CORAL GABLES, FLA- On a day of college basketball filled with plenty of conference upsets, Miami wasn’t exempt from this trend on Saturday. Courtesy of Darius Maddox’s go-ahead three-pointer with twelve seconds left, the Hokies (18-11, 10-8 ACC) were able to squeak past the Hurricanes in an ACC clash (20-9, 12-6 ACC).
The loss is certainly a letdown for Miami, considering the circumstances of the game. The Hurricanes had a 70-66 lead over the Hokies with 25 seconds left after Charlie Moore sank the first of his two free-throw attempts. Virginia Tech’s Sean Pedulla quickly answered with a layup to cut the lead to two, and Hunter Cattoor’s steal on the Hurricanes’ ensuing possession led to Maddox’s game-winner. Sam Waardenburg would then miss a game-winning three-pointer on the game’s final shot.
In addition to the game-winner, Maddox provided 13 points and two rebounds off the bench. Maddox was one of four Hokies to score double-digit points, as they were led by Kevin Aluma’s 18 points and ten rebounds, marking his sixth double-double of the season. Virginia Tech also received solid contributions from Pedulla, who had 17 points, Hunter Cattoor and Justyn Mutts, who tied one another for a team-high six assists.
As for Miami, Kameron McGusty and Isaiah Wong led the scoring attack for the Hurricanes. McGusty finished with a team-high 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Wong led the Hurricanes’ bench with 14 points. The Hurricanes also had three more players finish with double-digit points, as Moore (12 points), Anthony Walker (11 points), and Waardenburg (10 points) all accomplished the feat.
Entering Saturday’s slate of games, Miami was projected to comfortably make the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, but they need to win out and play well in the ACC Postseason Tournament to solidify their position. In spite of this, Virginia Tech has simultaneously kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, winning eight of their last nine conference games since their 75-78 loss to the Hurricanes on January 26th. The Hokies are on the outside looking in, and would benefit from a late-season meltdown from Memphis, Michigan, Wake Forest, or Florida, who project to be the last four teams in the tournament.
Tip Ins
- The Hurricanes moved to 25-20 all-time against Virginia Tech, including 12-7 at home and 15-10 in Jim Larrañaga’s tenure.
- The last five games in this series have been decided by a total of 17 points, with seven of those in a triple-overtime contest and the additional 10 split among the other four.
Miami’s Head Coach Larrañaga, who entered the game with the ninth-most victories of any active Division I coach, is now 690-473 in 38 years as a head coach, including 220-139 in 11 seasons at Miami. - McGusty scored in double figures for the 90th time, including the 62nd as a Hurricane and 27th this season.
Miami will look to close out its regular-season schedule with road wins against Boston College (11-17, 6-12 ACC) and Syracuse (15-14, 9-9 ACC). - Virginia Tech will continue its late-season push for an at-large birth in March Madness with games against Louisville (12-16, 6-12 ACC) and Clemson (14-15, 6-12 ACC).