I wrote in my gamer that Miami was averaging 80.8 points per game coming into the Big Monday matchup with Virginia.
So, 38 points, that’s less than half.
And it’s not the whole story.
Norchad Omier, credit to the big guy, who was averaging 19.9 points and 9.2 board coming in, he had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Matthew Cleveland is Miami’s second-leading scorer, averaging 14.9 points on 52.7 percent shooting.
His statline: two points, 1-of-4 shooting, in 30 minutes.
Four shots?
Nijel Pack came in averaging 14.7 points. He had two, both free throws, in his 33 minutes – Pack was 0-of-8 from the floor.
Wooga Poplar came in averaging 14.2 points; he finished with eight, on 3-of-12 shooting, in 31 minutes.
Wow. Just, wow.
NBA
With about a dozen NBA scouts in attendance, Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn, both projected 2024 first-round draft picks, made themselves some money tonight.
Beekman had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and seven assists (one turnover) in 27 minutes, and on defense, he pitched a shutout – the guys he guarded were 0-of-7 from the floor.
Dunn had eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and eight rebounds in 28 minutes; on D, he gave up three points on 1-of-3 shooting, and had two blocks and two steals.
Finishing at the rim
The guy who sits next to me on press row, name rhymes with Scott German, complains loudly whenever one of the good guys misses a layup, as if it’s just that easy, that the other guys aren’t trying to make it hard, etc.
Statline for Virginia at the rim tonight: 13-of-17.
Beekman, who a reader wanted me to address in an upcoming Mailbag on his finishing at the rim, was 5-of-6 at the rack.
Miami, on its side, was 9-of-16 at the rim.
Miami didn’t foul much, but …
Miami was whistled for a total of six fouls on the night, which normally you’d say, hey, disciplined night.
Except that, see above, Virginia was 13-of-17 at the rim, 5-of-11 from three, had just three turnovers.
Miami’s defense was so out of touch that coach Jim Larranaga, out of options, went to a zone for a couple of stretches, which did no good, because it just gave Virginia open looks from its zone offense, as opposed to open looks from the mover-blocker.
Seriously, the only reason this game ended with a 22-point margin was that it was played at Virginia’s glacially slow pace; UVA utterly dominated in every respect.
Big night for Blake Buchanan
OK, not counting numbers-wise, but still, Blake Buchanan, the frosh, nice night.
On a night when Jordan Minor, who insertion into the starting lineup is what started Virginia on its current seven-game winning streak, wasn’t a factor – he had two points, a board and two fouls in 16 minutes – Buchanan was all that and then some, tall, whatever, and handsome …
(It’s the Tribe, y’all. Look alive, y’all.)
B-Dub had a modest six points, on a modest 3-of-7 from the floor, and a modest two boards.
He also had two blocks and a steal in his 22 minutes.
What wasn’t modest: his plus/minus was +25.
Kid held his own against Miami big Norchad Omier.
Sit back, relax, and let yourself go.
Don’t sweat what you heard, and act like you know.
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Chris Graham
