Hurricanes Striving for Second Consecutive Sweet 16 Against All-American Led Hoosiers

Miami pulled off a thrilling, come-from-behind win against Drake on Friday night and will look to advance to its second consecutive Sweet 16 on Sunday at 8:40 p.m. against Indiana.

The fourth-seeded Hoosiers, unlike their Round of 32 opponent, won comfortably in their first-round matchup. Indiana defeated Kent State, 71-60, maintaining a lead for the entire second half.

Consensus First Team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, in the victory, became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to officially total at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks.

“We know they come to him [mostly] every possession, and he’s going to be a big challenge for me,” Miami forward Norchad Omier said. “I’m excited for it, if I’m being honest. I’m waiting for it. He’s a great player.”

Aside from slowing down Jackson-Davis, the Hurricanes also have to limit Indiana’s guards, led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jalen Hood-Schifino.

The 6-foot-6 projected NBA Draft prospect has averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 assists per game this season and has stepped up for the Hoosiers in the absence of guard Xavier Johnson, who suffered a season-ending injury in December.

“Jalen, I tried to recruit him. I loved his game. He’s 6’6″. He plays the point. He can score off the bounce. He can shoot the three. He uses ball screens very effectively,” UM head coach Jim Larrañaga said about Hood-Schifino, who held a UM offer during his high school recruitment. “He’s just a very good big guard, Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten, and he’s just much bigger than our guards. So he’ll be a handful for us tomorrow.”

Miami’s guards led the way in the Hurricanes’ win over the Bulldogs, scoring 51 of the team’s 63 points. Nijel Pack led with 21 points. Wooga Poplar followed with 15.

ACC Player of the Year and starting guard Isaiah Wong, however, struggled. The fourth-year junior only scored seven points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field.

Larrañaga, who has coached Wong throughout the entirety of his collegiate career, is confident that he’ll bounce back.

“Great players don’t always have great games,” Larrañaga said. “I’m very, very confident he’ll have a great game tomorrow.”

Even though it scored just 63 points in its win over Drake, UM has been most successful in fast-paced, high-scoring contests. Miami’s offense, which ranks first in the ACC in points per game, has scored at least 80 points in 15 of UM’s 32 games this year.

The Hurricanes are 13-2 in such contests.

Indiana, comparatively, has failed to score at least 80 points in a game since Jan. 31. Jackson-Davis prefers that trend to continue against Miami.

“Games in the 60s for us is a lot better than games in the 70s and 80s,” Jackson-Davis, who was also recognized on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, said. “So that’s what we’re going to try to do, and we’ve got to stick to our game plan.”

The winner between the Hurricanes and the Hoosiers will face off against Houston in the Sweet 16.