Three Biggest Takeaways From No. 14 Virginia’s 86–83 Victory Over Miami

The Virginia Cavaliers sealed a victory over the Miami Hurricanes.

Virginia Cavaliers center Johann Grünloh | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers endured another tight battle on Saturday, this time against the Miami Hurricanes. This was expected to be a grueling matchup for both programs, and needless to say, expectations were met.

After leads were swapped throughout the game, the Cavaliers just barely pulled ahead in the final moments, clinching an 86-83 victory over the Hurricanes. Having bagged another win, here are three key takeaways from the Virginia-Miami meeting.

Johann Grünloh Gains Attention

Virginia Cavaliers center Johann Grünloh | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Freshman Johann Grünloh has not been performing as well at the basket in recent weeks, but during his matchup against Georgia Tech, he started posting in the double digits again. This momentum continued into the Virginia-Miami game, in which he finished with 12 points, four rebounds and five critical blocks. These blocks came at the right times for the Cavaliers, ultimately preventing the Hurricanes from pulling ahead.

UVA Struggles To Pull Ahead

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With 3:47 left on the clock in the second half, the Cavaliers and the Hurricanes had already tied 12 the game 12 times. In a similar fashion to Virginia's previous games throughout their campaign, pulling ahead was not feasible. However, this was to be expected this time around.

Miami currently falls at No. 3 in the ACC standings, while UVA remains at No. 2, just behind the Duke Blue Devils. The Cavaliers knew heading into this matchup that the Hurricanes would put them to the test of both sides of the ball, so a large margin victory likely wasn't going to be in their cards.

UVA Rallies for a Victory

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This was not an easy win for the Cavaliers, and much of the game remained uncomfortably close. They ultimately lost the rebound battle 30-23, but their efforts were just enough to pull off a close win. UVA's win was largely attributed to Jacari White's 17 points, which paved the way for Virginia. White also contributed one rebound and five assists, shooting 66.7% from the floor; many of his points came from timely shots.

Virginia is now riding an eight-game winning streak while running 24-3 overall and 12-2 in conference play. This marked the start of a brutal set of games for the Cavaliers, but they were able to kick things off on the right foot.

UA's next matchup is scheduled for Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. against NC State, another tough opponent to face in the ACC. The Cavaliers will be welcoming the Wolfpack to John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.