Sports
Miami basketball is seeing double as men's and women's teams advance to the Elite Eight on the same day – NCAA.com
🏈 Ranking the top 25 college football teams
🏆 Preseason FCS bracket projections
⚽️ Preseason women's top 25
📊 Men's soccer preseason rankings
A Friday night in South Beach can always be fun, but today might be a little bit sweeter after Miami (FL)’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each picked up Sweet 16 wins on Friday, March 24.
The Hurricanes made history as both teams advanced, becoming the first school to have its men’s and women’s teams reach the Elite Eight in the same year, with neither team a top-four seed. And it happened on the same day at that.
RELATED: No No. 1 seeds make the Elite Eight for the first time in NCAA men’s tournament history
On the women’s side, No. 9 Miami’s 70-65 win over No. 4 Villanova made the Hurricanes the second No. 9 seed in women’s tournament history to advance to the Elite Eight, joining Arkansas in 1998. It’s the first time in program history that Miami’s women have reached the Elite Eight after an improbable tournament run.
The Hurricanes nearly blew a 21-point lead in the Sweet 16, but held off the nation’s leading scorer, Maddy Siegrist, just enough for the win. Before that, Miami knocked off a No. 1 seed in the second round and prevailed in the first round after trailing by 17 points.
On the men’s side, No. 5 Miami defeated No. 1 Houston 89-75 after scoring 42 first-half points on the second-ranked scoring defense in the country. It’s the second straight Elite Eight appearance for the Hurricanes after never reaching the round prior.
It’s the second time deja-vu struck in Miami in the 2023 tournaments. Both the men’s and women’s teams had to defeat a higher-ranked Indiana team — No. 4 and No. 1, respectively — to reach the Sweet 16.
MORE COVERAGE: Upset tracker | How each bracket was busted | Latest highlights and previews
Now that Miami’s basketball has reached the Elite Eight together, the programs are just six wins away from achieving a feat typically reserved for programs like UConn in 2004 and 2014 — bringing home a men’s and women’s national championship to the same school.
*Louisville’s 2013 men’s title was vacated
While both Huskies teams could join the Hurricanes in the Elite Eight tomorrow, Friday is all about the Hurricanes, with fans everywhere enjoying the Miami success. Fans ranging from the student body to Grammy-Award-winning artist Lil Wayne.
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as an FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the 2022 College Football Playoff’s Peach Bowl and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners