No. 8 Miami at No. 13 Virginia, 7 p.m. ESPNU
The Cavaliers lost their second game in a row Saturday at Georgia Tech. It was the first time Virginia has experienced back-to-back setbacks since Dec. 4 and 7, 2013. Now, they turn around and get to come back home, but it not a very fun get-well game with the Hurricanes in town. Here's more on this year's Miami team:
Record: 13-1, 2-0
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Sheldon McClellan (16.3), sophomore guard Ja'Quan Newton (12.1), senior guard Angel Rodriguez (11.4), junior guard Davon Reed (10.2)
Leading rebounders: Senior center Tonye Jekiri (9.6), senior forward Kamari Murphy (5.8), Reed (4.5)
Assist leaders: Rodriguez (3.8), Newton (3)
Notable: Jekiri averages 8.7 ppg. Murphy is at 6.5 ppg. Nine Hurricanes average at least 13 minutes per game, including 6-foot-10 senior forward Ivan Cruz Uceda (7.6 ppg), who is worth noting because he has made half of his 3-point shots (25 of 50), so he could pose a problem for Virginia as it has had a hard time with smooth-shooting big men before.
Best win: Home against then-No. 16 Utah, 90-66
Worst win: Every win Miami has is by double digits except one, at Nebraska, 77-72 in OT. The Cornhuskers are just 9-8.
Loss: It was a bad one, 78-77, at home against Northeastern
What Miami does well: They score 82.8 ppg, which ranks 25th. They shoot 49.7 percent from the field,
which is actually tied with Virginia for 15th in the country, 37.2 percent from 3-point range (65th), and 76.9 percent of their free throws (7th). Miami also has a pretty good defense, allowing just 64.8 ppg (42nd). It held its two ACC opponents, Syracuse and Florida State, to 51 and 59 points, respectively.
What Miami does poorly: At this point early in the conference schedule, it is tough to locate something the Hurricanes are bad at, but their turnover margin is just at +1.1 per game,114th in the country, and they record just 13.8 assists per game, 157th.
Unfortunately, this is one of the worst possible games Virginia could play at this point. Miami is rolling. I think I would rather play Duke. Perhaps the only other ACC team I wouldn't want to see now is North Carolina. Miami can score and can shoot well, and Virginia has had a tough time on defense the last two games, both losses when Tech and Tech averaged 69 ppg. Virginia will probably have to score in the 70s to win, and they'll need to shoot better than they did in the first half against the Hokies and the whole game vs. the Yellow Jackets. Miami coach Jim Larranaga is one of the finest coaches in the ACC, maybe the nation, and I am sure he has looked at what is working vs. Virginia and is devising something similar. There is a long way to go this year, and a loss doesn't necessarily mean panic time, especially a loss against a top-10 opponent, but I think things could get worse before they get better.
Gut feeling: Miami wins by 10-15 points.
The Cavaliers lost their second game in a row Saturday at Georgia Tech. It was the first time Virginia has experienced back-to-back setbacks since Dec. 4 and 7, 2013. Now, they turn around and get to come back home, but it not a very fun get-well game with the Hurricanes in town. Here's more on this year's Miami team:
Record: 13-1, 2-0
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Sheldon McClellan (16.3), sophomore guard Ja'Quan Newton (12.1), senior guard Angel Rodriguez (11.4), junior guard Davon Reed (10.2)
Leading rebounders: Senior center Tonye Jekiri (9.6), senior forward Kamari Murphy (5.8), Reed (4.5)
Assist leaders: Rodriguez (3.8), Newton (3)
Notable: Jekiri averages 8.7 ppg. Murphy is at 6.5 ppg. Nine Hurricanes average at least 13 minutes per game, including 6-foot-10 senior forward Ivan Cruz Uceda (7.6 ppg), who is worth noting because he has made half of his 3-point shots (25 of 50), so he could pose a problem for Virginia as it has had a hard time with smooth-shooting big men before.
Best win: Home against then-No. 16 Utah, 90-66
Worst win: Every win Miami has is by double digits except one, at Nebraska, 77-72 in OT. The Cornhuskers are just 9-8.
Loss: It was a bad one, 78-77, at home against Northeastern
What Miami does well: They score 82.8 ppg, which ranks 25th. They shoot 49.7 percent from the field,
What Miami does poorly: At this point early in the conference schedule, it is tough to locate something the Hurricanes are bad at, but their turnover margin is just at +1.1 per game,114th in the country, and they record just 13.8 assists per game, 157th.
Unfortunately, this is one of the worst possible games Virginia could play at this point. Miami is rolling. I think I would rather play Duke. Perhaps the only other ACC team I wouldn't want to see now is North Carolina. Miami can score and can shoot well, and Virginia has had a tough time on defense the last two games, both losses when Tech and Tech averaged 69 ppg. Virginia will probably have to score in the 70s to win, and they'll need to shoot better than they did in the first half against the Hokies and the whole game vs. the Yellow Jackets. Miami coach Jim Larranaga is one of the finest coaches in the ACC, maybe the nation, and I am sure he has looked at what is working vs. Virginia and is devising something similar. There is a long way to go this year, and a loss doesn't necessarily mean panic time, especially a loss against a top-10 opponent, but I think things could get worse before they get better.
Gut feeling: Miami wins by 10-15 points.
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