Miami Hurricanes News: Baseball hosts UVA, WBB beats UNC, VATech ACCT next
After rallying to defeat Stonehill on Wednesday night, the Miami Hurricanes baseball team hosts Virginia for a three-game series to begin ACC Play on Friday. The Miami Women's basketball team advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals after a 60-59 victory over North Carolina in the second round on Thursday.
The Miami baseball team has a difficult first ACC series versus 12-1 Virginia, ranked 13th Nationally in the RPI. Virginia began the season 9-0 before losing to Massachusetts on Saturday. The Cavaliers bring a three-game winning streak to Coral Gables on Friday. Virginia ranks in the top four in hitting in the ACC in most categories.
Miami enters the series with Virginia at 7-5. The Hurricanes are an abysmal 243rd in the RPI. Losses to Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, and Long Island have damaged the RPI for Miami. The Hurricanes need a good start on Friday night from Gage Ziehl. Miami is in the middle of the pack in the ACC in most categories.
Freshman third baseman Daniel Cuvet has made the transition from Yohandy Morales seamless. Cuvet is hitting .522 with six home runs and 19 RBIs. First baseball Jason Torres is hitting .460 with seven HRs and 19 RBIs. Virginia has three hitters with an over .400 batting average.
The Miami Women's basketball team rallied from a 31-17 second-quarter deficit to earn a 60-59 victory over North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament. After trailing 37-30 at halftime, Miami outscored North Carolina 30-22 in the second half. Miami's defense was exceptional in the last three quarters.
After shooting 8-12 in the first quarter, North Carolina made only 12 of their last 42 shots in the final three quarters. Miami needed three defensive stops in the final 24 seconds to advance to the quarterfinal. Ja'leah WIlliams was called for travelling twice and Lazaria Spearman missed two free throws.
Neither team scored in the final 1:54 after a Deja Kelly layup for North Carolina. Miami played great defense on Kelly on the final possession. Kelly's desperation shot at the buzzer missed the rim. Miami plays number-one seed Virginia Tech on Friday. The Hokies could be without star center Elizabeth Kitley who has an injured knee.