Kansas Crushed Miami In The Second Half To Punch Their Ticket To The Final Four

The Kansas Jayhawks entered Sunday afternoon in Chicago as the last remaining 1-seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and after one half of play it looked like we might see a Final Four without a single top seed, as 10-seed Miami took a 35-29 lead into the break.

Both teams played good defense in the first half, but it was Miami’s ability to hit timely shots and get out on the break that pushed them to an early lead, led by one of their veteran leaders in Kameron McGusty. However, the second half saw Kansas tighten the screws on their defense and start to open things up offensively in one of the most dominant halves of basketball you’ll see at any level. The Jayhawks quickly erased the Hurricanes’ halftime lead and proceeded to pile on, beating Miami 47-15 in the second half en route to a 76-50 win, as they started to turn defense into offense and get out and run.

David McCormack scored eight quick points in the second half, finishing with 15 for the game, as the big man made his presence felt early before Kansas went to a small lineup that gave the Hurricanes offense fits. Christian Braun chipped in 12 points, but it was Ochai Agbaji that took control for the Jayhawks after a quiet first half, finishing the game with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

On the defensive end, it was the likes of Agbaji and Dajuan Harris who turned up the pressure on Miami and forced them into turnovers and stagnant possessions, as the Hurricanes could not get stops or buckets to try and put a halt to the Jayhawk onslaught. With the win, Kansas locks themselves into a very intriguing matchup with Villanova in the Final Four in New Orleans, as the two bluebloods will square off for a right to play for a national title. Kansas punching their ticket leaves one more spot remaining for either UNC, trying to make it an all-blueblood Final Four, or St. Peter’s, trying to make history as the first 15-seed to reach the tournament’s final weekend.

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By: Robby Kalland
Title: Kansas Crushed Miami In The Second Half To Punch Their Ticket To The Final Four
Sourced From: uproxx.com/dimemag/kansas-miami-video-highlights-ncaa-tournament-final-four/
Published Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2022 13:51:23 PDT