
The Hurricanes and the Longhorns haven’t just been beating people and dominating. Both teams have great athletes who can quickly get the ball up and down the court. Neither has shown any real weakness as of yet in this tournament.
Miami must continue to apply pressure, as Texas won’t stop scoring anytime soon.
It’s not just that the Longhorns are deep, and can hit enough from outside to get by or force several easy points off takeaways. It’s also that Miami’s defense is nothing special.
Again, this active Hurricane team can create steals and be aggressive on the glass; however, its offense isn’t particularly strong. It allows too many inside points – opponents average 72 points per game on 45% shooting – which puts them at a disadvantage against high-powered competition.
Miami is 13-0 when they allow fewer than 66 points, it will be hard to hold Texas under 66 points the way they have been playing.
How can you beat Texas? Make shots.
No amount of tough D won’t cut it against this Longhorn squad. To stay ahead, you need to keep moving the ball up the floor for easy baskets – which Miami excels at due to their stellar fast-break defense. That makes them one of the nation’s best teams for creating fast break points.
Miami may lack size, but they make up for it with excellent shooting, which helped them finish No. 1 in the ACC and among the best teams nationally in shooting at 48% from the field. That kind of inside presence is key when competing against teams like Duke or Florida State – the Canes do not have a lot of size, but still manages to get to the basket well enough to secure victory.
Houston entered the Sweet 16 as No. 1 in field goal percentage defense, as Miami made 52% of their shots and 44% from three.
This team may not be exceptionally talented, but it’s active and consistently attacks the boards – plus, it doesn’t miss many shots. So why is that such a big deal?
Texas is 24-0 when holding teams to 44% or lower.
These two teams have not played this season.
Depth is key. Miami may not be huge, but neither is Texas; the Longhorns use more parts and score in waves, making them better equipped to handle what Miami likes to do.
Houston was a thin No. 1 seed, but it could play D. Miami ripped through that early on, and Texas will have no issues getting up and down the floor if it forces more turnovers than Miami will generate.
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