March Madness 2023: Miami beats Houston and beats last No. 1 seed to claim second straight Elite Eight

Miami goes into the Elite Eight for a second straight season after upsetting Houston 89-75, No. 1, in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. The No. 5 seeded Hurricanes will face either Xavier or Texas in Sunday’s Midwest Region Finals as the program seeks its first-ever Final Four appearance.

The ‘Canes built a 42-36 half-time lead and only stepped on the gas from there to extend their lead to as much as 17 in the second half against a Houston defense that simply had no answers for Miami’s dynamic guards. Nigel Pack led Miami, which limited its turnovers and repeatedly knocked down timely 3-pointers.

Houston made 7 of 17 attempts from 3-point range in the first half but got cold from beyond the arc in the second half while struggling to keep up with the fast-moving Hurricanes. According to kenpom.com, Houston finished 342nd out of 363 nationally in the adjusted tempo, but Miami dictated the tempo of the game by playing in turns with their small-ball lineup. While Houston limited their turnovers well in the second half, the Hurricanes still dominated in terms of game point drops, capitalizing on the Cougars’ rare mistakes.

The loss is particularly devastating for Houston, as the Cougars had a chance to play in their hometown if they made the Final Four. The result throws an already shaky bracket into utter chaos, as now, for the first time since seeding of the NCAA tournament began in 1979, all No. 1 seeds ahead of the Elite Eight have been eliminated.