Miami holds out hope for NIT invite

The Hurricanes let a halftime lead slip away against the Blue Devils...Again...But hope their semifinal run in the ACC Tournament will be enough to earn an NIT invitation.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- It took the Miami Hurricanes two special efforts in two days to make its first semifinal appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

The 12th-seeded Canes delivered another one Saturday -- it just wasn't enough to take down top-seeded Duke and keep their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Behind another dominant effort from Kyle Singler, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils created just enough cushion to distance themselves in a 77-74 win over the Canes. UM fought back from double-digit deficits twice -- including by as many 16 points with 11:52 to play -- before buckling under a 15-0 run midway through the second half to leave Greensboro Coliseum with a hard-fought loss and plenty of optimism for the future.

``I think by just getting here and playing the way we did, we proved something to ourselves and the whole country -- that we're going to be a good team, up and coming,'' said redshirt sophomore guard Malcolm Grant, who scored 17 points and fought back tears in the Canes' locker room.

``It's just tough that we had to lose. Duke is a great team. Singler is a beast. But when you make a great run twice to come back, you just hope you can finish it off.''

Singler, an All-ACC first-team selection, was a one-man wrecking crew for the Blue Devils, who will have a chance to win an ACC-best 18th conference crown in Sunday's championship game.

Singler, who launched Duke's rally from a 12-point halftime deficit at BankUnited Center last month, scored a team-high 27 points and made five three-pointers to go with a team-leading eight rebounds and seven assists.

SCOTT SHINES AGAIN

It offset another outstanding performance from UM freshman Durand Scott, who poured in 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with four rebounds, three assists and two steals before fouling out late in the game.

Duke (28-5) looked like it was going to roll early, using its size on defense to clog the lanes and dominate on the boards. But after Lance Thomas hit a wide open 15-foot jumper with 5:28 to play in the first half to stretch Duke's lead to 30-18, UM (20-13) answered with an impressive 17-2 run to close the half.

The crowd -- and the Canes -- got especially loud when Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski drew a technical foul with 2:07 to play. Grant then hit an NBA-range three-pointer with four seconds left to send UM into the half with a 35-32 lead.

``We weren't intimidated at all,'' said redshirt freshman Reggie Johnson, who had 14 points and eight rebounds. ``We weren't looking at the name on the jersey and shaking. We came out and played like we knew we could.

``They just came back like we knew they would.''

Just like they did in Coral Gables, the Blue Devils came storming back behind Singler. He hit back-to-back threes to start the half before senior Jon Scheyer (16 points, three steals) got into the act. Duke quickly stretched a one-point lead into a 58-42 advantage in a matter of 3 minutes 37 seconds, a run capped by two free throws from Brian Zoubek with 11:52 to play.

The Hurricanes didn't fold. Scott's three-pointer with 4:39 remaining trimmed Duke's lead to 68-61. UM just couldn't hit the big shot when it was needed and the Blue Devils iced the game at the free throw line.

UM `PLAYED GREAT'

``Miami has played great basketball here and this afternoon was another example of just how well they're playing,'' Krzyzewski said.

``I though our guys had to play a great second half. They fought until the very end and I thought we did too.''

The Hurricanes just hope they fought hard enough this week to earn an invite to the National Invitational Tournament. UM coach Frank Haith said after Friday's win over Virginia Tech that he thought his team had done enough with two conference tournament wins. But UM won't know its fate until late Sunday night.

``I hope we showed that this team can be a special basketball team,'' Haith said. ``It's extremely important for these guys to continue to play games especially the way we're playing.

``We just want to keep growing as basketball team.''