In a raucous, Missouri-heavy crowd Friday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes defeated the No. 10 Missouri Tigers 80-66.
Up nine with less than two minutes remaining, Miami guard Tre Donaldson held the ball as the shot clock neared expiration.
With Missouri’s Jayden Stone in his face, Donaldson buried a contested 3-pointer to give Miami a 12-point lead, silencing the 17,000 in attendance.
Despite the overwhelming presence of black and gold in St. Louis, “It’s great to be a Miami Hurricane” echoed through the arena as Tru Washington dribbled out the clock, sealing head coach Jai Lucas’ first NCAA Tournament win.
“It was a lot of Mizzou fans in the crowd that were against us,” Shelton Henderson said after the game. “Talk trash really gets me going.”
With less than eight minutes left, Missouri forward Mark Mitchell nailed a corner 3-pointer, forcing Lucas to call a timeout and sending the crowd into a frenzy as the Tigers took a one-point lead.
Lucas said containing Mitchell was a point for Miami (26-8, 13-5 ACC). Formally coached by Lucas at Duke, Mitchell came alive in the second half, scoring 15 points and hitting three 3-pointers over the final 20 minutes of his collegiate career,
“They built a wall that made it hard for me most of the game,” Mitchell said after the game. “I couldn’t get going there until late.”
Following Mitchell’s 3-pointer, the Hurricanes played their best stretch of the season, going on a 28-12 run capped by a Malik Reneau three-point play and Donaldson’s contested 3.
During that eight-minute stretch, Reneau, Henderson and Donaldson combined for 23 of the 28 points, carrying Miami when it mattered most.
“These three up here with me in each part of the game, they showed why they have gotten us here,” Lucas said. “Malik being able to close, Tre with his big shots, Shelton in the first half kinda carrying us offensively.”
Reneau finished his night with 24 points — including 19 in the second half — along with six rebounds and three assists.
Dominance on the glass and second-chance points ultimately proved to be the difference for Miami. Ernest Udeh Jr. helped the Hurricanes to 46 rebounds, including 16 offensive boards, leading to 19 second-chance points. Before fouling out, Udeh recorded 10 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Despite the win, Miami struggled at the free-throw line — a season-long issue that has yet to cost it but remains a concern,
The Canes entered the tournament shooting 68.5% from the line. Against Missouri, they shot 59%, including a stretch in which they made just 4 of 13.
While the second half featured an offensive surge, the first half was a defensive grind.
The first 20 minutes saw both teams combine for 54 points on 30% shooting, along with 12 turnovers and little offensive rhythm.
Missouri found momentum late in the half, closing on a 9-0 run capped by an Anthony Robinson II 3-pointer to cut Miami’s lead to 27-26 at the break.
The 2024-25 Hurricanes were 7-24, one of the worst seasons in program history — a low point for a program that was once discontinued for 14 years.
Under Lucas in 2025–26, Miami improved by 19 wins, tying the Division I record for the largest year-to-year turnaround.
It’s no understatement to call the Jai Lucas era a success, as the Canes find themselves back in the Round of 32 for the first time since their Final Four run in 2023.
Missouri, on the other end, ended its season on a four-game losing streak. Head coach Dennis Gates defended his team after the game.
“I’ll stand on the train tracks for them every day, any day of the week,” Gates said. “My guys did not fail. If you want to say something about failing, say Dennis Gates failed.”
Miami will stay in St. Louis to face No. 2 seed Purdue (28-8, 13-7 Big Ten) on Sunday at the Enterprise Center, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Tip-off is set for 12:10 p.m. on CBS.
