Miami vs Virginia Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
After a thrilling 66-65 victory at Clemson on Saturday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team is now 17-5 (8-3 in ACC play) and will have a quick turnaround as they host Miami on Monday night. This one will tip off at 7 pm EST and air on ESPN.
About Miami
The Miami Hurricanes are led by Coach Jim Larranaga, in his 13th season. He has won multiple coach of the year honors throughout his career and led both George Mason (2006) and Miami (last season) to the Final Four. Larranaga has a career record of 740-490, with the Hurricanes having a record this year of 15-7 (6-5 in ACC play). They are coming off an 82-74 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
The Canes like to play small with six of their eight players averaging double digits being guards, while the other two players are both forwards under 6’10”. They have lined up as follows:
PG - Nigel Pack (6’ Junior) Averages 14.7 points, 3.6 assists, shoots 38% from three.
G - Wooga Poplar (6’5” Junior) Averages 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, shoots 45% from three.
G - Matthew Cleveland (6’7” Junior, Florida State transfer) Averages 14.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, shoots 38% from three.
G - Kyshawn George (6’8” Freshman) Averages 7.9 points, shoots 41% from three.
F - Norchad Omier (6’7” Junior) Averages 18 points, 9.7 rebounds.
Small Ball
The name of the game for the Hurricanes is small ball. They want to space the floor with quality shooters making everyone on their offense a threat to score. This obviously has its tradeoffs, as it does leave them undersized up front. This could be a matchup where Jordan Minor can take advantage. Either way, I would expect a complete contrast in styles to how the Wahoos played at Clemson on Saturday, with a lot more run for our guards overall as we look to match the guard-oriented looks Miami will give.
Man on Fire
Jake Groves has been on a heater for the last week. He is coming off three games in which he has shot a combined 12-16 from three, hitting 75% in each contest. Look for Groves to stay aggressive as he won’t be undersized for this one.
📅 It's the Jake Groves week!#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/KLcKCTgyaE
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) February 3, 2024
Full Team Effort
This season has been very up and down for the Wahoos, but one thing that’s been fairly constant is different players stepping up at different points to help get it done. Ten of the eleven scholarship players have had at least one game scoring in double digits. Beyond just scoring, different players have made key hustle plays night in and night out to give the Cavaliers the best chance at victory.
Back on the Road
The next content for the Wahoos will take place on Saturday night as they head to Tallahassee to take on Florida State for a scheduled 7:45 pm tip. Locker Room Access will have it covered!
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)