ACC Title Showdown: Pittsburgh at Miami Preview and Prediction
It’s bounceback time for the Canes, and the ACC title is on the line against the Panthers.
It’s been a week since Miami had a humongous second half letdown against FSU.
The devastating loss was a setback, but Miami has found itself in a three-way tie for first place with Virginia and Pittsburgh, each team having reached a 14-5 ACC Conference record.
If the Hurricanes defeat the Panthers, they will at least hold a tie for the regular season ACC title, as Virginia hosts Louisville at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. Here’s the preview for today’s game, followed by the final score prediction.
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Watsco Center, University of Miami
TV: ACC Network
SI Sportsbook betting line: Miami -6.5
Over/Under: 154.5
Money Line: Miami (-333), Pittsburgh (+220)
Pittsburgh Panthers Starting Lineup
G Jamarius Burton, 6-4, 200, 15.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.4 apg
G Nelly Cummings, 6-0, 185, 11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.9 apg
G Greg Elliott, 6-3, 180, 10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg
F Blake Hinson, 6-7, 235, 15.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 apg
C Federiko Federiko, 6-11, 220, 6.8 ppg, 5.8 ppg, 0.5 apg
Miami Hurricanes Starting Lineup
G Nijel Pack, 6-0, 185, 13.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg
G Isaiah Wong, 16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
G Wooga Poplar, 6-5, 190, 7.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 apg
G Jordan Miller, 6-7, 195, 15.1 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.6 apg
F Norchad Omier, 6-7, 250, 14 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.2 apg
The first meeting saw Pittsburgh pull out a 71-68 victory. During that game, the Canes shot 49.1% and Pittsburgh shot 40%, but the Canes still lost. The reason?
Rebounding.
Pittsburgh hammered Miami on the boards, 39-30. The Canes must rebound better today. Additionally, the first meeting saw Jamarius Burton have one of the best all-around performances of anyone in the ACC this year.
His stat line told the tale: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Without question, Miami players will remember Burton’s first game and be ready to take him on today. On the flip side, there’s a unique matchup down low.
Whenever Pittsburgh’s Blake Hinson matches up with Miami’s Norchad Omier, that’s two athletic players that are both 6-7 and possess a lot of power. Miami needs Omier to win the majority of those matchups, especially with him also having to deal with the 6-11 and 220-pound presence of Federiko Federiko.
During the first game, Hinston went for 21 points and 8 rebounds. Now, Omier does not have a true center down low to help him out, so Miami’s x-factor needs to make his presence felt underneath the glass. That player would be Jordan Miller.
He might have the toughest task of the day, as he’s also needed to help near the 3-point line, depending on the situation.
His wide range of skills – especially on the defensive end of the court – should help to slow down Burton, and possibly Hinson as well. Look for Miller to even be assigned to Burton if it’s a special situation and/or a pick and roll scenario.
Miller’s length has proven to be difficult to shoot over with his long arms. After looking at the matchups, there’s also a point of motivation here and it starts at the top with Miami head coach Jim Larranaga.
How he and his staff handled the time between the FSU loss and tipoff today will be critical. There’s no specific remedy for blowing a 25-point lead to one’s arch rival, but the psychology used between games was undoubtedly critical.
Whatever style of practices Miami went with, they need to have the Canes locked in and have completely dismissed the prior performance. Any moments of that game creeping back into the thoughts of the Miami players could be disastrous against Pittsburgh. One final point to make.
The crowd at the Watsco Center. The Canes have fed off of that crowd all season long. How will it be today? If it’s rockin’ as usual, Miami has an edge. That can be especially true for pure jump shooters like Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack to get going.
It will not be easy as the Panthers have a top-notch team and will not go away easily. Look for the home crowd to spur on a late run from the Canes and help lead them to a hard fought victory, with Wong knocking down a late shot to give the Canes a victory in the last 20 seconds.
Miami 77 Pittsburgh 75
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