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Rapid Reaction: Kansas uses surge to start second half to take down Miami
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Miami Hurricanes advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history by beating Iowa State on Friday night.
But, on Sunday, a first trip to the Final Four simply wasn’t in the cards against No. 1 seed Kansas. The Hurricanes played well in the first half, leading 35-29 at the intermission.
That’s when the wheels fell off for Jim Larranaga’s squad, though. Big man Sam Waardenburg got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out.
That forced Kansas to go to a smaller lineup, leading to a Kansas outburst. The Jayhawks outscored the Hurricanes 47-15 in the second half to pull off a 76-50 victory.
Ochai Ogbaji looked like a lottery pick, leading the Jayhawks with 18 points to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals:
OCHAI BACKDOOR SLAM ??
Jayhawks are rolling #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/UqBGg0QyD5
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2022
He also had this nice move for an easy bucket:
.@youngoch with the up and under ?@KUHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Oadu5UZDrN
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2022
Big man David McCormack had 15 points and Christian Braun contributed 12 to the winning effort. Defense was the key for the Jayhawks, though, as allowing the Hurricanes to score only 15 points in the final 20 minutes of the game showed why Kansas is a No. 1 seed.
For Kansas coach Bill Self, this was an emotional moment, as his father passed away earlier this season. He was emotional on the sidelines in the game’s closing minutes.
Now, the Jayhawks advance to New Orleans, where Villanova awaits them in the Final Four. Can the Jayhawks make it to the title game on Monday night? We’ll find out soon enough.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
