Jack McClinton Gets Hot in Miami's Win Over St. Mary's

Miami spent most of the first half trailing St. Mary's and making me think, "uh-oh ... here comes the anti-ACC smack." Especially since Duke narrowly escaped Belmont last night.

Then Hurricanes' guard Jack McClinton got hot. Very hot. McClinton scored a career-high 38 points to lead Miami to a 78-64 win and a second round meeting against the Texas/Austin Peay winner. If it is Texas, then Canes' coach Frank Haith will face off against his former team (he was an assistant there before taking the Miami gig).

McClinton was just unbelievable in the second half. He scored 32 of his points after halftime which included a variety of shots: fast break threes, drives to the basket, acrobatic layups and floaters. Defenders couldn't keep up with him as he peeled off screens to get open looks and broke down his man off the dribble.

Despite his mammoth offensive output, it wasn't just McClinton that decided this one. Miami's defense was suffocating during a rabid 27-6 run that spanned both halves. The Hurricanes dominated the boards (43 to 30) and hit 17 of their 21 free throws. The St. Mary's Gaels were ice cold. They shot just 37% from the field, 35% from behind the arc and missed 11 of their 23 free throws.