Miami's first NCAA tournament game under Jai Lucas could be one for the Canes' history books.
The Hurricanes, the No. 7 seed in the West region, face No. 10 Missouri on Friday night in St. Louis. The market still has Miami as a slight favorite.
No. 7 Miami is favored over No. 10 Missouri
The Hurricanes are sitting at -1.5/-2.5 favorites with the game having 145.5-147.5 point total and a moneyline of Miami -119, Missouri -101.
Miami has been one of the better turnaround stories in the country. After going 7-24 a year ago, the Hurricanes went 24-7 (13-5 in ACC play) in Lucas' first regular season, and reached the conference tournament semifinals. Lucas became the second-fastest first-time head coach in ACC history to reach 20 wins, and this is the program's first NCAA appearance since its Final Four run in 2023.
Missouri is 20-12 (10-8 in the SEC) and are playing in St. Louis, which is about as friendly a site as a No. 10 seed could ask for. The Tigers went 7-8 against NCAA tournament teams this season, compared to Miami's 4-6 mark against the field.
The Hurricanes shoot 50.1% from the floor, which leads the ACC and ranks 12th nationally. They average 81.9 points per game, outscore opponents by 10.8 points, and own a +7.5 rebounding margin. Malik Reneau leads the way at 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Tre Donaldson puts up 16.5 points and 5.8 assists.
Missouri is led by senior Mark Mitchell, who led the Tigers with 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Missouri has been good in close games, going 4-1 in games decided by fewer than four points. The Tigers also get the crowd edge, and that matters in a toss-up game.
But, if this comes down to which team can make shots late, Miami has the better offense.
Prediction: Miami 74, Missouri 71