The semifinals of the ACC Tournament might provide two of the best matchups we're going to see before the brackets are released and the NCAA Tournament begins. The Virginia Cavaliers are still hanging onto hope to get a No. 1 seed in the dance, and if they can beat the Miami Hurricanes on Friday night to reach the ACC Tournament Final, they've got a really good gripe to do just that even if they don't win on Saturday.
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HOW THE MIAMI HURRICANES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Guard play is what's big this time of year, and the Hurricanes got a spectacular performance on Thursday night out of their trio of guards. Davon Reed, Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan really took over the game, combining to score 57 points. They went 8-for-16 from beyond the arc as well, and Rodriguez had nine assists against just two turnovers.
Scoring against Virginia is going to be tough, and it's going to take a lot of mental toughness to get through this game on short rest. Virginia can lull you to sleep when it has the ball, but that doesn't mean the Canes can fall into the same sort of trap and play that style of offense themselves. They'll need to push the ball around the perimeter and find open shots, and it's going to take their guards doing all of the work. If they play well, not only can they win this game, but they can win the ACC and make a lot of noise in the dance, too.
HOW THE VIRGINIA CAVALIERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Virginia really didn't look like what we're used to seeing at times in the middle of this season, especially in a 64-61 loss at Miami on February 22. There were just too many possessions in that game for its liking, and the half-court defense just wasn't as good as we're used to seeing.
Miami has to make this game about its guards, but Virginia has the make it about good rebounding and forcing turnovers. On a night where they weren't at their best, the Cavaliers still knocked off a decent Georgia Tech team by 20. They were outrebounded and only forced 13 turnovers, but they still got the job done because of the play of Anthony Gill, Isaiah Wilkins and Mike Tobey defensively.
If Tonye Jekiri can't get involved in the offense in the post and the game stays outside of the perimeter, the Cavaliers should be fast enough and lanky enough to cause Miami's shooters problems. If UVA has to defend the whole floor though, this could become a long game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Color us impressed with Miami at this point. We love guard play in March, and that's why we think "The U" has a chance to go a long way in the tourney next week.
This isn't a particularly great matchup for Miami after a gritty game against Virginia Tech, though. The Cavaliers are clearly the fresher of the two sides, and they're going to bring the same type of intensity to the table that V-Tech did on Thursday.
Throw in the extra couple hours of rest and the general lull that will come with this game being played at a snail's pace, and we think there's going to be just enough here for Virginia to win this one. Bettors should be wary of another really close call to the spread, though.
Virginia 62, Miami 58
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The Miami Hurricanes and Virginia Cavaliers will square off Friday, March 11, 2016, at 9:00 p.m. ET at the Verizon Center. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
