#12 Miami Beats #3 Virginia as ACC Race Tightens Up

The Miami Hurricanes were tied with North Carolina for the lead in the ACC when they met on February 20th, but were blown out by the Tar Heels 96-71. The schedule didn’t get any easier as the 12th ranked Hurricanes hosted #3 Virginia on February 22nd. The Cavaliers beat Miami in Charlottesville 66-58 on January 12th.

As it often does at this stage of the season, the lopsided loss may have served as a wakeup call for the Hurricanes, who edged the Cavaliers 64-61. Miami was led by Davon Reed, who had 21 points. Reed had a red hot shooting hand, going six for eight in field goal attempts, including five of six from three point range. He was four for four from the free throw line.

The Hurricanes moved to within a half game of North Carolina in the ACC standings. Four other teams are within two games of the lead in the crowded race, including the Cavaliers, who are a game and a half back. Miami and North Carolina both have challenging opponents coming up in their next games on February 27th. Miami hosts #11 Louisville while North Carolina is at Virginia.