The last time #13 Virginia lost three games in a row was in the 2010-2011 season. The Cavs will have to score their biggest win of the season to avoid a repeat of that fate.
UVA (12-3, 1-2 ACC) hosts eighth-ranked Miami (13-1, 2-0 ACC) tonight at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. The ‘Hoos have lost their last two, a two-point defeat at Virginia Tech on Jan. 4 and a four-point loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
The weak point, surprisingly, has been on the defensive end. Last year’s top unit in defensive efficiency is just 38th nationally, allowing .953 points per possession, according to KenPom.com, and in ACC play, the Pack-Line has been a sieve, allowing Notre Dame to score 1.14 points per possession, Virginia Tech to score 1.11 and Georgia Tech to put up 1.06.
Miami is ranked 16th nationally in offensive efficiency, scoring 1.157 points per possession, though the Hurricanes have been winning with their defense of late.
UM has held its first two ACC opponents, Syracuse and Florida State, in the 50s in a pair of home wins, and the ‘Canes are 15th nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing .928 points per possession.
Miami player notes
- Sheldon McClellan is scoring a team-high 16.3 points per game, shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range.
- Sixth man JaQuan Newton is the team’s second-leading scoreer at 12.1 points per game, and shoots 52.4 percent from the field.
- Angel Rodriguez is scoring 11.4 points per game with a team-best 3.8 assists per game.
- Davon Reed scores 10.3 points per game, shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three.
- Tony Jekiri averages 8.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and shoots 58.8 percent from the field.
- Reserve Ivan Cruz Uceda scores 7.6 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
Virginia player notes
- Anthony Gill is shooting 60.9 percent from the field, second-best in the ACC, and a career-best 75.0 percent from the line for UVA. Gill is averaging a career-high 15.1 points per game and bringing down a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game.
- London Perrantes is shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 56.6 percent from three-point range, second-best in the ACC. Perrantes is scoring 11.5 points per game and dishing out 4.4 assists per game, seventh-best in the ACC.
Miami-Virginia game notes
- Both teams are shooting 49.7 percent from the field for the season. Virginia is a little better from three (40.0 percent, vs. Miami’s 37.2 percent).
- Miami shoots 20.1 threes per game. UVA shoots 15.3 threes per game.
- Miami averages 25.1 free-throw attempts per game. The Cavs average 18.1 free-throw attempts per game.
- Virginia is ranked fifth in the country in offensive efficiency (1.191 points per possession).
– Preview by Chris Graham
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