The Miami Hurricanes basketball team has gotten its season off to an upbeat start. The Hurricanes are sending a clear message to the rest of the ACC with this win over the defending SEC champs. No. 8 Florida looked to be on the way to a comfortable win over Miami when Angel Rodriguez caught absolute fire, guiding the Hurricanes to a 69-67 win over the Gators.
Angel Rodriguez scored 24 points, none bigger than those that came on a falling-down, hand-in-the-face 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, and Miami overcame a 15-point deficit to upset No. 8 Florida 69-67 on Monday night.
With the game on the line and his confidence soaring, Miami’s Angel Rodriguez asked for the ball. “Angel Rodriguez was sensational,” Larranaga said. “He’s going to do whatever is necessary to win.”
The Hurricanes scored 48 points in the second half as Rodriguez took over. The former Kansas State guard hit three consecutive 3-pointers that helped Miami take the lead with 1:45 left. His free throw tied it with 1:13 remaining. But his fifth 3 of the game was the dagger that ended Florida’s school-record, 33-game winning streak at home.
Rodriguez scored 20 points in the final seven minutes of the game — including five threes, plus three free throws when he was fouled while shooting another three — to rally the Hurricanes back from a deficit that reached as much as 15.
Florida had a final chance to send it to overtime, but Michael Frazier II missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Eli Carter led the Gators with 21 points, including 16 in the second half. Florida was down four players in the game, including starting forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
Florida’s real problem was its second-half defense. Coach Billy Donovan ripped his team last week because of shaky defense, saying the Gators weren’t “remotely close” to deserving their lofty ranking.
It showed Monday. The Hurricanes shot 65 percent in the second half and 70 percent from 3-point range.