Hurricanes roll past Pitt 85-64 on the road, reach 20 wins for first time in four years
The Miami Hurricanes have been among the biggest thieves in the ACC this season, relying on steals and forcing turnovers to make up for their lack of height.
That was especially apparent during an 85-64 win on the road at Pitt Tuesday night. Miami, which improved to 20-8 and 12-5 in the ACC, had become known this season for falling behind and rallying to win in the final minutes. There was no need for late-game drama against the Panthers.
The Hurricanes led from start to finish. Charlie Moore got things going with a three-pointer to open the game, and that set the tone.
Four minutes in, Miami already had three steals and nine points off turnovers. By halftime, the Canes led 47-27, were shooting 58 percent, and held a 19-0 edge over the Panthers on points off turnovers.
By the time the game was over, the Hurricanes had 12 steals and 30 points off turnovers, compared to 13 points off turnovers for Pitt. It was the first time in four years that the Hurricanes reached 20 wins.
Miami’s sixth-year guards Moore and Kam McGusty showed why they are considered among the best in the conference. They shared the ball, made shots from distance, attacked the rim and played ferocious defense.
McGusty and Moore combined for 27 first-half points. The Canes kept finding their shots for the rest of the game, as the Panthers had no answers.
“It’s always good to win a conference game, especially on the road, and especially when we played so well in the first half and were able to get a commanding lead,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga. “We were able to sustain it. You have to give a lot of credit to our seniors. I’m very, very happy winning 20 games, having a very solid record in the ACC, but we have a lot of work still ahead of us.”
It was Larranaga’s 220th win at UM, tying Bruce Hale for most victories in program history. With three games to go in the regular season, Miami is tied with North Carolina in third place in the ACC.
The NCAA tournament selection committee looks for teams that play well late in the season and UM has won four of the last five games. They also look at road record, and the Canes are 8-2 in opposing ACC arenas.
“The regular season is a marathon, and we told the team there’s four miles left,” Larranaga said. “You want to run your best at the end of the race and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
McGusty and Moore scored 19 points apiece. Moore was 7-of-10 with five assists. McGusty went 7-of-13 with four assists and three steals. Jordan Miller went 6-of-8 for 12 points and Sam Waardenburg scored 12 on 4-of-5 shooting, including a pair of rim-shaking dunks that delighted the Hurricanes’ bench.
But the highest-flying dunk came from Miami forward Anthony Walker, who has become known for his vertical leap. He ended the night with seven points and six rebounds.
Wong had a quiet night with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting with no rebounds and no assists. But his teammates made up for it.
McGusty jammed a finger late in the game and Larranaga said they were unsure how serious it was.
“Kam and Charlie were our leaders in the first half, Isaiah was not as proficient as he normally is, so we needed Charlie and Kam and Sam and Jordan to step up and they all chipped in,” Larranaga said. “Also, compliments to Bensley Joseph, Wooga Poplar and Anthony Walker and Deng Gak, they came in off the bench and gave us quality minutes.”
One of Miami’s biggest concerns entering the game – literally – was Pitt sophomore forward John Hugley, who is 6-9 and over 250 pounds. He leads the nation in free throw attempts. Against Boston College, he scored 32 points and was 15-of-20 from the foul line.
Going into the game, Larranaga said he was worried that Waardenburg, who weighs 215 pounds, would get worn out early in the game battling Hugley. That was not the case.
Miami’s swarming defense kept the ball out of Hugley’s hands for much of the first half. He finished the half with nine points and just one trip to the free throw line. Hugley finished the night with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and made 6-of-9 free throws, but he didn’t get much help. Pitt dropped to 11-18, and 6-12 in the ACC.
The Hurricanes are back home Saturday against Virginia Tech.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 10:40 PM.