Braden Smith and Purdue Stand in the Way of NCAA History for the Miami Hurricanes
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Another historic opportunity presents itself to the Miami Hurricanes.
This season has already been dubbed a success for first-year head coach Jai Lucas. Moreover, with another win, this season would turn into the greatest turnaround in NCAA D1 basketball history. The Canes 19-win improvement from last year has already tied the D1 record.
However, in their way is another history-making team. The Purdue Boilermakers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Queens, and star point guard Braden Smith became the No. 1 all-time assist leader in NCAA history.
Smith knows about making history and those who stop it from happening. Now the Canes have a chance of making it after defeating the Missouri Tigers.
"For us what I'm most proud of is we talked about the glass and our identity showing," Lucas said after the Missouri victory. "46 rebounds, 16 offensive rebounds, 19 second-chance points, getting to the line 30 times. And then we took care of the ball in the second half, and that's why we were able to generate the separation we did.
"And then these three up here with me in each part of the game, they showed why they have gotten us here, to be honest with you. Malik being able to close, Tre with his big shots, and Shelton in the first half kind of carrying us offensively. But it was a team effort. I'm just really proud of them."
The Hurricanes turn their attention towards the Boilermakers, looking to make the Sweet 16.
How to Watch Miami against Purdue in the NCAA Tournament
Who: Purdue (28-8, 13-7 Big 10) vs. Miami (26-8, 13-5 ACC)
When: March 22, 12:10 p.m. ET
Where: Enterprise Arena in St. Louis, Missouri
TV: CBS
All-time series: Purdue leads 3-1
Last Time Out, Purdue: The Boilermakers are coming off a victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where their star guard played out of his mind. They took down Queens with Trey Kaufman-Renn adding in 25 points as well.
Last Time Out, Miami: The Hurricanes responded after scoring 27 points in the first half by scoring 53 in the second against the Missouri Tigers, led by Malik Reneau's 24 points and Tre Donaldson's near triple-double.
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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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