Two late free throws from sixth-year senior Charlie Moore sent Miami to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The veteran guard, who is in his first year with the Hurricanes, hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left in the second half to put Miami ahead for good in a 68-66 win over Southern Cal in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., on Friday. The win is the Hurricanes’ first in the NCAA Tournament since 2016.
“I just wanted to help my teammates come out with the win,” Moore said. “I felt like those free throws would be it. I just wanted to focus and take my time. I felt like if I make them, we had a great chance of winning the game. I knocked them down.”
Miami will face Auburn in the second round on Sunday after the Tigers beat Jacksonville State on Friday.
“We were well-prepared for these moments, and we know in March that these moments do occur quite a lot,” sixth-year senior Sam Waardenburg said. “Going forward, we’re very confident in ourselves that if these moments come about, we’re ready for them.”
The No. 10 seed Hurricanes held a 65-58 lead in the game’s final minute, but No. 7 seed USC tied the game with 14 seconds left in the second half. Miami got the game’s penultimate possession, and Moore was fouled going to the rim. Moore knocked down both of his free throws, and the Trojans’ last-second heave did not fall.
Earlier in the contest, it looked like Miami might cruise to a victory. The Hurricanes held a 31-20 lead over the Trojans at halftime thanks in large part to strong defense. UM forced 12 turnovers in the first half as USC struggled to maintain possession. Waardenburg, who has averaged 1.2 blocks this season, had four in the first half.
The Hurricanes finished the game with 18 forced turnovers. Moore had four steals in the win, as did guard Jordan Miller.
While USC was struggling on offense, Miami guard Isaiah Wong was carrying the Hurricanes early. He scored Miami’s first 13 points of the game, but other Hurricanes soon joined in. The Hurricanes went on a 16-2 run in the first half, separating themselves from the Trojans and taking a 31-20 lead into halftime.
Miami’s lead did not last long in the second half, though. The Trojans started the second half with a 17-2 run, and the two teams battled throughout the final 20 minutes. Neither team pulled ahead by more than five points in the game’s final 17:57.
The Hurricanes picked up the win despite struggling from the field at times. Miami hit only 1 of 14 3-point attempts and made 43% of its shots from the field. USC shot 48% from the field and made 43% of its 3-point shots.
“I really felt we needed to make seven or eight threes and force between 15 and 20 turnovers,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We forced 18 turnovers, so that part of the defense ... really worked. But we’re a very fine three-point shooting team, and a couple of those just rimmed in and out. And yet no matter that we didn’t shoot well, we didn’t hang our heads, we didn’t give up, guys didn’t get discouraged from missing.”
Moore, who finished the game with 16 points, hit the Hurricanes’ first 3 with about 5:40 left in the second half. Wong led the team with 22 points, and Kameron McGusty added 12.
“I feel like most of the nights, all of the team contributes,” Moore said.
Miami’s next opponent will likely be even tougher than USC. Auburn, the No. 2 seed in the region, is 28-5 this year and was previously ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll earlier in the season.
“Guys are super happy; obviously, when you win a tournament game, you’re happy,” Waardenburg said. “But we’ve got to focus now. We know we’re going to watch, I think, Auburn, we’re playing next. Going to watch film on them, prepare for them and be ready with a new gameplan for that one.”
