Little Rock, AR -- (Sports Network) - A.J. Abrams scored a game-high 26 points and Damion James chipped in with 16 points and 16 rebounds as Texas nearly blew a 17-point lead before holding on to defeat Miami-Florida, 75-72, in the second round of the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament at Alltel Arena.

Connor Atchley donated 15 points, while D.J. Augustin had 12 points and eight assists for second-seeded Texas (30-6), which advances to play in the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the past seven seasons. The Longhorns will now face third-seeded Stanford on Friday in Houston.

Jack McClinton scored a team-high 18 points, while Lance Hurdle had 11 for seventh-seeded Miami-Florida (23-11), which is coached by Frank Haith, who worked under Rick Barnes as an assistant coach with Texas for three seasons (2001-04).

With Texas holding a 43-32 lead after one half, the Longhorns continued to dominate the contest in the second, going on a mini 6-1 run. James' three with 3 1/2 minutes gone gave Texas a 49-33 advantage.

Texas continued to hold a comfortable double-digit lead throughout the half, expanding the margin to 60-43 with under 11 minutes left following two Augustin free throws, but Miami was able to make it a 68-62 game with 1:37 left after a pair of free throws by McClinton.

After the Hurricanes were forced to foul, the Longhorns continued to struggle from the free-throw line, allowing Miami to get to within three at 72-69 after Raymond Hicks drilled a trey. Abrams then made a pair from the charity stripe with 9.5 seconds left to make it a five-point game, but another three by Hicks made it a 74-72 with 1.8 ticks left.

"First of all, let's give Miami a lot of credit for a lot of heart, lot of grit, lot of determination and the way they fought to the very end," Barnes said. "But as I was sitting there, I mean, I knew that would happen because obviously y'all know my relationship with Frank (Haith), and I know what he's about and his team."

After Augustin made 1-of-2 from the line to put the Longhorns ahead by three, Texas broke up the ensuing inbounds pass to seal the victory.

"We just didn't stop playing," Miami head coach Frank Haith said. "I thought our guys just kept playing. And we made some plays. We got some stops. You know, I thought it was -- there was a couple possessions I thought really hurt us."

With the contest tied 8-8 in the early going, Texas went on a 21-7 run and following a three-pointer by Atchley, held a 29-15 advantage midway through the opening half.

The Hurricanes continued to chip away at the deficit and after a three by Eddie Rios, trailed 33-26 with 7:21 left in the stanza. However, The Longhorns responded with an 8-2 spurt of their own and took a 43-32 edge into the break.

Game Notes

Texas improved to 31-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, while Miami fell to 4-6 in the event...The Longhorns outrebounded the Hurricanes 41-30...Texas shot 43.9 percent from the field, including 50 percent (13-of-26) from three- point range, while Miami made 40 percent of its shots and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc...Hicks had 10 points.