Miami basketball begins NCAA as Midwest 10 seed versus seven seed USC
The Miami basketball team will begin the NCAA Tournament as the 10th seed in the Midwest Region against seventh-seeded USC in Greenville, South Carolina. Miami and USC will play on Friday with the time and TV Network to be announced. The Hurricanes are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
The winner of Miami and USC will play the victor of Auburn and Jacksonville State on Sunday. Auburn is the second seed in the East. Iowa State plays LSU and Colgate matches up with Wisconsin in that quarter of the East bracket. Kansas is the number one seed in the Midwest Region.
Miami lost both games they played against USC In their history in a home and home in the early 1990s. The Hurricanes are seeking their first NCAA Tournament win since advancing to the 2016 South Regional Semifinal. Miami is 8-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1960.
Miami enters the NCAA Tournament 23-9 after finishing fourth in the ACC during the regular season with a 14-6 record and losing to Duke in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Miami basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament with a Jordan Miller buzzer-beater against Boston College.
Miami was 3-3 against NCAA Tournament teams this season. The only game Miami played in the non-conference against an NCAA Tournament team was a loss to Alabama in the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee. The ACC only received four NCAA Tournament bids this year. That’s led by West Regional second seed Duke.
USC enters the NCAA Tournament with a 26-7 record. USC enters the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the West Regional Final before losing to National Runner-up Gonzaga. USC is led by 6’10 forward Isaiah Mobley. Mobley averages 14.3 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. USC has athleticism and size.
The Trojans also have 6’8 Drew Peterson and 6’9 Chevez Goodwin among their top four scorers. Max Agbonkpolo is the fifth leading scorer for USC and is 6’8. Jim Larranaga and his staff will have a challenge against the Trojans. The location in Greenville will give Miami fans a better chance to get to the game than USC’s.