After sophomore guard Shane Larkin drilled a stepback 3-pointer with one minute remaining for a 57-55 lead, East Region No. 2 seed Miami benefited from a blown out-of-bounds call on the ensuing Illinois possession to escape with a 63-59 victory Sunday and advance to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2000. Junior guard Rion Brown led the ACC Champion Hurricanes (29-6, 15-3 ACC) with 21 points off the bench, helping coach Jim Larranaga’s team overcome an uninspiring 40 percent field goal percentage. Miami is one of three teams from Florida to reach the Regional semifinal round along with Florida and Florida Gulf Coast in the South Region.
Following senior guard Seth Curry’s 26-point outburst against No. 15 seed Albany in the second-round matchup, Midwest second-seed Duke rode freshman guard Rasheed Sulaimon’s 21 points and a 36-30 rebounding edge to a 66-50 triumph against Creighton Sunday and a berth in the Sweet 16. The Blue Devils (29-5, 14-4 ACC) held the nation’s second leading scorer, junior forward Doug McDermott, to just 4-of-16 shooting and reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last five season.
Despite holding a 30-21 halftime advantage, North Carolina floundered in the final 20 minutes against South No. 1 Kansas and eventually lost 70-58 in Sunday’s NCAA Third Round matchup in Kansas City, Missouri. The Tar Heels (25-11, 12-6 ACC) had defeated Villanova 78-71 Friday and hoped to reach the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year. With the victory, the Jayhawks (31-5, 14-4 Big 12) have now ousted North Carolina from the NCAA Tournament three times since Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams departed from Kansas after the 2003 season.
In Dayton, East No. 8 seed NC State erased nearly all of a 16-point halftime deficit but eventually fell to Temple 76-72 in Friday’s Second Round clash. The loss culminated a disappointing season for the Wolfpack (24-11, 11-7 ACC), who failed to even secure a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament after both coaches and media pegged NC State to win the conference title. The Owls’ (24-10, 11-5 A-10) postseason concluded Sunday with a 58-52 loss to top seed Indiana.
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