Miami already has one blueprint for a title-game run. Can basketball follow football's path? It's something fans are floating online to try and muster up some positive vibes for the Big Dance.
In football, Duke won the ACC title and Virginia lost in the championship game while Miami finished outside the title matchup, and then turned around and made the College Football Playoff national championship game anyway.
In men's basketball, the setup is similar. Duke won the ACC tournament, Virginia lost in the title game and Miami, the No. 3 seed, got bounced before the final. Now the Hurricanes head to the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed to face No. 10 Missouri on Friday with a chance to start writing a similar success story.
Football:
— CBB Kings (@CBBKings) March 15, 2026
• Duke ACC Champions
• Virginia lost in ACC title game
• Miami 3-seed, didn’t reach ACCCG
• Miami reached National Championship
Basketball:
• Duke ACC Champions
• Virginia lost in ACC title game
• Miami 3-seed, didn’t reach ACCCG
…Miami tournament run? 👀 pic.twitter.com/0BwQjafqkk
Miami hoops will try to go on a run just like Canes football did
Miami's football team finished 6-2 in ACC play and did not reach the conference title game, while Duke beat Virginia 27-20 in overtime to win the ACC. But, in the CFP, Miami was dangerous.
The Hurricanes, as the No. 10 seed, beat No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round, stunned No. 2 Ohio State in the quarterfinals, then beat No. 6 Ole Miss in the semifinal before falling 27-21 to Indiana in the national championship game.
In basketball, Miami went 24-7 overall in the regular season (13-5 in ACC play), good for third in the ACC standings behind Duke and Virginia. The Hurricanes beat Louisville in the ACC quarterfinals behind 24 points from Malik Reneau before running into a bad matchup and losing 84-62 to Virginia in the semifinals. That was a rough night, but it was still only one night. Miami finished the weekend in the AP Top 25, and now is the No. 7 seed in the West region.
The Hurricanes averaged 81.9 points per game this season, one of the better offensive marks in the ACC. Reneau gives Miami a reliable inside scorer at 18.8 points per game, while Tre Donaldson comes in at 16.5 points and 5.8 assists per game.
Miami did get a tough draw in having to go play Missouri in St. Louis, roughly 90 minutes from campus, and that could make this one tricky. But, if Miami gets through that, the likely second-round matchup is No. 2 Purdue. And that's where the fun begins and the stars begin to align.