Miami Hurricanes vs. Virginia Cavaliers Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena – Charlottesville, Virginia
When: Monday, February 20, 2017, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Hurricanes (+7) at Virginia Cavaliers (-7); total: 117.5 – view all NCAA basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Miami Hurricanes (18-8, 8-6 ACC)
The Miami Hurricanes stretched their unbeaten run to two games with a thrilling 71-65 win over the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. Four starters scored in double-figures for the Hurricanes who have now won four of their last five outings. They are now tied with Virginia at 8-5 in the ACC and 18-8 overall. In fact, the Hurricanes’ only two defeats in their last six games have come against ranked opponents Florida State and Louisville.
Key to Miami’s resurgence has been their excellent play on the defensive end. The Hurricanes have held their opponents to under 70 points in four of their last five wins. They are 32nd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just over 64 points per game this season. Jim Larranaga’s men will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Virginia offense that shot a season-low 27 percent from the field in their last game against the Tar Heels.
With regards to their offense, the Hurricanes will rely on the scoring prowess of Davon Reed. He’s been deadly from beyond the arc, shooting at a high 41 percent clip this season. Reed, who’s averaging just shy of 16 points per game, has now multiple conversions from the three-point area in 15 of Miami’s last 18 games.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (18-8, 8-6 ACC)
What in the world is happening to Virginia? The Cavaliers crashed to their third consecutive defeat with a humiliating 65-41 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night. The Hoos simply had no answer for Justin Jackson who scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. The Cavaliers’ scoring output was the lowest point total scored by an opponent in the Roy Williams era.
Virginia’s shooting woes have been going on for a while now, with three of the Cavaliers’ six worst offensive performances this season coming in their last three games. Virginia, in particular, needs to sort out its perimeter shooting ahead of its Monday showdown with Miami. The Cavaliers started 0-for-17 from the 3-point line against North Carolina and finished just 2-for-20 from deep. That was quite disappointing for Virginia who entered that game ranked second in the ACC in shooting percentage. It won’t get any easier for them against a Miami defense that held Clemson to just 17 percent shooting from beyond the arc on Saturday.
Writer’s Prediction
Miami (+7) piles more misery on Virginia with a 69-66 win.
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