The Hurricanes will face the Cyclones in the Windy City.
Miami, the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, punched its ticket to its first Sweet 16 since 2016 with a 79-61 win over No. 2 Auburn at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday night. Miami will face No. 11 Iowa State in Chicago on Friday.
The Hurricanes (25-10) got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 15-6 lead in the game’s first six minutes. Miami’s defense gave Auburn (28-6) trouble early, and the Hurricanes forced eight first-half turnovers.
The Tigers, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation during part of the regular season, closed the gap with the Hurricanes toward the end of the first half, going on a 10-4 run at the end of the half to cut their deficit to one point.
The Hurricanes’ shooting woes from their first-round win over USC continued on Sunday. After going one for 14 from behind the arc against the Trojans, Miami made just one of eight first-half threes against Auburn.
Despite the issues with three-pointers, Miami started rolling again when the second half tipped off. The Hurricanes started the second period with an 8-0 run. Miami extended its lead to 13 points with 9:24 left in the second half.
Miami continued rolling throughout the game’s final 10 minutes, shaking off Auburn’s comeback attempts. The Hurricanes didn’t let the Tigers get within 10 points of them in the final 4:10 of the game.
Guard Isaiah Wong led Miami with 21 points, while guard Kameron McGusty added 20, guard Charlie Moore scored 15 and guard Jordan Miller scored 12. McGusty had four steals, and Moore had three. Forward Sam Waardenburg added a pair of blocks.
Friday’s game against Iowa State will be the Hurricanes’ fourth appearance in the Sweet 16.
