The Result: Third-ranked UVa didn't have Ty Jerome for the first time in 88 games and it showed in spots, as the Wahoos turned it over 14 times but still managed to beat Miami 56-46 to move to 20-1 overall with an 8-1 mark in league play.
The Turning Point: After the Cavaliers fell behind briefly in the first half, they tied it back up on a Kihei Clark drive 13 seconds later. It was the start of a 9-0 run that gave Virginia some breathing room. The Hurricanes would get within four a few times but never got it back down to one possession the rest of the way.
The Stat That Tells the Story: Despite (again) turning the ball over at a much higher clip than its average, UVa dominated on the glass (42 to 24) and especially made hay on the offensive end, turning 12 boards into 14 second-chance points.
Wahoo of the Game: It's Mamadi Diakite. While he wasn't the only player to stuff the stat sheet, his 11 points, six rebounds, and three blocks—giving him 11 over the past three games—were critical. Diakite is more frequently having stretches like he had in the second half Saturday, where he's scoring and blocking shots and basically feels like he's all over the place. While UVa hasn't had it fastball for two games, the play of Diakite and Braxton Key (five points, eight boards, four assists, two blocks, and two steals) have been even more important.
Why did the Cavaliers win it?
The Canes are a depleted bunch. Outside of sophomore dynamo Chris Lykes, they are in a world of hurt right now. As such Miami is just not very good, as the roughly 20-point line on this game would imply. Without Jerome in the lineup, Virginia looked out of sorts offensively and playing the way the Wahoos did likely would've meant a loss against a better squad. But they were still, even without their starting PG, the better team and amid a myriad of mistakes and miscues, that was still likely to be the case but explains why the margin was about half of what was expected.
What does this mean for UVa going forward?
The first order of business becomes Jerome's health. His back issue, which arose in the NC State game, doesn't seem to be something that will keep him out for an extended time. The added days off leading into last weekend as well as throughout this coming week make his return for Saturday's game against Duke all the more likely. And that's good because Clark's game, with nine points, six assists, and five rebounds to go with his six turnovers, was a considerable mixed bag. In spots he looked fine and in others he looked like a freshman hitting that wall with about a third of the season left. Where he must improve is both in his feel for who he's passing to as well as the pop on his passes regardless of how his body is positioned when he's throwing them. Diakite and Key were again encouraging but after making sure to get its PG back UVa also has to figure out ways to get Kyle Guy easier looks. He's in a bit of slump after struggling in Raleigh and then going 2-for-8 from deep against the Canes. Overall, at the midway point in league play it's likely that the Cavaliers are better than their last two games but they must undoubtedly be sharper this weekend if they want to keep pace atop the ACC standings.
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