Virginia escaped North Carolina State with a late 81-74 win on Thursday in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. If Miami beats Louisville in the second quarterfinal today, they would set up a rematch from an epic regular-season game with the Cavaliers on Friday.
Miami lost 86-83 at Virginia on February 21. Virginia went ahead when Chance Mallory made three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt with three seconds left. Miami turned the ball over as the buzzer sounded in a game that was pivotal in the seeding for the ACC Tournament.
Hurricanes are one step away from rematch vs. Virginia
Miami rallied from a four-point deficit with under a minute left. Ernest Udeh Jr. had a putback with 51 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 83-81. After Thijs De Ridder missed a three-point shot with 30 seconds left, Malik Reneau tied the game for Miami on a layup with seven seconds remaining.
Virginia fell behind 22-16 in the first half but rallied to take a 33-32 halftime lead. North Carolina State held its last lead at 40-39 with 17:42 remaining in the second half. Virginia took its biggest lead, 63-51, with 8:03 remaining in the second half.
WAHOOS WIN ☑️@UVAMensHoops advances to the 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals! pic.twitter.com/DGYg1B66bb
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 12, 2026
Trailing 74-66 with 1:35 remaining, North Carolina State rallied and cut the deficit to 78-74 with 237 seconds remaining. North Carolina State forced a Virginia turnover on the subsequent possession, but missed two shots with a chance to make it a one or two-point game.
Virginia got an offensive rebound after De Ridder missed the front end of a one-and-one. Dallin Hall split two free throws to extend the Virginia lead to 79-74 with 12 seconds left. Malik Thomas made two more free throws for Virginia after a Qadir Copeland missed a three-point attempt for the final margin.
Virginia has made a complete makeover with its style of play under first-year head coach Ryan Odom than they did under Tony Bennett, who retired in October 2024. The Cavaliers average 80.9 points per game and allow 68.3. Virginia averages 77.3 PPG and allows 69.3 against ACC opponents.