The Virginia Cavaliers will look to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday evening when they take on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in Coral Gables. The Cavaliers fell for the first time this past weekend to the former top-ranked team in the country, Houston, by a score of 69-61. The contest is scheduled for an 8:30 PM EST tip-off from Watsco Center and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. The Cavaliers are a (-1) road favorite, with the current total set at 135 points.
Virginia started the season with eight consecutive victories; logging wins over Illinois, Baylor, and Michigan.
The Hurricanes are one of the more surprising teams in the nation at 11-1 so far this season and have successfully padded their out-of-conference tournament resume with victories over Providence, UCF, Rutgers, and North Carolina State.
Virginia Cavaliers Rundown
Tony Bennett appears to have recaptured some of the magic that led to a national championship just four seasons ago. This Virginia team boasts the same starting five from a season ago with a tremendous mix of talent and experience. Kihei Clark is still the leader of this team both emotionally and statistically, ranking second on the team in points per game and first in assists.
Teaming with Clark in the backcourt once again is defensive specialist Reece Beekman. While the 6 ‘3 junior has always been a dynamo on the defensive end, this season, he is more efficient offensively, logging career highs in points, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage. His defensive metrics are also a career-high with a 94.4 defensive rating though his steals per game have regressed by about a third.
Shockingly, Virginia is one of the worst teams in the ACC against the spread at just 3-6 on the season. In fact, the Cavaliers have not covered a number since November 20th and have gone over the total in five of their nine games so far.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes Rundown
Strong winds are blowing in Coral Gables as Jim Larranaga boasts one of the most talented backcourts in the entire country. The veteran coach has five quality guards at his disposal, all of whom are averaging at least 6.4 points per game.
Isaiah Wong once again leads the team in both scoring at over 16 points per game and assists at 4.4 per game. He is also a weapon on the glass, ranking third on the roster at 4.5 rips per contest. Wong once again teams with Jordan Miller this season, who is second on the team in scoring at just over 15 points per game while ranking second in rebounding at over six per contest.
The frontcourt is manned by Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier, a rebounding specialist that ranked third in the Sun Belt as a freshman and first in overall rebounds last season. He is averaging a near double-double for the ‘Canes this season at 13.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest.
The ‘Canes are just a middle-of-the-road team against the spread on the season at 6-6 and are underperforming the number by -2.2 points per game. They failed to cover a 25-point spread in their most recent game against St. Francis (PA) but had defeated the number in four of the five games prior.
Virginia at Miami Prediction
Virginia is traditionally a very good team coming after a loss and one of the best road teams in the last ten years in the ACC. Tony Bennett’s experienced backcourt should lead this team to a road victory while covering the razor thin spread.
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