Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Miami Hurricanes

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The Miami Hurricanes were finally getting a lot of publicity, and they were almost the number one ranked team. Last time out the Hurricanes hit a major speed bump when they lost 80-65 at Wake Forest. Miami was favored by seven in that one, but they trailed virtually the entire game. Virginia Tech won for the first time in ten games last time out. The Hokies will have a much tougher assignment tomorrow night in Miami.

Game Overview:

James Johnson has walked into a pretty difficult situation at Virginia Tech. The Hokies really don’t have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the ACC on a continual basis. Erick Green leads the nation in scoring, and he is a star, but the rest of the team has struggled this year. Green is often forced to take tough shots because the rest of the Hokies offense has been nearly non-existent at times. Virginia Tech shoots just 42.5 percent from the floor as a team.

The Hokies defense has been even worse than their offense. Opponents consistently get second chance opportunities because Virginia Tech struggles on the defensive glass. Virginia Tech is allowing 74.1 points per game this year, which is one of the worst marks of any major conference team in the nation. They’ll have to pick up their defense if they are going to contend with the Hurricanes.

Is this a good situational spot for Miami or a bad one? You could really see it either way. Typically, a team as good as Miami will bounce back from a bad loss, so you could expect more energy from them in this game. On the other side, Miami has a massive game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke this coming weekend, and they could be looking ahead a bit. The Hurricanes have gotten excellent play from sophomore point guard Shane Larkin this year. Larkin is averaging 13.1 points per game, and he is shooting 41 percent from long range. Larkin’s decision making has gotten much better, and he is now one of the elite point guards in the country. Durand Scott and Kenny Kadji also average 13 points per game, and any one of these three guys are capable of carrying this offense. Center Reggie Johnson was hurt earlier this year, but now that he is healthy he is contributing in a big way down low for this team.

As good as the offense has been, it is the Miami defense that has been the biggest reason for the Hurricanes terrific 22-4 record this year. This squad has really bought into Coach Larranaga’s system this year, and the results on the defensive end have been amazing. The Hurricanes are only allowing opponents to shoot 38.4 percent from the floor. The Hurricanes are surrendering just 59.2 points per game.

Prediction:

Miami might have overlooked the Hokies if they had won last time out, but I think they’ll be ready to play in this one. The Hurricanes should roll to a big win here.

Miami 76 Virginia Tech 55

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