The University of Miami Hurricanes basketball team will head to its first Final Four in the school's history after defeating the Texas Longhorns on Sunday in the NCAA March Madness tournament’s Elite Eight round.
The Hurricanes won with a score of 88-81 following a close game against the University of Texas Longhorns. According to ChurchLeaders.com, the team's victory marks the first time they will advance to the Final Four. The Hurricanes lost in the Elite Eight round last year.
In a post on Twitter, Nicaraguan-born third-year sophomore Norchad Omier led the team in prayer following their historic win.
"Thank you for bringing us here," Omier prayed.
Members of the @CanesHoops team knelt in prayer to thank God following their win today. 🙏
— The Athletes' Corner (@AthletesCorner_) March 27, 2023
Final Four bound!
🎥: @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/pxvytznsNS
According to Sports Spectrum, Miami's wing player Jordan Miller led his team to victory by scoring 27 points with free throws, a feat not seen since Christian Laettner in 1992.
"No one wanted to go home. We came together. We stuck together. We showed really good perseverance. And the will — the will to just want to get there," Miller, a fifth-year senior, told CBS in a post-game interview.
When asked about his team's Elite Eight loss to Kansas, who took home the championship last year, Miller said that the defeat prompted the Hurricanes to come back stronger.
"It hurt," he noted. "That feeling? It doesn't go away. And the fact that we had the opportunity to come back and make amends, make it right, that's what was pushing me."
He also said he was grateful that the Hurricanes will now go to their first-ever Final Four.
"After the buzzer sounded, it felt surreal," he said. "Being able to go on stage, hold up the trophy, cut down nets again, truly blessed."
"We're going to celebrate tonight, maybe a little bit tomorrow," he continued. "But it's not over. We've got a big — a team that's rolling — next: UConn (29-8). So, celebrate and then on to the next one."
Miller, who is a professing Christian, has the words "In Jesus' Name I Play" in his Instagram bio. He also has several faith-based tattoos, including one of Philippians 4:13 on his right arm, the word "faith" behind his right ear, and three crosses with Christ in the center on his left knee.
The Hurricanes' next game is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, in Houston, Texas. They will play the fourth-seed team, the University of Connecticut Huskies.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jamie Squire/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
