Jim Larrañaga, Jordan Miller discuss how it feels for Miami to advance to the Final Four
Miami came up just short of making the Final Four in 2022. In the Elite Eight of last season’s NCAA Tournament, Jim Larrañaga and several of these Hurricanes lost a crushing matchup in blowout fashion against No. 1 seed and eventual champion Kansas in Chicago.
Now, this evening, they made good on their promise to give themselves a chance again by knocking off Texas 88-81 to earn their program’s first-ever berth in the Final Four.
Following the victory, Larrañaga spoke to CBS’ Tracy Wolfson about setting things right this season. He said his player’s experience from a year ago was a major aid in showing them what they needed to do. After getting heartbroken this time last year, they were all united in ensuring it wasn’t going to happen again.
“Last year, we got to the Elite Eight. And then it comes to a crushing end. So, today, last night? All the guys just kept saying we’ve got to go past the Elite Eight and get to the Final Four,” Larrañaga said. “(Jordan) was telling everybody what it was like last year. Isaiah, Wooga, Bensly. They were all saying it.”
Jordan Miller said much of the same in his moment behind the mic after the comeback victory where he scored a game-high 27 points on perfect efficiency. He said neither he nor his teammates wanted to return to Coral Gables empty-handed like they did a season ago. They used those emotions from 2022 to inspire them this time around, which is what makes this far more enjoyable emotion feel so much better.
“No one wanted to go home,” Miller said. “We came together, we stuck together, and showed really good perseverance.”
“It hurt. That gut feeling? It doesn’t go away. And the fact that we had the opportunity to go back and make amends, make it right? That’s what was pushing me,” said Miller. “It feels good right now.”
The ‘Canes didn’t make it easy on themselves in this one. They dug themselves into a 13-point second half hole and were double-digits with around 10 minutes left. From there, though, they put on a show in Kansas City by closing the game on a 35-16 run. That included a 9-2 burst over the last minute and a half to break a tie with the Longhorns and win it by seven.
Larrañaga and the rest of the Hurricanes came into this postseason with a job to do. While they’ve gone further than they did last season, that’s just the first box they needed to check. It’s about finishing the job now as they head to Houston for a date with UConn.