Miami Secures Share of ACC Regular-Season Championship with Win Over Pittsburgh

Norchad Omier’s defensive stop in the later stages of the second half against Pittsburgh was symbolic of the season Miami has had.

After preventing the Panthers from even attempting a shot near the basket, Omier roared at a packed crowd at the Watsco Center, where the Hurricanes have won a program-record 16 games this season.

This defensive stop created the momentum UM needed to defeat Pitt, 78-76, and win a share of its second ACC regular-season championship in the program’s history. That same crowd that Omier electrified later stormed the court to celebrate Miami’s achievement.

“Before the season ever started, we invited groups to come to our practice and share a meal with the players,” UM head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “One of the groups was the pep band, and they were great all season long. The next was the Category 5 leaders, and they came and they made a commitment to recruiting [and] spreading the word that everyone should get behind this basketball team and cheer us on. And without that, a lot of times the players did not have the kind of energy to finish. You get so tired and worn out during the game the it’s really hard to finish the game. With the crowd though, they just helped us in so many different ways.”

Omier finished with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He ended the regular season as one of just three Division I players to average at least 14 points and 9.5 rebounds, as well as shoot 59% from the field over the course of the year.

“I’m just thankful … First of all I want to give God thanks for this. My teammates, my coaches, everybody who was a part of this long journey because this was a marathon,” Omier said.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with seven lead changes. Miami, which was also celebrating its Senior Day, captured its largest lead of the half after sophomore guard Wooga Poplar nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. The Hurricanes held a 42-38 lead at halftime.

Poplar paced UM’s guards in the opening half, scoring nine points and making a career-high three shots from deep. His production helped offset a lackluster half from Wong and guard Nijel Pack, who combined for only four points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field.

The sophomore guard knocked down three more crucial shots from deep and finished with a team-high 18 points. He was also tasked for much of the game with defending Panthers guard Jamarius Burton, who entered the contest averaging 15.6 points per game.

“[Poplar] played with great intensity … He’s getting better and better at both ends of the court,” Larrañaga said.

Virginia, with its 75-60 win over Louisville, also clinched a share of the regular-season conference title. Because UM defeated the Cavaliers in their matchup earlier this year, the Hurricanes slot in as the No. 1 seed for the ACC Tournament that will be played next week.

Next up, Miami will play on Thursday at noon in the quarterfinals of its conference tournament against the winner of Syracuse and Wake Forest’s second round game.