The Miami Hurricanes defeated the Auburn Tigers 79-61 in the Round of 32 for the Midwest Region. Now, Miami will take on the 11th-seeded Iowa State in the Sweet Sixteen. The Hurricanes were productive on the offensive end against the Tigers, and the efficient scoring led Miami to victory. Here’s a recap of the Hurricanes’ impressive win over the Auburn Tigers.
Hurricanes’ Starters In Double Figures
Four of Miami’s starters finished the game with double-figures in scoring. Similar to the USC matchup, Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 21 points. Moreover, Miami was almost perfect from the free-throw line, which was pivotal for them to close the game.
One area that the Hurricanes need to improve is their tendency to shoot threes. Miami again struggled from behind the arch, shooting just 20% from the three-point line. In fact, Kameron McGusty missed all five threes that he took, but he still finished the game on 50% shooting with 20 points. If the Hurricanes limit their three-point shooting, they will likely become a more efficient team offensively.
Tigers Struggle From The Field
The Auburn Tigers only shot around 30% from the field. Expectedly, freshman talent Jabari Smith had the most attempts with 16 shots, but he only made three field goals. Wendell Green Jr. also struggled by going four-of-14 from the field. Overall, Auburn really screwed the pooch during both the SEC tournament and now the Round of 32.
The Tigers actually shot worse from three than the Hurricanes; Smith really dominated on the glass, which made his tendency to shoot threes confusing. If he and Auburn’s guards took more inside shots, the Tigers would definitely have had a better shot to win the game.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, the Tigers really lost this game more than the Hurricanes won this game. Nonetheless, Miami’s players should be applauded for coming into this matchup as the underdog and really dominating the play. This same type of effort will be needed from the Hurricanes against the Iowa State Cyclones to have an opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight.
Proud of the Miami Hurricanes. Miami is not a basketball power, but Coach Larranaga has done an amazing job this year, and the players have responded accordingly.