CORAL GABLES, Fla. _ Their win against Virginia earlier this week had them dancing in the locker room.
The Hurricanes win over Duke on Saturday likely assured they'll be dancing in the NCAA Tournament.
Miami's men's basketball team, which already once this season had blown a lead against the powerhouse Blue Devils, was determined to not let that happen again.
Thanks to a spectacular effort from freshman Bruce Brown, it didn't.
The guard dazzled on Saturday, scoring a game-high 25 points as the Hurricanes, playing in their final regular-season home game of the season, held off the 10th-ranked Blue Devils to pick up a 55-50 win.
The victory marks Miami's second upset of a ranked team this week after the Hurricanes bested the then 18th-ranked Cavaliers 54-48 in overtime on Monday. It also marked their second upset of the season of a Tobacco Road blueblood, with Miami knocking off then-No. 9 North Carolina late last month.
And just as he did that day against the Tar Heels when he had a career-high 30 points, Brown shone.
On a day when Miami's offense at times struggled, the guard found ways to put points on the board, shooting 6-of-8 in the first half, while his teammates combined to go 4-of-21 in the period.
In the second half, when Miami was mired in scoring droughts reminiscent of the ones that appeared in Durham when the Blue Devils (22-7, 10-6 ACC) used a strong second half to beat Miami, it was often Brown that helped them emerge.
Ultimately, there was little Duke _ a team full of talented freshmen of its own _ could do to stop him.
Davon Reed, who along with Kamari Murphy was honored pregame as part of Miami's Senior Day celebration, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Ja'Quan Newton, returning after a three-game suspension, added seven points and five rebounds for Miami, which has now posted a 5-3 record against Duke under coach Jim Larranaga.
For Miami (20-8, 10-6) early, the game had a similar look to the one it played Monday at Virginia.
Against the Cavaliers, defense was at the forefront and points were at a premium.
It was more of the same in the first half against the Blue Devils, who were playing without standout guard Grayson Allen, who was held out of the game because of an ankle injury.
Without him and against Miami's strong defense, the Blue Devils also struggled in the first half.
The two teams traded baskets with each shooting 10-of-29 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
Brown found any kind of consistent success against Duke during the first 20 minutes, totaling 13 of his 25 points in the opening minutes.
