No. 12 Hurricanes Upset No. 5 Wake Forest, 83-62

March 11, 2010

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -Redshirt freshman Reggie Johnson scored a season-high 22 points against his hometown school and 12th-seeded Miami routed fifth-seeded Wake Forest 83-62 on Thursday in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Johnson was 8-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line while James Dews added 15 points for the Hurricanes (19-12).

They led by 25, shot nearly 52 percent against one of the league’s toughest defenses and made a huge early run stand in advancing to Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against fourth-seeded Virginia Tech.

Ishmael Smith had 14 points to lead the Demon Deacons (19-10).

They didn’t get closer than 16 in the second half in falling to 0-3 in ACC tournament games under coach Dino Gaudio. They’ve lost five of six, and that can’t help but damage their seeding – if not drop them onto the NCAA tournament bubble – when Selection Sunday rolls around.

The Hurricanes return to tournament competition on Friday versus fourth-seeded Virginia Tech around 2 p.m. in the Greensboro Coliseum. With the all-time series knotted at nine-games apiece, the teams split the series this season with each team winning at home. The game will be carried regionally by Raycom-affiliated stations and nationally (including in South Florida) on ESPN2. Please click on this link to determine your local coverage.

Friday’s Miami-Virginia Tech winner advances to Saturday’s ACC semifinals to face the winner of the game between top-seeded Duke and ninth-seeded Virginia at 1:30 p.m.