For many years, the Miami Hurricanes were little more than a basketball team playing at a football school. Between 1971 and 1985, the school didn’t even play basketball. Even when the Hurricanes returned to the hardwood, there was little excitement around the program, making it easy to find cheap Miami basketball tickets. But things have changed in the 21st century. The ‘Canes now play in one of the best basketball conferences in the country and have started to slowly gain national recognition, finally putting last-minute Miami basketball tickets in demand.

Sleepwalking in South Beach

Until Leonard Hamilton took over as Miami’s coach in 1990, there wasn’t much to get excited about. The Hurricanes made the NCAA Tournament in 1960 but didn’t get back to the Big Dance until Hamilton led them there in 1998. In fact, Hamilton took Miami to the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons, culminating in Miami’s first conference championship and first Sweet 16 appearance in 2000, right before Hamilton left the program for the NBA. While he wasn’t able to finish what he started, Hamilton proved that a traditional football powerhouse like Miami could make headway on the basketball court.

Picking Up the Trail

The Hurricanes struggled to build off of Hamilton’s success after he left. However, Jim Larrañaga was eventually able to get the ‘Canes back on track after being hired in 2011. In his second season with the Hurricanes, Larrañaga led Miami to an ACC regular-season title and a conference tournament title before getting the Hurricanes back to the Sweet 16. Larrañaga got Miami to the Big Dance four times in his first seven seasons. He then rebuilt the program after a few down seasons, setting a new watermark for the program in 2022 when Miami reached the Elite Eight. That run was a sign that the Hurricanes are far from just a football school but have also become a permanent fixture on the college basketball landscape.