Men's Final Four is set as North Carolina and Kansas join Duke and Villanova
CHICAGO — As the Miami men’s basketball players began trickling toward the locker room and the celebration continued in the stands, Jim Larrañaga veered from his route to the tunnel and headed to the opposite side of the court. He had spent the past couple hours leading the Hurricanes to a Sweet 16 victory, and even with a sizable lead in the final minutes, Larrañaga swept his hands through the air after each possession, imploring his team to run back and play defense.
But after meeting Iowa State’s team in the handshake line and fulfilling interview obligations, the 72-year-old coach from New York could finally pause. Most of his players had left the floor when he shuffled over to a line of Miami cheerleaders. He joined them with his right arm raised and finger pointing skyward, swaying back and forth as the alma mater played. Larrañaga raised both fists, then maneuvered through press seating toward the front row.
Larrañaga took a couple steps back and yelled for the people in the crowd to hush. They listened. And he screamed, “I’ll see you Sunday!” This is a coach who took over the Miami program in 2011, when the school had reached the Sweet 16 just once in its history. Larrañaga has brought the Hurricanes to that round three times since then, and this time he’s going further. Miami, a No. 10 seed, will meet No. 1 Kansas in the program’s first Elite Eight appearance. A win Sunday would send this team on a stunning run to the Final Four, matching Larrañaga’s success with No. 11 seed George Mason in 2006.
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