“The nation’s going to be on notice” after No. 22 Miami upsets No. 6 Virginia 66-64
It is only December, but it felt a lot more like January or February at the Watsco Center Tuesday night as the 22nd-ranked Miami Hurricanes stunned the sixth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers 66-64 in a high-intensity ACC game in front of UM’s biggest crowd of the season.
Miami led by as many as 15 in the second half, was ahead by 10 with under two minutes to go, and saw its lead shrink to one point twice, including with 5.6 seconds to go. Virginia’s Reece Beekman lost his dribble for a potential game-tying shot in the closing second and the hungry Hurricanes hung on for the victory.
Miami went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the last 23 seconds, and that proved the difference.
The Canes improved to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. Virginia dropped to 8-2, 1-1 in the conference. It was Miami’s first win over the Cavs in their past seven meetings.
“The nation’s going to be on notice now,” said UM guard Jordan Miller. “We are always underdogs. They don’t really like to show us love, but all we can do is come out and win basketball games. Tonight was a win to prove we’re not a team to play with.”
UM opened a 15-point lead early in the second half, but then went into a funk with five turnovers and 2-of-11 shooting over the next 10 minutes. The Cavaliers took advantage of Miami’s miscues and went on a 16-2 run to close the deficit to 43-42.
“I think you saw two great teams battling each other, especially on the defensive end of the floor,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga. “Second half they locked us down and we weren’t able to score quite as consistently, but our defense was ready for the task. Great ending…our players gave us a great Christmas present.”
Despite students being on winter break, a crowd of 7,257 showed up, just a few hundred shy of a sellout, and they spent the final 10 minutes on their feet.
Perhaps seeing fans up in the rafters gave the Hurricanes an extra boost of energy because they came out oozing with confidence and raced to a 12-2 lead while the Cavaliers missed seven of their first eight shots. Nine minutes into the game, Miami led 26-12 after a four-point play by Isaiah Wong that ejected Miami fans from their seats.
Wong got the defensive rebound off a Jayden Gardner miss, raced up the floor, made a step back three-pointer and then made the free throw after being fouled. He carried the Hurricanes all night with 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting with six rebounds and five assists. He shot 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Wong, who opted to return to college after flirting with the NBA Draft last Spring, certainly is raising his stock with the scouts – several of whom were in the arena Tuesday night.
He was named National and ACC Player of the Week two weeks ago after 36 points against Cornell and 22 points and eight assists against North Carolina State. Last weekend, he scored 22 and had 10 assists against St. Francis (Pa.). Tuesday’s game was the fourth in a row that Wong scored 20-plus.
“The ACC’s better this year,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. “(Miami) has talent. We think Isaiah Wong is one of best scoring guards in our league and the country. He can score at different levels. Beekman is a good on-ball defender, but Wong finds ways…They’re playing good basketball. We did not start well and you don’t want to spot a team that talented a lead that big.”
Miami forward Norchad Omier fouled out with 2:43 to go. He had 10 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 27 minutes.
Miller, a native of Middleburg, Virginia, who grew up watching the Cavs, tipped in an Omier miss for Miami’s first basket of the night and followed that with a three-pointer. He grabbed five rebounds in the first nine minutes. He didn’t score again until six minutes to go in the game, but those late points were critical.
Ben Vander Plas led UVa with 20 points. Kihei Clark had 13 on 2-of-10 shooting and Beekman added 10.
UM players came out for warmups in t-shirts that read: “Miami Hurricanes stand with UVA 1-15-41” in memory of the three Cavaliers football players who were murdered on campus on Nov. 14. One of the players, D’Sean Perry, was a Miami native who attended Gulliver Prep.
There was also a moment of silence in memory of the slain players before the game.
The Hurricanes are back home Dec. 28 against Vermont.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 11:59 PM.