Preview: Virginia, on six-game winning streak, set to face Miami on Big Monday

Miami and Virginia shared the ACC regular-season title last season with 15-5 conference records.

From there, the two teams’ fortunes diverged.

The ‘Hoos advanced deeper in the ACC Tournament, falling in the title game to Duke, but Miami would make it to the Final Four, while UVA was upset in dramatic fashion by Furman in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Their first and only meeting of the 2023-2024 regular season is Monday at JPJ (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), with the two teams again in different places.

Virginia (17-5, 8-3 ACC) is in second place in the conference standings on the strength of a six-game winning streak.

Miami (15-7, 6-5 ACC), meanwhile, is in the middle of the pack in the ACC, slogging through the past four weeks with four wins in their last nine.

The ‘Canes won their last time out, rallying from 10 down in the second half to defeat Virginia Tech, 82-74, on Saturday.

Miami starters, rotation

Norchad Omier (18.0 ppg, 9.7 rebs/g, 63.3% FG, 39.4% 3FG) is a load in the post at 6’7”, 240.

Omier plays at center, spelled for brief spurts by 6’10” freshman Michael Nwoko (2.2 ppg, 1.7 rebs/g, 8.9 mins/g).

So, coach Jim Larranaga goes what they call small, with 6’8” freshman forward Kyshawn George (7.9 ppg, 43.6% FG, 41.5% 3FG) the biggest guy to get double-digit minutes.

Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland (14.9 ppg, 6.2 rebs/g, 52.7% FG, 38.2% 3FG), gets minutes at the three and four spots.

Quick 6’0” junior shooting guard Nijel Pack (14.7 ppg, 3.6 assists/g, 42.5% FG, 38.4% 3FG) is a volume shooter (averaging a team-leading 12.6 field-goal attempts per game).

Athletic 6’5” small forward Wooga Poplar (14.2 ppg, 5.1 rebs/g, 45.6% FG, 44.7% 3FG) is another tough matchup for opponents.

The other starter is 6’2” junior point guard Bensley Joseph (8.5 ppg, 3.4 assists/g, 41.4% FG, 34.6% 3FG).

How Virginia plays this one

Thank god for the emergence of Jordan Minor, who in seven games as the starting center is averaging 9.1 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, 55.6 percent shooting, and on defense, he’s allowing 4.3 points per game on 34.5 percent shooting.

Minor gives Virginia a fighting chance at defending Omier in the post without having to rely too much on double-teams.

I’d imagine that Tony Bennett will go with Reece Beekman (13.3 ppg, 6.1 assists/g, 44.3% FG, 30.4% 3FG) on Pack on the defensive end, which leaves Isaac McKneely (11.7 ppg, 40.7% FG, 46.9% 3FG) on Joseph.

The weak spot in the starting lineup will be, surprise, Andrew Rohde (4.9 ppg, 2.9 assists/g, 31.3% FG, 26.7% 3FG), who Bennett continues to put in the starting lineup, though Rohde’s minutes have been on the decline of late (he’s averaged 18.0 minutes per game over the most recent four games).

You have to like Ryan Dunn (9.5 ppg, 7.3 rebs/g, 2.2 blocks/g, 57.6% FG, 24.0% 3FG) on one or the other of Poplar and Cleveland.

Rohde is going to have trouble with the other.

I hope we get more of 6’9” sharpshooter Jake Groves (17.5 ppg, 9-of-12 3FG in his last two games) to at least make Larranaga have to think through his lineups in terms of defense.