The Virginia Cavaliers are headed back to the championship stage of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament after delivering a dominant second-half performance in an 84-62 semifinal victory over the Miami Hurricanes on Friday night.
Ugonna Onyenso scored 17 points on an efficient 8-for-9 shooting performance to lead No. 10 Virginia, while Thijs De Ridder and Sam Lewis added 16 points apiece. The Cavaliers also got 15 points from Malik Thomas, nine of which came in the second half as Virginia steadily pulled away.
The victory sends Virginia to the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2023 and improves the Cavaliers to 29-4 in an impressive debut season under first-year head coach Ryan Odom.
Virginia will face No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, which advanced with a 73-61 semifinal win over the Clemson Tigers, in Saturday’s title game.
The game began as a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to generate consistent offense. Virginia eventually created separation late in the first half.
Holding a narrow lead, the Cavaliers erupted on a decisive 13-2 run over the final 2:47 before halftime. The surge was capped when Chance Mallory drained a running 3-pointer at the buzzer after a Miami turnover, giving Virginia a commanding 38-23 lead at the break. The Hurricanes never fully recovered.
Virginia quickly stretched the margin to 18 points about six minutes into the second half as Miami struggled to find driving lanes against the Cavaliers’ length and interior defense.
Offensively, Miami also couldn’t buy a basket from deep. The Hurricanes missed 10 of their first 11 attempts from beyond the arc and finished the game shooting just 39% from the field. Virginia also controlled the glass, outrebounding Miami 35-24.
Despite the struggles, the Hurricanes briefly showed signs of life midway through the second half. Noam Dovrat knocked down two 3-pointers and Shelton Henderson followed a fastbreak miss with a two-handed dunk, trimming the deficit to 53-42.
But Thomas quickly extinguished the rally.
The Virginia guard scored eight of the Cavaliers’ next 10 points, pushing the lead back to 18 with about eight minutes remaining. From there, the Cavaliers cruised, extending the margin to as many as 26 points late in the game.
Tru Washington led Miami with 13 points, while Henderson finished with 12. The Hurricanes now turn their attention to Selection Sunday as they await their seed in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Virginia, meanwhile, will look to cap its remarkable season with a conference championship when it faces top-ranked Duke in Saturday’s ACC Tournament title game.
