If the Miami Hurricanes’ women’s basketball team failed to win your attention or the nation’s with that victory over No. 1 seed Indiana on the Hoosiers' home court, maybe Friday did the trick?
Coach Katie Meier’s Canes — No. 9 seeds, lowest in the Sweet 16 and underdogs yet again — eliminated No. 4 Villanova, 70-65, to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the 41-year history of women’s hoops at Miami.
After the Indiana stunner Meier sent a one-word text to her entire team. It read, #Believe.
That’s getting easier and easier. The Canes are now within two more victories from a chance to play for the national championship. Their Elite Eight opponent on Sunday will be No. 3-seed LSU, which advanced past Utah, 66-63, later Friday. Miami surely will be the underdog again.
An unexpected hero, 5-10 sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts, lifted UM to where it has never been before with a career-high 26 points. That included a layup and free throw for a 67-65 lead, and two late free throws for the final score.
“The whole team was on the Jaz train,” Meier said. afterward. “Shes ‘Cool Hand Luke.’ She’s too young to know the movie, but that’s her new nickname now.”
Only the nation’s leading collegiate scorer, man or woman, Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist with 31 points, outscored Roberts.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t be cool right now,” Meier said. “This is awesome.”
The coach’s mother and her wife (Meier got married last spring) made the trip.
The season going Sweet to Elite is redemption in the making. Meier began the season suspended for her role in connecting a booster with two recruits, the Cavinder twins, in a name, image & likeness deal, though she was guilty of no intentional wrongdoing. Now she exalts in creating history for the women’s program.
She looked moved nearly to tears as the game ended.
“I am just so grateful for the toughness of my team. They really are super women, good hearted, wonderful people,” she said. “But if you’re gonna come after us, they’re gonna rise up. We got a spine. I have their back, and [the early-season controversy meant] they have mine. We deserve to be here.”
Meier had used a hammer-and-nail analogy in her pregame talk Tuesday before in the regional game in Greenville, S.C., telling her players, “Be the hammer to start this game.”
They were. They kept pounding and never let up.
They were pounding the paint and pounding the No. 4-seed Wildcats.
That was in the first half.
In the second UM got to know how the nail feels in a tale of two halves that found the Canes squandering as much as a 21-point lead and then successfully hanging on.
Miami’s women’s team was in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1992 before making even more history Tuesday in Meier’s deepest NCAA run in her 18th season at the school.
The Canes built a 54-33 lead early n the third quarter before a 23-2 Villanova run flipped the game.
“It got a little bit panicky for sure,” the coach admitted.
“We lost or composure for awhile,” Roberts said. “But we remained together as a team.”
Said senior Destiny Harden: “We’re one of eight teams left!”
I had asked Meier on Thursday if beating No. 1 Indiana to get to Friday’s Sweet 16 game had been the biggest win of her career. She wouldn’t say so because biggest makes it sound final. She referred to that postgame on Friday when asked the magnitude of this win to reach the Elite Eight.
“I’m not gonna say this is the biggest win in our career, either,” she said. “We’re preparing to win again.”
