Interim head coach Rodney Terry and Texas is just one win shy of the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Can they get past the Miami Hurricanes?
TV schedule: Sunday, March 26th, 5:05 pm ET, CBS
Arena: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
How to Watch Miami vs Texas
The Sweet 16 had plenty of interesting games and results, as well as a few blowouts. One of them was surprisingly Texas over Xavier, a game in which looked even on paper. But it wasn’t competitive from the start, with the Longhorns getting past the Musketeers, 83-71.
Tyrese Hunter had 19 points, while both Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop each had 18. The team only had Dylan Disu for two minutes before it was clear he couldn’t go with a foot injury. They ended up not needing the big man but they will for their next opponent in Miami.
The Hurricanes dealt with No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 in a battle of elite guards. In what ended up being a shootout, Miami pulled off the upset with an 89-75 win. All five scorers were in double figures, led by 26 points from Nijel Pack on 7/10 shooting from three-point range. Isaiah Wong scored 20 points, while Norchad Omier produced 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Miami vs Texas Elite 8 odds
According to FanDuel
Moneyline: Texas (-178), Miami (+146)
Spread: Texas -3.5 (-118), Miami +3.5 (-104)
Total: 149.5 – Over: (-110), Under: (-110)
Houston had arguably the best backcourt in all of college basketball, which makes Miami’s beatdown of them even better. But Texas has a quality backcourt of its own, led by Hunter, along with leading scorers, Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice. And they’re arguably an even better group defensively on the perimeter and is capable of slowing down Miami.
Miami vs Texas Elite 8 prediction
One matchup that could decide the game is actually on the sidelines. Coach Terry has led the Longhorns to the Elite in place of the previous head coach, Chris Beard. He’s up against Jim Larranaga, who has a previous Final Four appearance back in 2012 when he was head coach at George Mason. This is the kind of win that could lift the interim tag on the Texas HC and make it permanent if the team makes the Final Four.
Overall, there’s going to be a lot of firepower in this game but the injury to Disu, who is currently questionable, is going to play a role. It’s the kind of matchup that could allow Omier to wreak havoc inside and as long as the guards makes some threes, the ACC team should be the one to advance.
Prediction: Miami 72, Texas 65