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Three Key Takeaways:

Miami’s Angel Rodriguez Led His Team to the Sweet Sixteen (USA Today Images)

1. The Shockers are gritty and tough, but so is Miami. After the Hurricanes jumped out to an early 27-6 first half lead, Wichita State fought back using offensive rebounding and turnovers to take a one-point lead on a Ron Baker three-pointer with 10:26 remaining. It was what we’ve come to expect from a Wichita State team that is never completely out of it. Miami’s response, though, was noteworthy. The Hurricanes could have wilted under the pressure, but they held strong behind impressive performances from Sheldon McClellan (18 points) and Davon Reed (10 points).
2. Angel Rodriguez went from Hurricane to drizzle to Hurricane. Rodriguez started the game on fire for Miami, scoring 16 points in the first 10 minutes without missing a shot. But then things turned for the worse. As the Shockers made their eventual comeback, Rodriguez was nowhere to be found. He didn’t attempt a shot for the rest of the first half and didn’t make another field goal until there was just 2:05 left in the game. During that drought he also committed five turnovers, but he woke up to close out the game, scoring the Hurricanes’ final 10 points (including a dagger three to push the lead to seven). This performance only reinforces the idea that a good Angel Rodriguez is the Hurricanes’ most important factor this March.
3. Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker, it’s been a pleasure. The Shockers’ two senior guards have been college basketball mainstays for the past four seasons, helping Wichita State to a Final Four, an undefeated regular season and another Sweet Sixteen. Throughout the weekend, it’s been clear that opposing coaches and players hold VanVleet and Baker in high regard because of how they play the game. What’s next for the two guards is uncertain, but their time at Wichita State sure was fun while it lasted.

Star of the Game: Angel Rodriguez, Miami. Despite a stretch during the middle of the contest where he disappeared, Rodriguez was the best player on the floor — finishing with a career-high 28 points and five assists.

Quotables:

• “Thank these guys to my right, all five seniors, for allowing us to ride their coattails.” Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall, on the Shockers’ run of success.
• “Angel Rodriguez, he was a man possessed.” Marshall, on the play of Miami’s star.
• “Throughout my career here, the word quit’s never sank in well with our vocabulary.” Ron Baker, on the comeback.

Sights And Sounds: After a quiet outing during the Hurricanes’ win over Buffalo on Thursday, the Miami crowd woke up today by loudly cheering during the Hurricanes’ explosive 27-6 start. Meanwhile, the Duke and Yale fan bases sat on their hands for most of the first half, but quickly revealed where their allegiances lay as Wichita State clawed back late.

What’s Next: Miami moves on to Louisville to face the winner of Iowa-Villanova, where they’ll be hoping the good Angel Rodriguez again makes an appearance.

Chris Stone (136 Posts)

Chris Stone is a contributor to the Big 12 microsite. You can find him on Twitter @cstonehoops.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 19th, 2016 at 1:01 pm by Chris Stone and is filed under 2016 ncaa tournament, feature, rushed reactions. Tagged: angel rodriguez, davon reed, Fred VanVleet, gregg marshall, miami, ron baker, Sheldon McClellan, wichita state. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.