No. 22 Miami and No. 6 Virginia to Battle in Marquee ACC Matchup

The Hurricanes will face their toughest challenge yet against the one-loss Cavaliers.

Feb. 15, 2021.

That was the last time two ranked ACC teams matched up, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, with No. 16 Florida State racing past No. 7 Virginia, 81-60.

And now, 22 months later, this streak of unranked games will end on Tuesday night when No. 22 Miami plays No. 6 Virginia at the Watsco Center.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 91-76 win over St. Francis (Pa.), while the Cavaliers are looking to rebound from a close first loss of the season to No. 3 Houston.

Miami's 91-point outburst against the Red Flash marks the fourth straight game that the Hurricanes have scored at least 80 points. 

UM's offense, which ranks 12th nationally in adjusted efficiency according to KenPom, has really started to click with the bulk of ACC play approaching. This offensive success has been partly a result of star guard Isaiah Wong's growth as the primary facilitator for the team.

"[Wong] can do more than just score the basketball," veteran guard Jordan Miller told reporters on Monday. "[Last game] he had 10 assists, the game before that he had eight assists with no turnovers."

Wong is averaging a career-high 4.4 assists per game, which ranks 7th in the ACC.

Miami's team ball movement has also been exceptional. The Hurricanes rank second in the ACC with 15.9 assists per game.

Freshman forward AJ Casey credits this on-court success to the team's off-the-court chemistry.

"We do things as a team, we hang out with each other. In the locker room before practice, we're all communicating and that builds a bond that's so strong," Casey said. "It's those minor things that leads on to how we are so great playing with each other."

This offense will be tested on Tuesday against one of the best defensive teams in all of college basketball in Virginia.

As of noon on Monday, the Cavaliers allow the 15th fewest points per game in the country. Virginia also ranks 27th in KemPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric.

Virginia's "pack-line" defense has given the Hurricanes trouble throughout Jim Larrañaga's tenure at Miami. The head coach is 3-11 against the Cavaliers over his 12 seasons at UM and has come up short in the past six matchups.

"You can't take more than two dribbles when you're driving," Miller said about facing Virginia's defense. "We're going to have to stick to the game plan."

Offensively, while the Cavaliers play at a more methodical pace than Miami, they are similarly a juggernaut on that end of the floor, ranking 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Fifth-year forward Jayden Gardner leads Virginia's balanced scoring attack, averaging 11.9 points per game.

The former East Carolina transfer scored 23 points in the Cavaliers' 74-71 victory over Miami last season and will be a defensive focal point for the Hurricanes in this season's matchup.

"[Gardner] has three areas where he is absolutely outstanding," Larrañaga said. "He’s very hard to guard because he has a very clear vision of how he’s going to score."

Tip-off between the 'Canes and the Cavaliers will be at 8:30 p.m. on December 20.  

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