Three Things to Watch During Virginia's ACC Tournament Semifinal Matchup vs. Miami

Fans should keep a close eye on these three things.

Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso and Virginia Tech Hokies center Christian Gurdak | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers will soon be facing the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament for the semifinal round on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Both programs are chasing after the conference title, but in order to have a shot at securing this title, they must make it through the semifinals and win the ACC Championship Game.

Tipoff is only a few hours away, and the Tournament is starting to narrow. The winner of this game will face either the Duke Blue Devils or the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. If the Cavaliers defeat the Hurricanes, they would likely face the Blue Devils for a rematch if Duke wins over Clemson.

With the Virginia-Miami game creeping up, here are three things fans should pay close attention to tonight.

1. UVA's Defense Against Miami

Miami Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

With an offensive unit as dominant as the Hurricanes, the Cavaliers are going to be in for a grueling battle on the court. Malik Reneau, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson, in particular, are going to be tough for the Hoos to defend. These are the top three scorers for Miami, with Reneau leading the pack up top, averaging 19.2 points per game, and Donaldson trailing with 16.8 and Henderson with 13.7 points per game.

2. UVA's Fouling Habit

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Virginia comes in at No. 10 among the ACC's fouls per game, tied with the Stanford Cardinal, both of whom average 17.7 fouls per game. It's no secret that the Cavaliers have struggled in this department throughout their 2025-26 campaign—finding that line between an acceptable level of physicality and fouling has been an ongoing challenge.

3. Dynamics in Rematch Competition

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder and Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The last time Virginia faced Miami was on Feb. 21, and the Hoos secured a tight 86-83 victory. During this matchup, Johann Grünloh impressed with 12 points, four rebounds and five critical blocks, while shooting 80.0% from the floor. With Grünloh and the Cavaliers rallying toward the end, they were able to knock the Hurricanes down. However, one seemingly minor error could have easily handed Miami the victory.

On Friday night, the two programs will face off once again, but this time, Miami is looking to make a comeback. With the Cavaliers already having a win over the Hurricanes this year, this is shaping up to be a heated matchup. Physicality is expected to be high, the score is likely to be close and electric energy is going to radiate from Spectrum Center.