From Final Four dreams to a renewed NCAA bid, the Miami Hurricanes' resurgence lands them back in the Top 25, aiming for another deep tournament run.
Despite falling short of reaching the ACC Championship game, the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball squad secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It will be the program’s 12th appearance in the big dance since the 1985 64-team expansion, the first since reaching the “Final Four” in 2023, shortly before coach Jim Larranaga retired. The Hurricanes are the 7-seed in the West Region of the bracket, set to face the 10-seed Missouri Tigers at St. Louis, Missouri.
In the first season under coach Jai Lucas, the program successfully turned around. However, the standard can get higher depending on how far the team goes in “March Madness.”
The latest AP polling was released on Monday and the Hurricanes were ranked No. 25 in the nation. They were previously ranked 22nd entering the final week of the regular season. However, a 92–89 loss against the Louisville Cardinals cost them a spot afterwards.
The Hurricanes received 110 votes. The two programs closest to receiving votes were the Miami (OH) Redhawks (100 votes) and BYU Cougars (62 votes).
Despite the roster being new, coach Lucas has the luxury of relying on veteran experience. Seniors Tre Donaldson, Malik Reneau, Ernest Udeh Jr., and junior Tru Washington have experience in playing in the NCAA Tournament. The rest of the team, including freshmen Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen, will get a first-hand taste of playing in the big dance.
Regardless of the odds, Udeh Jr. believes in the Hurricanes’ chances.
“I’m proud [to play in the NCAA Tournament],” he said on Sunday. “I wear that ‘U’ on my chest. We got a chance to go out there and, honestly, do something special. Earlier, I was just talking about how some people are at home, their season’s over. We’re blessed when we get a chance to just keep playing. For us, the same thing that we’ve been saying all year long: ‘Stick to Miami basketball.’ The things that we do, how we want to play, and everything will work out in our favor.”
The Hurricanes look to bounce back after suffering an 84–62 loss to the then-ranked No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC Tournament semifinals. In the game, the team shot 20 percent from behind the arc, third worst on the year. If the Hurricanes look to carve out a “Cinderella run” in the NCAA Tournament, the offense’s efficiency and execution will need to be sharper.
They will face the Tigers on March 20 at 10:10 p.m. Eastern Time.
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