The Hurricanes knew what was coming. They’d seen it before, two years earlier on this very same floor, in this very same scenario.
And yet, there were stretches where it seemed they were powerless to stop an upset-minded Florida Gulf Coast team that came to Coral Gables intent on using its solid perimeter shooting to knock Miami out of the NCAA Tournament well before many expected the Hurricanes — who this year notched wins against the likes of Notre Dame, Louisville and Syracuse — to exit.
Ultimately though, while the Eagles 3-pointers began falling in the second half and they were able to erase what was once a 14-point second-half Miami lead, the Hurricanes used an 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to give themselves some breathing room before finally closing out a 69-62 win over FGCU.