Tipoff Time 02:20 pm ET Sunday March 27, 2022
The Hurricanes find themselves in their first ever Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, in what is their toughest match-up to date. Miami dispatched Iowa State with relative ease on Friday by a score of 70-56. Now they get to take on Kansas who is a stellar 14-4 against Big 12 opponents, although Miami is just as respectable against ACC opponents with a 14-6 record. Offensively the two teams match-up well against each other, with the 42nd and 20th best offenses in the nation respectively.
The true mismatch in this game is on defense, where Miami has played better as of late, but still ranks 245th compared to 71st for Kansas. In its three games against Auburn, USC, and Iowa State, the Hurricanes have forced opposing teams into 47 turnovers. One area where Kansas should dominate Miami is on the glass. Miami is a terrible rebounding team not for personnel, but because of its style of offense. Miami loves to drive the rim and get layups rather than take low percentage shots. Still, Kansas will make Miami pay with second chance points, and that might be enough for the difference in this game.
Miami has played well so far but Kansas has a +32 rebound differential for the tournament so far, and is an excellent free throw shooting team. These are two stats I always stress get more important as the tournament goes on. Do I love that Kansas is laying six points? Certainly not. But I think the Jayhawks can dominate this game from start to finish and end Miami’s season. Lay it with Kansas.
Charlie M.
XBet has a 50% sign up bonus up to $500 on first deposit. Visit XBet to view this and other bonus plans.
Add Comment