Everyone was predicting the upset here. At the end of the first half, a lot of those same people were feeling pretty good. Loyola Chicago came out on fire, hitting 6 of their first 7 shots. Miami looked slower and less prepared. Luckily, this trend was not long-lived, as the Canes were able to respond and keep pace for the remainder of the half, as we entered the half tied 28-28. Still, the Canes were outrebounded, and outscored in the paint as well as on the break. Loyola looked like the better team for 20 minutes.
The Canes came out a different team to start the second half, and after an 11-4 run early, the Canes led 39-32.