The Miami Hurricanes defeated the USC Trojans 68-66 in the Round of 64. Now, the Hurricanes will play the Auburn Tigers on March 20th for the Round of 32 in the Midwest. Miami expected a tough matchup in the first round, and the Hurricanes were able to claw their way out of a defensive battle; that same effort will be needed to beat the highly ranked Tigers led by Bruce Pearl and Jabari Smith. Here’s a recap of Miami’s win over USC.
Isaiah Wong Carries The Offensive Load
Isaiah Wong willed the Hurricanes to victory with 22 points. His aggressive play consistently got him to the free-throw line, and he finished with a field-goal percentage higher than 50%.
Charlie Moore and Kameron McGusty also finished in double-figures, combining for 28 points. Although these guards shot poorly behind the arch, their defensive play alongside their playmaking led Miami to win this game.
When McGusty fouled out near the end of the second half, the Hurricanes seemed to struggle on the offensive end. However, Miami got to the line, and Moore made the game-winning free throws for the Hurricanes.
Balanced Attack From Trojans Wasn’t Enough
Drew Peterson was the leading scorer for USC, finishing the game with 17 points. Reese Dixon-Waters had a big game off the bench, scoring 16 points with only one missed shot; the freshman definitely has a promising future.
Overall, the Trojans played good enough offensively to stay in the game. In fact, they shot 45% from three, which was almost 40% better than the Hurricanes.
Isaiah Mobley was a great playmaker as a forward for USC. He finished the game with eight assists, which was equal to that of all other Trojans’ assists combined.
If USC shot better from the free-throw line, the Trojans definitely would’ve had a good chance of winning against the Hurricanes. USC got less trips to the line than Miami, and the Trojans still had a lower free-throw percentage.
Concluding Thoughts
Miami’s defensive play in the first half is the main reason that the Hurricanes won this game. In the next game against Auburn, Miami will need this same defensive effort and better shooting from the three-point line to have a chance of coming out with a victory. Regardless, the Hurricanes are still in the run for a national title.