No. 10 Miami Beats Iowa State, Advances to Face No. 1 Kansas in Elite Eight
The 10th-seeded Miami Hurricanes defeated the 11th-seeded Iowa State Cyclones 70-56 in the Sweet 16 on Friday at United Center to earn a berth in the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.
Miami entered having won five of its last six games, including wins over the USC Trojans in the first round and second-seeded Auburn Tigers in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Hurricanes' win over the Tigers was stunning as Auburn was picked as one of the teams that could win the title. Miami outscored Auburn 46-29 in the second half of that matchup and continued that momentum into the Sweet 16.
Notable Performers
Kameron McGusty, Miami: 27 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 4 STL
Tyrese Hunter, Iowa State: 13 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK
Jordan Miller, Miami: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Izaiah Brockington, Iowa State: 11 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL
Sam Waardenburg, Miami: 13 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK
Gabe Kalscheur, Iowa State: 13 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
Hurricanes' Offense Prevails Against Defensive-Minded Cyclones
The Iowa State defense had impressed through much of the NCAA tournament. And while it played well on Friday against Miami, it wasn't enough to stop an offense that has averaged 74.7 points per game this season, according to Sports Reference.
Miami made 26 of 56 shots from the floor and nine of 26 shots from deep in the win.
Hurricanes guards Jordan Miller and Kameron McGusty were particularly effective against the Cyclones, combining for 43 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in the win.
This should come as little surprise, though, as McGusty entered averaging 17.5 points per game, which leads the team, and Miller entered averaging 10.1 points per game.
After finishing 10-17 last season, head coach Jim Larranaga has completely revamped his team's offense this year. In addition to McGusty and Miller, Isaiah Wong and Charlie Moore averaged double digits this season.
While McGusty and Miller had solid performances against the Cyclones, Sam Waardenburg also had one of his better games of the tournament, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Waardenburg's play down the stretch helped Miami close things out in a tough second half against a Cyclones team that wouldn't be silenced until the final whistle.
Miami's offense is still going to have to be much better in the next round. As the competition gets tougher, players like Wong and Moore need to have better performances than they did on Friday night.
Cyclones' Offensive Struggles On Full Display In Loss
Iowa State has been one of the most impressive teams in college basketball this season. After finishing the 2020-21 campaign with a 2-22 record, the team finishes 22-13 this year under first-year head coach TJ Otzelberger.
But while Otzelberger molded the Cyclones into one of the best defensive teams in college basketball, his squad's offense has been subpar all season.
Iowa State's offensive struggles were on full display against Miami, too, as the team made just 25 of 68 shots from the floor and 4 of 22 shots from deep.
The Cyclones' top scorers were Tyrese Hunter and Gabe Kalscheur, who both finished with 13 points. In comparison, the Hurricanes' leading scorer was McGusty, and he finished with 27 points.
Iowa State averaged 65.9 points per game this season, which is somewhat low, so it's not necessarily surprising that it struggled to score on Friday.
Moving into next season, Otzelberger will likely be looking for more offensive production out of his team and players to pair with Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter.
What's Next?
Miami will face the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
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