WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Behind the star play of junior guard Isiah Wong and senior guard Jordan Miller, the No. 1 seed Miami Hurricanes narrowly defeated the No. 9 seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the 2023 ACC Tournament Quarterfinals. With the win, the Hurricanes are set to play the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils, who crushed the No. 5 seed Pittsburgh Panthers 96-69 on Thursday.
In 37 minutes of play, Wong recorded 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, and one steal on 7-10 (50.0%) shooting from the field. Not to be outdone, Miller notched a team-high 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 8-16 (50.0%) shooting from the field and 2-4 (50.0%) shooting from three-point range.
In reference to their great performances versus Wake Forest on Thursday, this isn’t the first time that Wong and Miller have stepped up for Miami in high-stakes games. In fact, Wong and Miller played key roles in Miami’s stunning run to the Elite Eight in 2022 March Madness. To be specific, Wong averaged 33.0 MPG, 16.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG while shooting 43.6% from the field and 82.4% from the free-throw line. Miller averaged 9.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 1.7 SPG on 57.7% from the field and 60.0% from the free-throw line.
After sophomore guard Nijel Pack converted a simple layup with 9:51 left in the second half, the Hurricanes extended their lead over the Demon Deacons to a game-high 18 points, at 61-43. In spite of the daunting deficit, Wake Forest went on a 23-10 scoring run to cut the deficit to five points with just 59 seconds left in regulation.
“We were up 18, then all of sudden it is seven, then it’s five, then two and all of a sudden they’re shooting a 3 for the win,” Larrañaga said. “But that 3 misses and we win the game and we get to advance. So we are happy with where we are.”
After making three consecutive three-point attempts in the final minute of regulation, Wake Forest senior guard Davien Williamson heaved a half-court shot as time expired, but clanked off the rim to give Miami the dramatic victory. Williamson’s miss comes just one day after sinking the game-winning three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left against No. 8 seed Syracuse in the opening round of the 2023 ACC Tournament.
“Every time I shoot, I think it’s going in, but it just didn’t fall,” Williamson said.
Compared to his 17-point, six-rebound, and two-assist statline versus Syracuse, Williamson finished with 14 points, three rebounds, and one assist versus Miami. Williamson’s backcourt mate, senior Tyrese Appleby, paced the Demon Deacons with a team-high 24 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 40 minutes. Outside of Williamson and Appleby, sophomore guard Cameron Hildreth was Wake Forest’s only other player to score in double-digits, who had 17 points and a team-best seven assists.
In addition to Wong and Miller, former Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier also finished the game in double-figures, at 14 points, ten rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 5-8 (%) shooting from the field. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Wooga Poplar and pack combined for 17 points and 12 rebounds, albeit on 8-18 (%) shooting from the field and 1-7 (%) from downtown.
As previously mentioned, Miami will play Duke on March 10th at 7:00 PM ET in the first of the ACC’s two Semifinal games. If the Hurricanes beat the Blue Devils, then Larrañaga and his team will advance to the ACC Championship game. As of today, their theoretical opponent is unknown, but will be one of No. 2 Virginia, No. 7 North Carolina, No.3 Clemson, or No. 6 NC State.