Miami @ Virginia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2020 ) Virginia Tech 61, Miami-Florida 71

After winning back-to-back games against Boston College (85-58) and Wake Forest (71-54), Miami opens a three-game road swing Wednesday at Virginia Tech. The Hokies snapped a five-game losing streak last time out, defeating Pittsburgh 67-57, and now they look to avenge January's 71-61 loss to the Hurricanes.

"I feel like we just take the momentum we have right now, and we take that going into Virginia Tech," Miami center Rodney Miller told reporters. "From here on out, we just go game by game by game. Take it one at a time, and there's still a lot of basketball to play, and in the postseason, we'll see where we end up." The Hurricanes gave a glimpse into their potential against Wake Forest as a newly healthy roster with nine scholarship players available showed balance in winning two in a row for the first time since December. The Hokies also hope to build off a big win, one led by junior forward P.J. Horne, who scored a career-high 18 points, including two clutch 3-pointers in the final 3:30, after failing to hit double digits in the previous nine games. "Everybody made a contribution to that (Pittsburgh) win," Virginia Tech coach Mike Young told reporters. "Just a camaraderie and a level of toughness throughout."

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: Regional Sports Network

ABOUT MIAMI (13-12, 5-10 ACC): Junior guard Chris Lykes (15.2), the team's leading scorer who missed the first meeting with Virginia Tech (groin), and freshman guard Isaiah Wong paced a balanced Hurricanes attack with 13 points apiece against Wake Forest and the team shot 40.3 percent from the floor. Most important, perhaps, to Miami's success was the fact that no one played more than 30 minutes, giving the Hurricanes much-needed rest as the defense held Wake Forest to 38.9 percent shooting. "When we have these nine guys, I think that's huge," Miami forward Sam Waardenburg told reporters. "And with our rotation, we're able to play better defense because you can actually get guys resting and stuff. When we used to have six, seven guys, people were getting tired. That's when mistakes happen."

ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (15-10, 6-8): Horne connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field against Pittsburgh, including a career-high four 3-pointers, but the team's leading scorer Landers Nolley II (17.2 points per game) was limited to seven points, halting a streak of 12 straight double-digit outings that included four 20-point efforts. Nolley did record a career-best 12 rebounds for his second straight game with more than 10 while John Ojiako pitched in with nine as the Hokies produced their best rebounding performance (35 boards) in six games. Horne (4-of-6) and Jalen Cone (4-of-5) combined to nail 8-of-11 3-pointers in the win and the team produced a total of 12, its most since hitting 14 treys in the Hokies' prior victory, a double-overtime win over North Carolina.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Miami extended its series lead to 23-17 over Virginia Tech after the earlier win.

2. Hurricanes G Isaiah Wong was named ACC Freshman of the Week after averaging 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in wins over BC and Wake Forest.

3. Virginia Tech has hit at least 10 3-pointers in 12 games this season.

PREDICTION: Miami 78, Virginia Tech 70