxnwm

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2023

All told, Miami scored, 12 more points than the previous season high that the Houston defense allowed, 77 points against South Florida in early January.

And after the game, Larrañaga got to cut a rug in the locker room with his team as they celebrated a return to the Elite Eight. This time though, the Hurricanes surely want to make it last longer than a year ago.

JIM LARRANAGA BREAKING IT DOWN IN THE LOCKER ROOM 🤣🕺 @CanesHoops pic.twitter.com/24gqeUVqbR

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2023