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Miami Florida comes into Sunday's 2nd round of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament as a +7.5 underdog vs. Purdue. The payout on the moneyline should the Hurricanes win outright would be $260 for every $100 bet.
Malik Reneau, Tre Donaldson and the rest of the guys from Miami heard the boos before they stepped onto the floor for their NCAA Tournament opener, which was supposedly played at a neutral site but sure felt like a road game.
The crowd was filled with Missouri fans for a game played a couple of hours away from the school's Columbia campus, essentially giving Mizzou home court advantage, but that was not to be.
Reneau scored 24 points, Donaldson hit a couple of big baskets down the stretch, and the seventh-seeded Hurricanes pulled away late for an 80-66 victory on Friday night that earned them a date with Purdue for a spot in the Sweet 16.
“We had a good idea coming in what we were going to see in the stands,” said Donaldson, who finished with 17 points. “Our biggest thing was to treat it like a normal road game. Don't overcomplicate it. Don't do anything different. We've won a couple of these.”
For its part, Purdue routed Queens University Friday.
Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to the 104-71 victory.
- Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com
