#7 Hurricanes Attempt To Secure ACC Title At Virginia Tech
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BLACKSBURG, Va. (SportsDirect Inc.) -- No. 7 Miami (Fla.) will attempt to secure at least a tie for the ACC regular-season title when it visits Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon.
The Hurricanes and No. 8 North Carolina enter the final day of the regular season tied for the top spot with the Tar Heels on the road against arch-rival Duke on Saturday evening.
Miami is coming off perhaps its best road performance of the season, a 68-50 rout of Notre Dame, which had been 13-1 at home.
Senior point guard Angel Rodriguez (19 points, four assists) orchestrated the offense while the Hurricanes' defense held the Fighting Irish to 34 percent shooting, a season-low for Notre Dame.
"He's the catalyst," Miami coach Jim Larranaga told reporters following the win, referring to Rodriguez. "A catalyst is someone who makes things happen. They don't wait for things to happen. He does it with his defense. He does it with his ball handling. He does it with his shooting. When he's in control, our whole team seems to function better."
The Hurricanes held Virginia Tech to 29.6 percent shooting in a 65-49 victory in their first meeting of the season, but the young Hokies haven't lost since, reeling off four consecutive conference victories including a 66-61 victory over Pittsburgh in their most recent game.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network
ABOUT MIAMI (24-5, 13-4 SEC): Rodriguez (11.8 points a game, 4.4 assists) has been on a roll over the past two games, averaging 18 points on 13-of-23 shooting and six assists. Leading scorer Sheldon McClellan (team-leading 15.6 points) had struggled the past few games on an ailing ankle but looked more like himself while scoring 17 points and playing strong defense against the Fighting Irish. Larranaga is touting senior 7-footer Tonye Jekiri (8.3 points, 9.3 rebounds), for ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors while athletic junior guard Davon Reed (11.1) is a threat both from the arc and on the move to the hoop,
ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (17-13, 9-8): Redshirt junior forward Zach LeDay, who leads the Hokies in scoring (15.1 points) and rebounding (7.7), is coming off a 20-point, 10-rebound game against Pittsburgh. "He's an OK player, but his heart is huge and all he cares about is winning," Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams told ESPN after the win Pittsburgh. "He's the pulse of our team in many ways." Junior guard Seth Allen (13.9 points), sophomore guard Justin Bibbs (12.2, 45.4 percent on 3-point shots), and freshman forward Chris Clarke (9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds) are also capable scorers,
TIP-INS
1. Virginia Tech's four-game streak is its longest ACC winning streak since 2010.
2. Miami trailed 22-21 at halftime in the first meeting but outscored Virginia Tech 44-27 in the second half on 68 percent shooting.
3. While the Hurricanes are one of the nation's most experienced teams, the Hokies start no seniors with five of their top seven scorers either freshmen (three) or sophomores (two).
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