Virginia returns home from two road losses to beat No. 8 Miami
Virginia had been awful at defending on the perimeter in its previous two games going into Tuesday’s top-25 matchup with fellow ACC contender No. 8 Miami.
Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech combined to shoot 53 percent behind the 3-point line handing the Cavaliers consecutive losses last week. Returning home to John Paul Jones Arena helped the Cavaliers return to form and beat the Hurricanes 66-58 behind 20 points from Malcolm Brogdon and a strong second half from London Perrantes.
[Former Butler standout Andrew Smith dies at age 25]
No. 13 Virginia stopped its two-game losing streak and halted Miami’s eight-game winning streak, in part, by allowing the Hurricanes to make just six of 21 3-point attempts. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech combined to make 17 of 32 last week.
While the Cavaliers were searching for answers and the Hurricanes were riding a positive wave of momentum, it figured to be tough for Miami to get a road win. Virginia is now 8-0 at home this season and 28-1 in ACC home games under Tony Bennett.
While a renewed commitment to defending the perimeter was a big part of getting back on track for the Cavaliers, stingy defense on the interior also played a big part.
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Miami hasn’t been getting big numbers this season from any of its bigs, but center Tonye Jekiri and forwards Kamari Murphy, Anthony Lawrence Jr., and Ivan Cruz Uceda combined for just 11 points.
The senior backcourt of Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriquez combined to score 30 points for Miam.
Tuesday’s result was predictable because of Virginia’s home dominance and certainly doesn’t change much in terms of what each team might be capable of in the grand scheme of things. Both of these teams are tough-minded, disciplined and capable of a deep run in March.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
