Miami Basketball at Virginia: How to Watch/Game Thread

Miami looks to go 3-0 in the ACC tonight (7PM EST ESPNU) with a tough test Vs UVA in Charlottesville.

Virginia, 1-2 in ACC play following tough road losses to Georgia Tech and Va Tech, is led by several very good players including Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill.

Brogdon was the conference's preseason POY.  But he has struggled in 4 of his last 5 games.

Look for the Hoos' senior off guard to come out very aggressive.

The 'Canes will need a stellar defensive performance from Davon Reed to keep him check.

UM would also benefit from a bounce back performance from Angel Rodriguez, who has also been cold of late.

Game Notes (Courtesy UM):

The Game
No. 8/9 Miami hits the road for three-straight ACC games over the next nine days, beginning with No. 13/11 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on ESPNU with Mike Couzens and Len Elmore on the call. Also check out the game on 560 WQAM radio with Joe Zagacki, the Voice of the Hurricanes.

The Coach
Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 574-384 overall record in his 32nd season as a head coach. He is 104-50 in his fifth season at the University of Miami, with a 43-29 mark in ACC play.

The Polls (as of Jan. 10)
AP: Miami -12, Virginia - 4
USA TODAY: Miami - 11, Virginia - 4
KenPom.com: Miami - 9, Virginia - 7
NCAA RPI: Miami -14, Virginia - 10

The Weather
Game day temperatures: Coral Gables - 71/56; Charlottesville, Va. - 48/19.

The Series
Miami is 10-7 in the all-time series against Virginia, which dates back to the 1965-66 season. The Canes are 6-1 at home against the Cavaliers, 3-5 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites. The Canes are 1-3 against Virginia under Coach L. Miami lost the last two matchups with Virginia, losing to the Cavaliers in double overtime, 89-80, on Jan. 3, 2015 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables and 65-40 in Charlottesville in 2014.

As a Ranked Team (Full list on page 6)
Since the rebirth of basketball at UM in 1985-86 ...
- Miami is 14-6 when ranked in the top 10 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 12-4 under Coach L when ranked in the top 10 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 2-2 in true road games when ranked in the top 10 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 0-3 when both teams are ranked in the top 15.
- Miami is 24-82 against teams ranked in the top 15 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 8-15 under Coach L against teams ranked in the top 15 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 7-38 in true road games against teams ranked in the top 15 in at least one poll.
- Miami is 3-7 in true road games under Coach L against teams ranked in the top 15 in at least one poll.

- Miami is 1-1 against Virginia when the Canes are ranked in the top 25
- Miami is 1-0 against the Cavaliers when the Canes are ranked in the top 10.
- Miami is 0-3 against Virginia when the Cavaliers are ranked in the top 25.
- In the all-time series between Miami and Virginia, never have both teams been ranked for the contest.

Canes Have Stingy 3-Point Defense
In seven-straight games, Miami has held its opponents to less than 32.0 percent shooting from long range, a 22.7 percent mark in that timeframe. In the first seven games, Miami averaged 41.4 percent 3-point defense. Opponents shot better than 32 percent from three in six of the first seven games. The Canes held in-state opponents Florida and Florida State to 8.3 percent and 10.5 percent from long range.

Mac Attack
Sheldon McClellan scored 20 second-half points against Florida State and finished with 21 for the game. He was 7-7 from the field in the second half, tying the best field goal percentage in a half since 2004-05, when Reggie Johnson was 7-7 in the second half against Duke in January 2011. McClellan has scored 20+ points in four outings, including two-straight, and 14+ points in 11 games. In two ACC games, McClellan is averaging 21.5 points, hitting 54.5 percent from the field. He is third in the league in scoring,

Canes Off to Second-Best Start in ACC Play
Miami has opened the 2015-16 ACC slate with a 2-0 mark, the second-best start in program history. In 2012-13, the Canes opened 13-0 on their way to the 2013 ACC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.

McClellan One of Top Shooting Guards in the Nation, Top in ACC
Senior guard Sheldon McClellan has posted the eighth-best shooting percentage (55.0%) in the country among guards, and has the top shooting percentage among guards in the ACC, according to stats on NCAA.org on Jan. 10. McClellan is currently on three national player of the year early-season watch lists: Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy for Men’s National Player of the Year and Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

Miami Winning By Double Digits
In 12 of Miami’s 13 victories, the Canes have outscored their opponents by double digits. Nebraska is the only exception, as Miami won by only five points in overtime in Lincoln. UM is winning games by 18.0 points per outing, and averaging 82.8 points per contest.

Miami and ACC Teams in KenPom Rankings
Six ACC teams are in the top 17 of KenPom.com’s offensive efficiency ratings, as of Jan. 10. In adjusted efficiency: 1 North Carolina, 2 Duke, 3 Notre Dame, 4 Pittsburgh, 6 Virginia and 17 Miami.
As of Jan. 10, Miami is one of four ACC teams that rank in the KenPom top 8. Seven ACC teams are in the KenPom top 30.