Rapid Takeaways From Virginia's Dominant Win Over Miami To Advance to ACC Championship

The Virginia Cavaliers are heading to the ACC Tournament Championship Game.

It was an ugly start, but UVA dominated from the end of the first half and the entire second half against third-seeded Miami to claim a win and advance to the final round.

Here are the biggest takeaways from tonight's game

1. Validating win

Virginia has drawn their fair share of doubters over the season, with many pointing out the lack of signature wins and the blowout loss to Duke (as if Duke does not do that to everyone) so the way in which UVA was able to win tonight has to feel validating for this team, who moves to 29-4 and removes any doubt that they are one of the top teams in the country.

There is still work to be done, though. If Duke wins tonight against Clemson, it is going to set up a rematch between the top two teams in the conference. Duke won the first time handily, but they are down two important starters.

This win does not make UVA a national championship threat, but they should be getting more respect than they seemingly have this season.

2. UVA's three-point defense was suffocating

Miami is not an offensive juggernaut, but it was impressive to see Virginia completely erase their ability to shoot from beyond the arc.

For the game, Miami was 4-20 from deep and they were 1-10 in the first half. The Cavaliers have an elite defense and they showed it tonight against Miami's best players.

3. Chance Mallory shines

Chance Mallory is such a steady presence for a young player and he showed it tonight. He finished with 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds and also had an awesome buzzer-beating three in the first half.

WOAH CHANCE 🤯

📺 ESPN2#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/r58hTbgrN2
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 13, 2026

Mallory is going to play a huge role for this team tomorrow night against whoever the opponent might be and they are going to need him as March rolls on.

4. Sam Lewis and Malik Thomas big performances in the 2nd half

Lewis had 14 second-half points, and Thomas had nine. They led the way for UVA to close the game and anytime it felt like Miami might cut into the lead and make it a game, Lewis or Thomas stepped up and made a big shot.

Slime Lewis 🤧

📺 ESPN2#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/4eACqv0g2J
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 14, 2026

5, Ugonna Onyenso has another big game

It was going to be hard to follow up on the eight-block performance from yesterday's win over NC State, but Onyenso tried his best. He finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and four blocks, as well as hitting a three. He has been a key player for Virginia all season and has stepped up in a big way during the tournament so far.

Whoever Virginia plays tomorrow night, expect Onyenso to play a major role.