Miami's Magical March Madness Run Ends Abruptly Against Purdue
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In the final regular-season game of the year, the Hurricanes were one win away from having the best regular season in program history.
Entering today, the Canes had tied the all-time D1 NCAA record for the greatest one-year turnaround. Similar to the last game of the season, the Hurricanes would fall short of making history, ending their March Madness in the round of 32 against Purdue in a tight battle, 79-69.
Moreover, a down night from their All-ACC First Team big man, he played one of his worst games of the season in the brightest lights.
The Hurricanes started in the first half on fire, playing their brand of basketball and getting off to a fast start. The Hurricanes hit timely shots, but even with the great start, the Boilermakers wouldn't go away.
Defensively, the Hurricanes did an outstanding job against Braden Smith. However, no one could stop Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, and efficient three-point shooting.
The Hurricanes would see a great start from their freshmen again, especially Shelton Henderson. Henderson finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. However, his game alone wasn't enough.
The Hurricanes seniors found a way to turn it on in the second half against the Missouri Tigers. Against the Biolermakers, the former dark waters from the Big 10 would draw out Malik Reneau and, on occasion, Tre Donaldson.
Reneau had been great all season, getting to the paint and knocking down his layups. Early on, quick bunnies and chip shots would not fall for the talented Canes big man. Furthermore, he would finish the game with seven turnovers. He would still score 16 points, but would go 0-3 from beyond the arc.
Moreover, the Canes' defense would be the end-all, be-all for the team, missing out on history. Purdue would knock down eight threes, but none bigger than Loyer's final shot. The Hurricanes began to chip into the lead and even cut the lead to three after a Henderson put-back dunk with 9:59 remaining in the game.
Then the Boilermakers went on an 11-3 run in the next five minutes, slowing down the Canes and highlighting their weaknesses on close-out threes and lack of offensive creativity in long stretches of the game.
Donaldson would try to add a few more shots, but he also struggled finishing with 13 points, finishing 4-15 from the field, and only dishing out three assists.
The Hurricanes would, however, chip their way back into the game. The Hurricanes would clumsily cut the lead to four down, but would instantly foul with 56 seconds left in the game. It would be the biggest mistake of the Jai Lucas era. It would send one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country to the line, pushing the lead even more while the Hurricanes struggled to knock another shot down.
The Hurricanes now turn towards the new season. After setting the tone in his first year, Jai Lucas prepares for his second year with great experience under his belt.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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