In the sports world, the belief goes that it is tough to beat a team twice. No. 2-seed Virginia proved the old adage wrong once, then twice, defeating No. 7-seed NC State for the third time this season Thursday. Now, the Cavaliers (28-4, 15-3 ACC) turn their attention to a more formidable opponent in No. 3-seed Miami — another team that Virginia has already conquered once this season.
Unlike both of Virginia’s first two wins over the Wolfpack, though, the Cavaliers’ Feb. 21 win over the Hurricanes (25-7, 13-5 ACC) was far from easy sledding. Virginia narrowly defended John Paul Jones Arena, winning 86-83 over a red-hot Miami team. Now, it faces the same team in Charlotte, N.C., with an ACC Championship game berth on the line.
In the first rendition, the conclusion came down to the final moments. With the game tied at 83 apiece with seven seconds to go, three free throws by freshman guard Chance Mallory made the difference. Virginia struggled throughout the game to hold strong in the face of the Hurricanes’ overwhelming physicality.
Led by a duo of forwards, Miami imposed its will in the paint. The two forwards — senior Malik Reneau and freshman Shelton Henderson — posted 16 and 18 points apiece, with nearly all of those points coming within the arc. The Hurricanes also dominated Virginia on the glass, nabbing 30 rebounds to the Cavaliers’ 23.
Virginia’s rebounding struggles have waned slightly since its last matchup with Miami, but it rebounded at a nearly identical rate to NC State Friday — the Hurricanes are a far more dominant physical team that will require a more robust effort on the boards from the Cavaliers.
Reneau, Henderson and senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. are a formidable trio of starters that presented a major challenge for Virginia’s own quality center duo — freshman Johann Grünloh and senior Ugonna Onyenso — in the teams’ first matchup. Udeh recorded four offensive rebounds in the game, matching the Cavaliers’ team-wide total.
There are reasons for optimism regarding Virginia’s progress in the paint — particularly, an excellent streak of play by Onyenso in recent games. Thursday saw Onyenso record eight blocks and grab six rebounds, holding down the paint even when Grünloh exited due to foul trouble and an arm injury.
“I think he is [playing his best basketball], yeah, there's no question about it,” Coach Ryan Odom said following Virginia’s win over NC State Thursday. “He had to play 16 minutes in the first half … We don't win that game without his play overall.”
It took a strong defensive showing late to power the Cavaliers past Miami — they will likely need to repeat their performance Friday to win once again. The Hurricanes exerted enormous offensive pressure on Louisville late as their bigs found their way to the rim and drew fouls consistently. Reneau posted 24 in the win, including 7-9 free throws.
Behind Reneau, senior guard Tre Donaldson posted 14 points. Junior guard Tru Washington did most of Miami’s work from beyond the three-point line, although his shooting exploits were still limited — 17 points on 2-3 from deep. Miami does not rely on perimeter shooting to win games, making paint dominance the critical factor in each game the Hurricanes play.
Virginia relies on a more balanced attack, as it did in its first matchup with Miami. The Cavaliers knocked down 12 three-pointers — including five from graduate guard Jacari White — and put down 16 free throws. Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder and junior wing Sam Lewis contributed primarily in the paint, notching 14 and 15 points, respectively.
Such a balanced attack makes Virginia hard to defend, but Miami’s powerful frontcourt gives it a chance to shut down the Cavaliers’ paint attack — making perimeter shooting an area of particular importance for Virginia entering Friday’s game.
Despite shooting woes in previous games, the Cavaliers appear to have hit their stride from beyond the arc. Virginia went 12-25 from three in Thursday’s game, relying on an offensive distribution remarkably similar to the one that downed Miami in February. The Cavaliers will look to replicate that distribution Friday.
“They're really tough to deal with,” Odom said in February. “And they're even better in person than when you watch them on film.”
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