Jim Larranaga returns to Final Four on 17-year anniversary of George Mason Final Four berth

On Sunday night Miami head coach Jim Larranaga made history, leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four appearance in school history. Larranaga’s Hurricanes were down by 13 points at halftime of their Elite Eight matchup with Texas, but managed to pull off the comeback, defeating the Longhorns 88-81 to punch their ticket to Houston, Texas.

Larranaga has over 30 years of head coaching experience, and while this may be Miami’s first trip to the Final Four, it is not his. Prior to coaching the Hurricanes, Larranaga had a 14-year tenure with George Mason. And in 2006 he led the Patriots to an improbable Final Four appearance as an 11 seed out of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Ironically, Larranaga’s George Mason team defeated the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed UConn 86–84 in overtime on March 26, 2006 in the Elite Eight. And on the same day 17 years later, he does it again, bringing another program their first Final Four appearance.

Just a season ago Larranaga led Miami to an Elite Eight appearance, where they were defeated by the eventual national champion Kansas Jayhawks. This season they got their redemption on another Big 12 opponent in the Elite Eight, defeating a Texas team that was the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament and the winner of their conference tournament.

Now 17 years later UConn will be looking for their redemption on Larranaga after knocking the Huskies out of the tournament in 2006. Miami and UConn will tip off in Houston for their Final Four matchup on Saturday at 6:49 p.m. ET airing on CBS.

More on Miami’s win

The Hurricanes not only overcame a 13-point halftime deficit, but an impressive shooting night from the Longhorns where they made 50% of their shots from the field and 40% of their three-pointers. Texas even won the rebounding battle, but Miami’s own elite shooting performance and great second-half defense propelled them to the win.

The ACC Player of the Year and the Hurricanes’ leading scorer Isiah Wong struggled to start the game versus Texas, scoring just two points in the first half on two shot attempts. He came to life in the second half, ending the game with 14 points and becoming one of all five of Miami’s starters to score in double figures.

But the star of the show in the Elite Eight for Miami was Jordan Miller, who had an absolutely stellar performance that was pivotal in the Hurricanes’ win. You couldn’t ask for a more efficient night from Miller, as he’d shoot a perfect 100% from the field and from the free throw line, scoring 27 points for Miami.