The Miami Hurricanes (11-7, 3-2) come calling on the Virginia Cavaliers (9-6, 3-2) Tuesday night at University Hall. While the Hurricanes are best known for their gridiron accolades don't look past coach Frank Haith's growing basketball program in southern Florida. The Hurricanes boast one of the top backcourts in not only the ACC but the entire nation. Dave Leitao's backcourt will get a quick barometer as to just how good they are themselves going up against the Canes. With both teams coming in with a 3-2 conference mark this game has great importance for momentum heading into the heart of the conference schedule.
Guillermo Diaz is the big gun for Frank Haith's bunch and the 6'2 junior shooting guard is an athletic dynamo who will provide a tough task for the Hoo defenders. Coming into Tuesday's matchup Diaz is averaging 16.5 ppg and 3.1 apg. Last year speculation ran rampant that Diaz was thinking of jumping to the NBA but he came back to shore up his point guard and perimeter shooting skills to enhance his chances at a lucrative professional career. Diaz's running mate is Robert Hite (16.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) who also on any given night can go on a tear offensively. Hite has gone for 20+ points in three of the last four games for the Hurricanes.
A third member of the Miami backcourt making significant contributions is Anthony Harris (10.1 ppg, 3.3 apg). Also keep an eye out on freshman point guard Denis Clemente who is averaging almost 24 minutes per contest, the Miami native has fared well in his first season and Dave Leitao's squad will need to stay up on him defensively just as they would the aforementioned trio.
Inside for Frank Haith Anthony King (9.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is the primary weapon at 6'9 235 pounds. Hailing from Durham NC King is very active on the boards so the big men for the Hoos will need to keep a body on him off the glass. With 58 offensive boards already more than 42% of King's rebounds come on the offensive end, which is something Dave Leitao and his staff definitely want to address to his post players. Gary Hamilton (4.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) is the other big man for the Hurricanes and at 6'10 265 pounds he'll be one of the biggest players the Hoos have faced all season. Hamilton eats up a lot of space inside but if the Hoos remain as active inside as they have been of late their speed and athleticism could neutralize Hamilton's strength.
Also look for Raymond Hicks (3.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg), Jimmy Graham (2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), and Eric Wilkins (1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg) to see a few minutes to try and spell the starters. Hicks and Graham bring some added size to the mix and look for them to try to wear down and attack UVa's frontcourt off the bench.
Virginia's fortunes rely heavily on their potent backcourt duo of point guard Sean Singletary (18.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg) and shooting guard J.R. Reynolds (14.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg). Singletary is shooting 42% behind the three point arc and Reynolds is knocking them down at a 34% clip. The tandem has performed at a high level throughout the season and will need to step it up against Miami's equally as talented backcourt. Junior point guard T.J. Bannister had a nice showing for Dave Leitao in the Hoos' upset of UNC so expect the speedster to provide more solid minutes in relief of Singletary.
Jason Cain (8.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Laurynas Mikalauskas (5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) provided a huge lift to the Cavaliers in the win over the Tar Heels last week. The duo will need to continue to scrap and hustle inside for coach Leitao to provide more second chance points via offensive rebounds. Cain has been a pleasant surprise for the Hoos and has a strong argument as the ACC's most improved player.
Sophomore Tunji Soroye (2.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) has seen his ups and downs in his second season but his biggest problem thus far has been avoiding foul trouble. An outstanding shot blocker (1.7 bpg), Soroye sometimes gets after it too aggressively and gets some poor fouls at times. He also gets overpowered sometimes and is caught out of position also leading to those fouls.
Freshman swingman Mamadi Diane (7.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg) has enjoyed a solid first season in Charlottesville but despite somewhat of a shooting slump as of late he's managed to contribute in other areas for Dave Leitao. As of late Diane's minutes have dropped due to the emergence of sophomore small forward Adrian Joseph but he will need to remain confident as the Hoos will need his all around abilities to battle ACC foes down the stretch.
Speaking of Adrian Joseph (10.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), the Trinidad native has turned it on in his second season. Last year he relied heavily on the outside shot but he's shown the ability to put it on the floor and get to the bucket this season as his free throw attempts have more than doubled in half as many games this year. The Hoos will need Joseph to help out on the boards against the Hurricanes with his mix of size and athleticism. Look for Joseph to get some added looks offensively as well tomorrow due to matchup problems.
Tomorrow's game is pivotal in terms of league standing but also the morale of Dave Leitao's young squad as well. The homecourt advantage will be helpful but it'll be all the more important if the Hoo fans can make it a hostile environment for the visiting Hurricanes. So Hoo fans have University Hall rocking tomorrow night starting at 9:00 PM...just keep it going for the brunt of the game...Dave Leitao and his players would most certainly appreciate it.