Miami weathered a back-and-forth battle to advance in the NCAA Tournament with a 80-66 victory over Missouri at the neutral-site Enterprise Center. The Hurricanes built their largest lead at 14 points behind a devastating 11-0 run midway through the second half that pushed their advantage to 63-54. Missouri mounted resistance with an 11-2 scoring run early in the first period to briefly tie things up at 29-28, but Miami's defense ultimately suffocated the Tigers' comeback attempts. Down the stretch, Tru Washington sealed the deal with clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds as Missouri's late rally fell short. The Tigers cut it to single digits with a layup from Trent Pierce with 40 seconds remaining, but Miami's free-throw execution down the stretch proved decisive. The Hurricanes' suffocating defense, particularly in the second half, overwhelmed Missouri's offense and sent Miami dancing deeper into March.