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The Miami Hurricanes are traditionally a heavily supported and bet on team year-after-year in college football, but in 2023, the Hurricanes are tearing things up in the world of college basketball. On March 24, they uprooted mighty Houston, the odds-on favorite to win the NCAA College Basketball Championship this year, to advance to the Elite Eight and face off against the Texas Longhorns. Thankfully, while Florida does not regulate sportsbooks, BetUS does take bets from the Sunshine State from those 18 and up. BetUS is approaching 30 great years in business.
Bust a Move
Nijel Pack scored 26 points and helped his fifth-seeded Hurricanes past top-seeded Houston 89-75 in the Midwest Region semifinals on Friday night. The win was stunning considering there was a time back in January when Miami lost four of seven games in the ACC.
We even got to see the Canes head coach do a dance.
The 73-year-old Jim Larrañaga did his best John Travolta Friday night.
“We were all hyped up,” Miami forward Jordan Miller said. “We love when Coach L dances. That’s probably the best celebration we could look forward to.”
The 89 points were the most Houston has given up all season. The previous high was 77.
"It's a blessing to be back in this arena. My teammates found me early and got me going. They kept feeding me and telling me to shoot the ball. I tried to have confidence that it would keep going in," said Pack, who hit 8 of 12 from the floor overall, including 7 of 10 from long range.
Miami coach Jim Larranaga said he didn't "know how far some of those shots were. People ask me what I say to him when he misses one of those long shots. I say, 'Keep shooting.' "
Next up for Miami, the Texas Longhorns.
The Canes will enter that game as a +4.5 dog.
Miami Hurricanes NCAA Men's Tournament History
This will mark the second straight year that the Hurricanes have advanced to the Elite Eight.
Miami has actually had a limited run at the tournament in modern times, appearing in only ten tournaments since 1998, or ten out of twenty-five years with no appearances in the 70's or 80's.
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2022, 2023
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2000, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament round of 32
1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
1960, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
