Posted at 2:30 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle +6 -112 BET365  +6 -110 Sportsinteraction  +6 -110  888Sport  +6 -110

John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

Miami +6 over Virginia

Streaming: ESPN

7:00 PM EST. The Cavaliers of Virginia are on a tear at the moment, as they have won six games in a row to bring their record to 17-5, with an 8-3 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, where they sit second behind North Carolina. That the Cavs are playing good ball and are in contention for an ACC title is not a surprise, as Tony Bennett’s team was pegged for a top-4 finish in that uber-competitive conference. We’re not here to dismiss what Virginia has accomplished thus far either, but we are not going to ignore the fact that the Cavs stock is soaring, which is a sharp contrast to their opposition tonight.

The Hurricanes of Miami were also pegged to be contenders in the ACC, but that has not come to fruition, as “The U” has stumbled through conference play, posting a middling 5-6 record. The Hurricanes are 15-7 overall, but they are not in the conversation for March Madness because there is a perception in the media and the market that Miami is lacking in “quality” wins, which is not unfair, but Miami has also been bitten hard by the injury bug over the last month and a half. During that time, the Hurricanes were without one or more of their top four scorers, who all missed at least one game.

Since the calendar turned to 2024, the Hurricanes have gone just 4-5, but they did beat then #16 Clemson by 13, while losing close games to Wake Forest (in overtime) and on the road at Syracuse (72-69). The Hurricanes' other three losses with an incomplete complement of players came against Louisville (179), Florida State (80), and at N.C. State (74), which was a game the ‘Canes dropped by just six points.

This is the first game in a big night of college hoops on ESPN, and so there will be many eyes on the game and much discussion around the current state of both teams. The media has great influence on the market, and the ‘Canes are an easy team to pick on. However, their stock is low, and it’s not because they were playing bad ball, it’s because they lost a few close games with a depleted lineup. That lineup is now intact, and so the Hurricanes are on our radar as an undervalued team that has plenty of time to make some noise before the dust settles, and the selection committee has handed out their tickets to The Dance. This is the definition of a “buy low, sell high” situation, and taking back the inflated points is a must.

Sherwood

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