The No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers haven’t suffered three-straight defeats in five years, but that run is on the verge of ending tonight, when Tony Bennett’s crew hosts the streaking No. 8 Miami (FL) Hurricanes. Will the Hurricanes extend Virginia’s woes? Or will the Hoos play the role of rude hosts in Charlottesville and snap Miami’s win streak?
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our preview of Kansas vs. West Virginia.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Virginia Cavaliers Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville
When: Tuesday, January 12, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Virginia Cavaliers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes (13-1, 2-0 ACC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Behind a terrific defense and an efficient offense, the Hurricanes continue to make loud noises. In its recent outing, Miami easily shrugged off the Seminoles for a 72-59 win on Saturday to remain undefeated two games into ACC play. That also marked the Cavaliers’ eight-consecutive victory dating back to December 1, when they beat Nebraska in overtime, 77-72.
The Hurricanes are limiting their opponents to only 64.8 points per game on the season, and they made sure Florida State felt their choking defense, forcing the ‘Noles to commit 14 turnovers and shoot a lousy 35.4 percent from the field. Virginia’s shooting the ball well despite its latest struggles, so the ‘Canes will have to be as feverish on defense later tonight.
The offense, meanwhile, is being spearheaded by Sheldon McClellan, who leads the team with 16.3 points per game. McLellan is feeling it of late, as he’s scored 43 points over the last two games, including a 21-point production in the Florida State game. The Cavs are not noobs on defense so McLellan should expect a tighter coverage on him later tonight. That means Ja’Quan Newton, Angel Rodriguez, and the rest of Miami’s supporting cast will have to step up. Newton is second on the team with 12.1 PPG, while Rodriguez chips in 11.4 PPG.
Miami is 7-1 ATS in its last eight contests.
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Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (12-3, 1-2 ACC)
If there’s such a thing as an ACC regular season championship hangover, then that might be one of the explanations for Virginia’s poor form recently. After losing back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech on the road, the Hoos return to Charlottesville in hopes of avoiding a three-game skid and further damage on their RPI credentials.
Virginia has been a tough beat when playing as the designated home team, as evidenced by its 10-0 SU record over the last 10 games as host. Before picking up a close 70-68 loss to Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers had a six-game win streak (all played at John Paul Jones Arena) that included wins over then No. 14 West Virginia, No. 12 Villanova, and California.
The two losses to the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets could’ve been prevented by Virginia if it only did a better job of closing out on its opponents’ outside shooters. The Hokies went 9-for-17 from deep, while the Yellow Jackets had an 8-for-15 line. Miami’s a decent outside shooting team with the Hurricanes draining an average of 7.5 treys per games. The Cavs, who are 10th in the nation in scoring defense with 60.9 points allowed per game, should have learned their lessons by now, as they’d be foolish to leave McLellan and company with open outside shots.
As for Virginia’s offense, it’ll be led by the experienced trio of Malcolm Brodgon (16.8 PPG), Anthony Gill (15.1 PPG), and London Perrantes (11.5 PPG).
Virginia is averaging 74.4 PPG on a high 49.7% shooting.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 75-71.
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