The Miami Hurricanes are going home after losing to the UConn Huskies in the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA tournament. The Huskies' balanced play on both ends of the floor was simply too much for Miami basketball to deal with.
That task of keeping in step with UConn got even harder for the Hurricanes when they had to play a number of minutes without Nijel Pack on the floor due to a blown tire. See, Pack had to sit on the bench in the second half after his shoes broke, and because he did not have another pair with him, Miami's assistants had to scour for a replacement.
Miami guard Nijel Pack has been on the bench because of an issue with his shoe.
The team's assistants have been scrambling to get him a replacement pair:
pic.twitter.com/2qM4LswTYI— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 2, 2023
Miami ultimately fell short of its mission to claim a ticket to the National championship game, as the Hurricanes suffered a 72-59 loss at the hands of the Huskies. The Canes shot just 32.8 percent from the field, which was worse than the level they had shot the ball in prior contests in the NCAA tournament. Pack finished the game with just eight points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field to go with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Despite the loss, Miami has nothing to feel ashamed of. After all, this is the Hurricanes program's first-ever trip to the Final Four. The Hurricanes also had to take down some of the favorites to get into the national semis on their to this portion of the tournament. In the Sweet 16 round, Miami knocked out the No. 1 Houston Cougars before upsetting the No. 2 Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight.