In one of the biggest mismatches of the ACC Basketball season, the undermanned Miami basketball team travels to first place Virginia on Saturday.
The Cavaliers are off to one of their best starts in school history with a 19-1 record. They have bounced back from last season’s shocking NCAA first-round loss to Maryland-Baltimore County as the first number one seed to lose to a 16. The Miami basketball team will be playing its third straight game against a ranked team.
The Hurricanes travel to Charlottesville with a four-game losing streak and have started ACC play with a 1-7 record. The Miami basketball season has been one full of frustration. The Hurricanes are 9-11 overall. Miami has played well against Virginia, owning the series advantage 12-10.
The Canes and Cavs have split the last four meetings. Miami won their last game in Charlottesville two seasons ago. That game came late in February and many believe that was the victory that earned the Hurricanes a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Virginia has improved significantly since then.
The Cavaliers are 50-4 in the last two seasons. In addition to their loss to UMBC in last season’s NCAA Tournament, UVA lost to West Virginia and Virginia Tech in 2017-18 and Duke two weeks ago. Virginia is a much better offensive team than they have traditionally been under Tony Bennett.
"GAME 21 • FEB. 2, 2019 • 2 P.M. • CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. John Paul Jones Arena (14,623)MIAMI HURRICANES (9-11, 1-7 ACC)Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (Providence, ‘71)Record at UM: 170-90 (8th season), Career Record: 640-424 (35th season)3/3 VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (19-1, 7-1 ACC)Head Coach: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, ‘‘92)Record at UVA: 238-87 (10th season), Career Record: 307-120 (13th season)Information Courtesy of HurricaneSports.Com"
The Cavaliers average 73.7 points per game which is 172nd of 353 Divison I teams. Virginia leads the for the third year in a row allowing just 53.2 PPG. The Cavaliers are third in the nation in scoring margin behind Gonzaga and Duke at 20.5 PPG.
In the loss to UMBC, Virginia did not have super Sophomore DeAndre Hunter. Some have proclaimed the 6’7 guard the most talented player at Virginia in the Bennett era. Hunter averages 14.7 PPG, 5.4 rebounds and shoots 53.3 percent from the floor. Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome are the other Cavs to watch offensively.
Guy is a 6’5 Junior who averages14.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and shoots over 45 percent from the floor and on threes. Jerome has been UVA’s most versatile player this season. He averages 13.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and  5.0 APG. He makes 40.6 percent of his three-point field goal attempts. Hunter is at 42.9 on 3PA.
Virginia’s defense goes beyond their slow pace and points allowed per game. The Cavs are in the top 25 in 16 defensive categories. If Miami is going to pull the upset they have to be able to shoot the ball well from beyond the arc. Virginia leads the nation allowing teams to make 25 percent of their three-point field goal attempts.
Miami enters the game a respectable 128th nationally in three-point shooting at 35.3 percent. The Hurricanes’ 177 made threes are 115th in the country. Miami is going to need a big game from Sophomore point-guard Chris Lykes and for Senior center Ebuka Izundu to be able to score and rebound inside.
Lykes broke out of his two-game slump in Wednesday’s loss to Virginia Tech. The 5’7 native of Maryland scored 19 points on 6-10 from the floor, made 3-7 on threes and added four assists and two steals. The Sophomore was 4-27 from the floor and had nine combined points iN Miamis losses to Syracuse and Florida State.
Lykes grew up about 2.5 hours from Charlottesville in Mitchellville, Maryland. Larranaga returns to Charlottesville where he was an Assistant Coach under Terry Holland from 1979-86. He was on the Cavaliers staff that advanced to the 1981 Final Four with eventual three-time National Player of the Year Ralph Sampson.
"Broadcast Information:Television: Raycom; Online: WatchESPN, South Florida: My TV 33 (digital channel 33.1Play-by-Play: Tom Werme, Color: Dan BonnerRadio: WQAM 560-AM (PxP: Joe Zagacki)Satellite Radio: Sirius 134, XM 193, XM Internet 955Series vs. Virginia: Miami leads, 12-10Road: 4-6 | Home: 7-2 | Neutral: 1-2"
The Miami basketball schedule is more forgiving in February than it was in January. The Hurricanes only game remaining this month against a ranked team is next Saturday at North Carolina. Miami battled the Tar Heels well at home last month before losing 85-76.
The Hurricanes will return to Chapel Hill after last season’s memorable victory on Ja’Quan Newton’s improbable 30-footer at the buzzer. The Hurricanes first host Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish are also struggling this season, they are 11-10 overall and 1-7 in the ACC.
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