Coach Tony Bennett could not keep his joy hidden. Sitting at the podium after his second-seeded Virginia team defeated Miami 73-68 Friday night to reach his second ACC Tournament championship in three years. With a firm pat on senior guard Malcolm Brogdon’s lap, Bennett expressed the pride he felt in his team.
“I’m thankful to God for the guys that He brought in my path to coach, that they get after it, they sacrifice a lot,” Bennett said.
The Cavaliers (23-6, 13-5 ACC) certainly got after it against the Hurricanes (25-7, 13-5 ACC). In what amounted to a 15-round heavyweight bout, Virginia battled an equally talented and determined Miami squad.
With a trip to Saturday’s final within reach, Virginia began the game on spurt that raised the possibility of yet another blowout in the semifinals. The Cavaliers led 12-2 going into the 14-minute mark.
“We were really anxious to start the game,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We didn’t do the things we planned on doing. We dug ourselves a quick hole.”
In that span, the Hurricanes were one-for-four from the field with three turnovers while Virginia shot five-of-eight.
Balance reigned supreme for Virginia in the first half. Eight Cavaliers scored, led by senior guard Malcolm Brogdon’s 10 points.
Senior center Mike Tobey found himself pressed into early service for the second straight contest. The Monroe, N.Y. native checked in at 16:52 after senior forward Anthony Gill’s first personal foul.
The former ACC Sixth Man of the Year answered the call once again. In 12 minutes of action, Tobey scored six points and grabbed four boards on three-of-four shooting.
“I like just getting in the game — whenever it is,” Tobey said. “Just trying to go out there and be as assertive and aggressive as I possibly can.”
Virginia remained firmly on schedule, and sophomore guard Darius Thompson’s three pointer gave the Cavaliers a 10-point lead with 8:52 to go in the first.
But Miami would not allow themselves to get buried. After the Thompson trey, the Hurricanes outscored Virginia 14-9, including a half-ending 6-0 run.
The Cavaliers’ defense was not stellar during the first 20 minutes, but Virginia made up for it on the boards. Miami pulled down only three offensive rebounds and had four second-chance points.
Additionally, the Hurricanes committed seven turnovers in the first half.
“Against a team like Virginia, you got to work the ball, body movement, move the ball quicker than you do against most teams,” senior guard Sheldon McClellan said.
A veteran Miami team did not allow the Cavaliers to pull away again. Junior guard London Perrantes pushed Virginia’s lead up to eight points on a jumper, but the Hurricanes remained glued to the Cavaliers — pulling within three at the 11:41 mark.
The two teams spent most of the half trading buckets before Virginia manufactured a small run, and a layup by sophomore guard Marial Shayok gave the Cavaliers an 11-point lead with 3:53 to go.
As they did in the first half, Miami surged in the final minutes of the second. The Hurricanes connected on five of their last six shots while Virginia missed four of their final five.
With 64 seconds left on the clock junior forward Kamari Murphy dunked to trim Virginia’s lead to six. From there, Miami began fouling to extend the game.
The Cavaliers missed four of their 12 free throws in the game’s final minute — leaving the door cracked open for the Hurricanes. With 22 second left, Miami was within four points. A tip-in by freshman forward Anthony Lawrence made it a three-point game with three seconds left.
As has been the case all year, Brogdon put the game into his own hands. Up two and with two ticks of the clock remaining, the ACC Player of the Year canned two free throws to seal the deal.
Friday night marked the seventeenth 20-point game for Brogdon. The Atlanta, Ga. native scored 24 points on 6-of-15 shooting and made 10 of his 11 free throws.
“It’s all mental,” Brogdon said. “You just have to step up to the line and be confident in yourself and knock them down.”
McClellan scored 15 points for the Hurricanes, but also had four turnovers. Sophomore guard Ja’Quan Newton led Miami with 19 points on five-of-seven shooting.
Virginia once again nullified senior center Tonye Jekiri. The Hialeah, Fla. native scored twice and had seven boards — only one coming on the offensive glass.
The Hurricanes shot 54.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the line, but shot only eight three-pointers. Virginia shot 52 percent from the floor, and capitalized on Miami mistakes with 19 points off turnovers.
“Were we perfect? No,” Bennett said. “I love the resiliencey and the warrior-like attitude that I ask from them. They laid it out there and now they get a chance to contend for it tomorrow.
Virginia will play No. 1 seed North Carolina Saturday night for the ACC Tournament title. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.
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