Miami Faces Virginia In ACC Semifinal
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (SportsDirect Inc.) -- Second-seeded Virginia's stingy defense faces the depth, speed and experience of third seed Miami (Fla.) in the semifinals of the ACC tournament in Washington D.C. on Friday.
The Cavaliers, who are among the national leaders in scoring defense, vie for their fifth straight win while Miami looks to reach the final for the first time since winning the tournament in 2013.
Fourth-ranked Virginia pulled away for a 72-52 victory over Georgia Tech in Thursday's quarterfinals as ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon poured in 26 points and moved into 11th place on the program's all-time list with 1,713.
The Cavaliers have reached three straight semifinals for the first time since 1993-95 and won the title in 2014.
The 11th-ranked Hurricanes built a big lead and held off a rally to beat Virginia Tech 88-82 in the quarterfinals Thursday as Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez combined for 40 points.
The teams split a pair of meetings during the regular season, with each winning at home.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, ACC Network
ABOUT MIAMI (25-6): McClellan and Rodriguez are looking to put together big runs in their final chance in the ACC tournament while Davon Reed also is stepping up with at least 17 points in four of his last five games. McClellan is averaging 18.3 points over the last three contests and Rodriguez is 8-of-18 from 3-point range over the past four. Tonye Jekiri (8.2 points, nine rebounds, 35 blocks) is the top defensive weapon and Ja'Quan Newton returned from a three-game suspension Thursday to score 10 points.
ABOUT VIRGINIA (25-6): While Brogdon and fellow senior Anthony Gill (13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds) do their thing consistently, London Perrantes plays just as big a role. The junior point guard averages 11.1 points and 4.5 assists and is a major threat from long range, shooting 50.4 percent from beyond the arc (62-of-123) this season. Mike Tobey has raised his level of play the last two games by totaling 24 points and 21 rebounds after recording just 23 and 12, respectively, in the previous five combined.
TIP-INS
1. The senior class for the Cavaliers (Brogdon and Gill) has 108 wins and needs one to tie the 1984 group for second place on the program's all-time list.
2. Jekiri, who has grabbed 880 career rebounds, has been a part of 94 victories for the Hurricanes - most of anyone in school history.
3. Perrantes recorded eight assists Thursday to tie Jontel Evans for eighth on Virginia's all-time list with 419 and stands seven behind John Johnson for seventh.
