By MIKE McCURRY
Miami went a long way toward solidifying an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, rallying from nine points down to win at No. 18 Virginia, 54-48 in overtime.
Freshman Bruce Brown scored a team-high 14 points, including a three-pointer that put Miami ahead for good with 23.8 seconds left in the extra session.
Making the Hurricanes’ win all the more impressive is that they were once again without Ja’Quan Newton, who was serving his third and final game of a suspension for a violation of team rules. Miami went 3-0 without Newton, the team’s second-leading scorer (15.0 PPG) and leader in assists (3.6), previously collecting wins over Georgia Tech and Clemson. Shortly after the victory, the junior point guard issued a contrite apology via his private Twitter account.CANES in OT!
Freshman Bruce Brown's only 3 of the game put @CanesHoops ahead of #18 UVA ?#MustSeeACC pic.twitter.com/nANgansqCJ — ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 21, 2017
It’s a sincere and classy gesture by Newton, who should be playing with a chip on his shoulder come Saturday when Miami hosts tenth-ranked Duke (4:00 p.m. ET, CBS). The Hurricanes entered the day as a projected No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. The win over Virginia gives them a second RPI Top-25 win, with the other coming in a home victory against UNC back in January. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Miami will be in the field for the second consecutive year. Afterward, head coach Jim Larranaga joined his guys in the locker room for a little celebratory dancing, a likely precursor to what they’ll be doing next month. Presumably with one of their top players, Newton, back in the mix.Ja'Quan Newton just Tweeted this: @HeraldSports @MiamiHerald @CanesHoops pic.twitter.com/vyAluZjPGK
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) February 21, 2017
Photo: APLocker room is lit. pic.twitter.com/8uN6NDQP1q
— Canes Hoops (@CanesHoops) February 21, 2017
