Canes Advance To Sweet 16 After 65-57 Win Over Shockers
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (The Sports Xchange) -- After two days of upsets, Miami struck a blow for the higher seeds in the NCAA Tournament, blowing a 21-point first-half lead and then rallying to a 65-57 victory over Wichita State on Saturday.
The third-seeded Hurricanes advanced to next Thursday's South Regional Sweet 16 game against the winner of Sunday's Villanova-Iowa game. It is Miami's first trip to the field of 16 since 2013.
Thursday and Friday, 13 lower seeds advanced in the 32 games. But Saturday, Miami jumped to a 27-6 lead, fell behind 43-42 after a furious comeback by the 11th-seeded Shockers and then responded as Angel Rodriguez went on a scoring spree down the stretch.
Davon Reed hit two big baskets, one a 3-pointer, and added a key block at the other end and Miami reacted to Wichita State's 11-0 run with a 13-5 spurt that gave the Hurricanes the lead for good.
The Shockers trailed by just two with 2:41 left before Rodriguez banked in a runner as the shot clock expired to give the 'Canes a 57-53 lead with 2:05 left. He then drained a 3-pointer to lift the lead to seven and iced the game at the foul line.
Wichita (26-9), was guilty of just 12 turnovers in its wins over Vanderbilt and Arizona, but coughed it up 10 times in the first half Saturday, 15 times in the game.
Rodriguez scored 16 points in the first 10:22 and was then quiet before his late eruption, finishing with a career-high 28 points, while Sheldon McLellan had 18 and Reed 10 for the Hurricanes (27-7).
Rodriguez hit nine of his 11 shots from the floor and overcame seven turnovers with five assists and four steals.
Fred VanVleet and Shaq Morris led the Shockers with 12 points apiece and Ron Baker had 11.
The loss kept Wichita State from its third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four years.
NOTES: It was 10 years ago that now-Miami coach Jim Larranaga took George Mason to the Final Four. ... Arizona coach Sean Miller on Wichita State G Fred VanVleet: "I told him after the game, please don't anybody tell you you're not going to play in the NBA. We lived that last year with TJ McConnell. That guy (VanVleet) will play in the NBA, and he'll be there a long, long time." ... Miami G Angel Rodriguez notched his fifth game of 17 or more points in the last seven games. ... The 19 points scored by Wichita State in the first were half both the fewest scored by the Shockers and the fewest allowed by the Hurricanes this season.
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