The 5th-seeded Miami Hurricanes look to continue their remarkable run as they get set to take on the 2nd-seeded Texas Longhorns in the Midwest Region of the Elite 8 Sunday in the early evening.
They jump it up at 5:05 pm and the Longhorns are a slight four point favorite in this clash of two teams who have shown they are legit. Texas has really stepped up their play and Miami should be in for a dogfight in this clash.
The Hurricanes (28-7) have had a great season and they have played the role of underdogs and have pulled off some huge upsets in the process as they earned a shocking 89-75 win on Friday night in the Sweet 16
The Hurricanes are led by several players that scored in double-digits, led by Nijel Pack who netted 26 points in the win as he played both ends of the floor and really made an impact in the game. Pack ended 8-of-12 from the floor, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Longhorns (29-8) have also enjoyed some big games and big moments during the season and the tournament and their defense has been rock solid over the last several games, including their 83-71 win over Xavier in a game they made some huge defensive stops late en route to the 12 point win.
Texas on offense is led by senior guard Marcus Carr who erupted for 18 points in the win over Xavier and he should once again he can be a great floor general and leader as he ended with six assists to go along with four rebounds. Look for the Longhorns to get him involved in the offense and really look for him to push the ball up the floor and the pace.
The Longhorns also will have to win the battle on the boards against the bigs of Creighton and they have to control the interior and the paint. If they can do that, they have a chance at winning a grind it out type of game.
Miami is 3-2 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the number and 9-2 in their road games against the spread too. The totals have gone over in two of their last five games and 12 of their last 21 games at home.
Texas is 4-1 in their last five games and 5-0 in their last five games against the number and 5-6 in their road games against the spread and the totals have gone over in none of their last five games and 11 of their last 23 games at home. We think this will be a low scoring grind it out type of game that favors Texas.
