Seth Greenberg predicts a 'rock fight' between Miami, Houston

The stage has been set for the Sweet Sixteen of this year’s NCAA Tournament, and the matchup between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 5 Miami is one of the most intriguing of the eight. Both teams are coming off impressive second round showings, and college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg previewed the game on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ Monday.

“They actually have a good matchup with Houston. Miami will do what Miami does. Everyone does their job,” Greenberg said.

Everyone did their job for Miami on Sunday, matching Creighton as the team that scored the most points in the second round of the tournament after defeating Indiana 85-69. The Hurricanes are a well-oiled machine, and Greenberg explained exactly why.

“You guys talk about football all the time so I’ll give you a little Belichick for you,” Greenberg said. “Everyone does their job and they do it at the highest level and they do their job individually, then collectively. What do I mean by that? They’ve got a big-time backcourt.”

The Hurricanes will be appearing in the Sweet Sixteen in back-to-back seasons, relying on a combination of newly acquired talent and veteran experience. Their best players have been playing their best in the biggest moments, and if they continue to do so, they can even give a team the caliber of Houston some problems.

“Everyone talked about the transfer portal and all that but you know what?” Greenberg asked. “Isaiah Wong is a tough matchup, ACC Player of the Year. Jordan Miller at the forward spot. He’s kind of a matchup nightmare. You saw those two guys went for 46 points between them. But the guy they got out of the portal that was the biggest get, was Norchad Omier. He had 17 rebounds.”

Wong led the Hurricanes with 27 points versus the Hoosiers, and Omier’s 17 boards put him in the top 10 all-time in Miami’s single-season rebounding list. If Miller can continue to be effective on both ends of the floor, then Marcus Sasser and his Cougars squad could have their hands full at 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday night in Kansas City.

“This is a physical, tough defensive team, a team that can impose their identity on the game, and you look at the Houston matchup, it’s going to be a matchup of backcourts, it’s going to be a matchup of pace, it’s going to be extremely physical. … The matchup between Miami and Houston will be an absolute rock fight,” Greenberg concluded.