No. 11-seed Syracuse will face off against No. 14-seed Wake Forest at 7 p.m. March 6. The winner of that game will play No. 6 North Carolina the following night at 9 p.m. Then the winner of that matchup advances to play Miami in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. Thursday, March 8.
But the Canes kept their composure and closed the game out with a contested mid-range jumper by Lonnie Walker IV to tie it and then with the Lykes free-throw to win it with just three seconds left.
The Hurricanes remained poised, however, and rode some solid defense and efficient free-throw shooting from seniors Erykah Davenport and Keyanna Harris to victory.
Senior Ja’Quan Newton had made only four 3-pointers all season, shooting 17 percent from beyond the arc. His fifth one might have solidified the Miami Hurricanes an NCAA Tournament spot.
Miami faces No. 9 North Carolina and unranked Virginia Tech to close the regular season. How will the Hurricanes fare, and will their performance be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament?
Led by 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists from freshman Kelsey Marshall and 13 points from redshirt senior Shaneese Bailey, Miami started off dominant on the offensive end and never looked back.
BC was rolling, and UM had no answer for the dynamic backcourt of Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson. The game looked close to over, and Miami had already suffered a period of nearly five minutes without a field goal. Then Lykes flipped the switch.
Both teams have been dealing with short-handed lineups, which has led to struggles, but they have gone in opposite directions recently when it comes to performance.
The Canes (18-8, 8-5 ACC) pulled down 45 rebounds, 18 of which were on the offensive end – leading to 20 second-chance points.
Miami’s struggles against the 2-3 zone continued against the team that has mastered it over the years. And now, with just four games remaining, the Canes will need to make a late push to make the NCAA Tournament.
A spokesman for the U.S. District Court of Southern New York confirmed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office asked a federal judge to drop the charges last week, and the case was confirmed to be closed on Tuesday, according to an ESPN report.
The Hurricanes (17-8, 7-5 ACC) kept pace with the Seminoles in the opening minutes, but then Florida State took over.