Jordan Miller leads UM comeback as Hurricanes rally from down 18 to beat Syracuse 75-72
It was senior day at the Carrier Dome Saturday, and the Miami Hurricanes spoiled the party and broke Syracuse hearts for a second time this season, rallying from 18 points down to defeat the Orange 75-72.
UM was behind by seven with just over a minute to go and scored the final 10 points of the game on heady plays by Kam McGusty, Jordan Miller and Charlie Moore.
Miller, a transfer from George Mason, had his best game in a Miami uniform with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds, two steals and a block.
The opportunistic junior took over in the final minute. He grabbed an offensive rebound off a Moore missed free throw, raced up the court and scored on a bank shot to push UM ahead 73-72 with 13 seconds to go. He then grabbed a defensive rebound off a Syracuse missed jumper, got fouled and made a pair of free throws to seal the win.
“Jordan Miller was sensational from start to finish,” UM coach Jim Larranaga said. “Jordan was around the basket, finishing so many plays, including the game-winning offensive rebound off the missed free throw and then banking in the bucket. It was an unbelievable play. We showed some resiliency like we have all season long.”
Larranaga said Miller is the team’s best offensive rebounder.
“It’s a skill that I don’t know how he developed it, but not only can he get the offensive rebound, he can tip them in, has a great assortment of layups and touch shots and for him to get that one at the end was really spectacular.”
Miller said he takes pride in his rebounding.
“It doesn’t take skill, it’s just a matter of how badly you want the ball,” Miller said. “I wanted to win this game so bad. We always find a way to get it done. We were down but nobody hung their head. We had been there before and we knew we had plenty of time.”
McGusty scored 19 points, Isaiah Wong had 15 and point guard Moore, whose steal in the final minute was crucial, had 11 points with eight assists and just one turnover.
Miami had already clinched a double-bye in next week’s ACC tournament and ends the regular season with a 22-9 record and was 14-6 in the conference. The Hurricanes were 10-2 on the road, one of the only teams in the nation with 10 road victories. Syracuse is 15-16 and 9-11.
The storyline of UM’s comeback was almost identical to the last the teams played in early January.
Syracuse’s high-octane offense, led by coach Jim Boeheim’s sons Buddy and Jimmy, kicked in early and the Orange opened an 18-point lead -- the same exact gap they had on Jan. 5. UM answered with a 16-2 run to close to within four, and the Hurricanes hung around and kept chipping away.
Buddy Boeheim, the ACC’s leading scorer, led Syracuse with 30 points and his brother had 14.
“Syracuse played a terrific first half, we were a little bit passive and indecisive,” Larranaga said. “We started playing much better defense in the second half, pressuring the ball and getting the game to a much faster pace, which favored us.”
The Hurricanes will open the ACC tournament on March 10 in Brooklyn, New York, as the No. 4 seed and will play in the 2:30 p.m. quarterfinal.
“The marathon is now over, and now the sprints begin,” Larranaga said. “Every game is one and done.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 5:13 PM.