Miami Hurricanes routed 60-38 by Virginia on the road, fewest UM points since 1948
Coach Jim Larranaga’s unusually brief post-game press conference told you all you needed to know about the Miami Hurricanes’ 60-38 road loss to Virginia Monday night.
Yes, 38 points. It was the fewest points scored by any UM team since the program was resurrected in 1985 and including the 14-year hiatus, it was the lowest output by a Miami team since Dec. 28, 1948 (Miami 37-35 over Princeton).
The Hurricanes, who averaged 81 points per game this season, trailed 29-17 at halftime.
“They just outplayed us in every aspect of the game,” Larranaga said. “We didn’t play well; they played really well. Thank you for your attention.”
Miami finished 14 for 49 (28.6 percent) from the field, including 0 for 10 from three-point range in the second half. The Hurricanes, who entered the game shooting 38.1 percent from three, were held to 2 of 20 shooting from distance. Their 28.6 percent shooting percentage was 20 percent below its season average of 48.1 percent.
The night started off on a bad note for UM when standout freshman Kyshawn George left the floor with a left ankle injury just a few minutes into the game. A trainer double-taped it and George tried to walk on it, but had trouble, so he never returned. George had scored in double digits in four of his past five games.
Nijel Pack, who scored double digits in 10 of his last 11 games, was held to a season-low 2 points on 0-for-8 shooting. Wooga Poplar was 3-of-12 for eight points. Norchad Omier led UM with 11 points and 13 rebounds, his 12th double-double of the season.
Miami dropped to 15-8 overall and 6-6 in the ACC. The Hurricanes are in seventh place in the league standings with eight games remaining, and it will not be an easy road. They face No. 3 North Carolina twice, at home Saturday at 4 p.m. and on the road Feb. 26. They also play Clemson and Boston College back-to-back on the road, No. 9 Duke and George Tech at home, Boston College at home, and they finish the regular season on the road March 9 against Florida State.
Virginia (18-5, 9-3 ACC) extended its NCAA-leading home win streak to 23.