The No. 3 Miami Hurricanes were eliminated from the NCAA tournament by the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats on Thursday by a final score of 92-69.
The loss came in the tournament's Sweet 16 round with the game being played in Louisville, Kentucky. Miami was trying to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in history. The Hurricanes started slow and that is part of the reason that their title dreams came to an end.
At one point during the first half, Villanova held a 15-point advantage and seemingly had the game in control. Miami would soon go on a strong run that featured four straight three-point baskets. The Wildcats would show why they are a No. 2 seed however as they rebounded and recovered from that Miami run.
Miami would go into the locker room at half time down only six. The close score was a moral victory for UM after being down by much more early on. With upsets in the tournament, hanging close at the half is often the biggest key. Miami had itself in a position to open the second half strong and go for the big win.
Villanova would work quickly to pad its lead back over ten as the second half began. While UM would remain in contention for a good portion of the second half, it was not able to get the deficit back under double digits at any point. Villanova would ultimately put the game away with about six minutes to go.
With the season now over, the end at UM has come for seniors such as Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan. The duo had a big impact on the school's memorable season and tournament run. In his final game with Miami, Rodriguez ended up with 13 points and eight assists. McClellan posted 26 points and two rebounds of his own.
Miami will look to build on a successful season as it heads into 2016-17. There is sure to be a different look on the court with multiple players exiting and arriving.
