For the No. 10 seeded Miami Hurricanes, the return to the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament will last another week.
The 'Canes dominated from the start of the game and cruised late to defeat the No. 2 seeded Auburn Tigers 79-61 in the second round of the Midwest Region on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.
Miami (25-10) led by as many as nine points in the first half and took a one-point lead into halftime, going up 33-32 thanks to 10 points each from guards Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller in the first 20 minutes.
The Hurricanes started the second half on a 8-0 run thanks to the combination of Wong and fellow guard Kameron McGusty.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Miami would extend the lead to 10 points on a three-point play from Wong - who finished with a team leading 21 points - with just over 12 minutes to go in the half and went up by 13 on a three pointer from forward Sam Waardenburg and a layup from McGusty, who finished with 20 points.
Auburn (28-6) would cut the deficit down to eight points before guard Charlie Moore's jumper and a dunk from Waardenburg put the game out of reach.
The 'Canes shot 48 percent from the field while holding Auburn to just 31 percent, including 19 percent from three-point range. Miami's defense was key in forcing 13 turnovers from the Tigers.
Sports
Miami advances to the Sweet 16 round of the tournament for the fourth time in its 11 tournament appearances, with three of those visits coming in head coach Jim Larranaga's 11 seasons with the 'Canes.
The Hurricanes will play No. 11 seed Iowa State on Friday in Chicago. A win would send Miami to the Elite Eight round for the first time in program history.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
