Men's basketball: Last Thursday, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups were revealed. Virginia drew current ACC rival Maryland on the road. Yep, the Terrapins will be in the Big Ten next season, and wouldn't you know it, the Cavaliers were matched up with them. Lots of fans were upset and thought that Virginia deserved a better matchup as ACC regular-season and tournament champs. Normally, matchups are based roughly on where teams finished in the regular-season standings the year before. Maryland, though, finished ninth in the ACC. However, I understand the TV part of this game. Maryland and Virginia have a significant regional rivalry based in a populous area of the country. This game will definitely get some eyeballs. Both games were fairly close last season, too. The Cavaliers won, 61-53, in Charlottesville and the Terps won, 75-69, in overtime in College Park.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I would rather see UVa face another team, preferably Michigan or Michigan State. Michigan was first in the Big Ten regular season and MSU and UVa played a fantastic game in the NCAA tournament and a rematch would surely draw big TV numbers. But I'm also excited for the chance to beat Maryland after it beat UVa last year in what was presumably the final time those teams would play for awhile in March's regular-season finale.
At this point in time, I would give the Wahoos a good chance of winning, too. Maryland has had four scholarship players transfer since the end of the year: Shaq Cleare, Roddy Peters, Nick Faust, and Seth Allen (who I think was the second-best player on the team); presumably, Charles Mitchell is also thinking about leaving. The Terrapins could be hurting pretty badly next season. Coach Mark Turgeon has a good recruiting class coming in, though, and it sounds like he will need it. Maryland is leaving one tough conference and entering another one. Turgeon will be entering his fourth season at Maryland and it has yet to make the Big Dance in his tenure. His seat is getting hot.
Here are the other ACC/Big Ten Challenge games for next season: Duke at Wisconsin, Ohio State at Louisville, Syracuse at Michigan, Iowa at North Carolina, Nebraska at Florida State, Rutgers at Clemson, Illinois at Miami, Minnesota at Wake Forest, N.C. State at Purdue, Pittsburgh at Indiana, Georgia Tech at Northwestern, Michigan State at Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech at Penn State.
Men's lacrosse: Virginia was awarded with the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament Sunday. The Cavaliers will host Johns Hopkins in the first round (there is a play-in round before the first round, though) Sunday at 1 p.m. Should it win, UVa will then face No. 1 seed Duke on May 18 in Newark, Del. Virginia beat Hopkins, 11-10 in overtime, in Charlottesville on March 22. Duke has beaten UVa 14 out of the past 15 times they have faced each other.
Women's lacrosse: The women's team was given the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. It is set up a little differently than the men's tournament (more teams -- 26 compared to 18 for the men) and so UVa won't know its first-round opponent until after a game between Penn State and Princeton, which takes place Friday at 4 p.m. in Charlottesville. The winner battles the Wahoos after the men's game Sunday at Klockner Stadium. The 'Hoos beat Penn State, 12-11, at home this season but lost to Princeton on the road, 15-13.
Men's tennis: The men are the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and host Army at home Saturday at noon.
Women's tennis: The women are the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and host Youngstown State on Friday at 1 p.m.
Softball: I don't think I thought it was possible, but the softball team finished with a record this season of 8-43. That makes for a worse winning percentage (.160) than the football team has this academic year (.167) and the worst one at the university. The softball Cavaliers take that unwanted trophy this year. We will have to see if either can improve in 2014-15. The softball team has traditionally been one of the worst teams at UVa. It was the first team I covered as an associate editor at The Cavalier Daily and that year, they won one ACC game and that is what they did this year, too.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I would rather see UVa face another team, preferably Michigan or Michigan State. Michigan was first in the Big Ten regular season and MSU and UVa played a fantastic game in the NCAA tournament and a rematch would surely draw big TV numbers. But I'm also excited for the chance to beat Maryland after it beat UVa last year in what was presumably the final time those teams would play for awhile in March's regular-season finale.
At this point in time, I would give the Wahoos a good chance of winning, too. Maryland has had four scholarship players transfer since the end of the year: Shaq Cleare, Roddy Peters, Nick Faust, and Seth Allen (who I think was the second-best player on the team); presumably, Charles Mitchell is also thinking about leaving. The Terrapins could be hurting pretty badly next season. Coach Mark Turgeon has a good recruiting class coming in, though, and it sounds like he will need it. Maryland is leaving one tough conference and entering another one. Turgeon will be entering his fourth season at Maryland and it has yet to make the Big Dance in his tenure. His seat is getting hot.
Here are the other ACC/Big Ten Challenge games for next season: Duke at Wisconsin, Ohio State at Louisville, Syracuse at Michigan, Iowa at North Carolina, Nebraska at Florida State, Rutgers at Clemson, Illinois at Miami, Minnesota at Wake Forest, N.C. State at Purdue, Pittsburgh at Indiana, Georgia Tech at Northwestern, Michigan State at Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech at Penn State.
Men's lacrosse: Virginia was awarded with the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament Sunday. The Cavaliers will host Johns Hopkins in the first round (there is a play-in round before the first round, though) Sunday at 1 p.m. Should it win, UVa will then face No. 1 seed Duke on May 18 in Newark, Del. Virginia beat Hopkins, 11-10 in overtime, in Charlottesville on March 22. Duke has beaten UVa 14 out of the past 15 times they have faced each other.
Women's lacrosse: The women's team was given the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. It is set up a little differently than the men's tournament (more teams -- 26 compared to 18 for the men) and so UVa won't know its first-round opponent until after a game between Penn State and Princeton, which takes place Friday at 4 p.m. in Charlottesville. The winner battles the Wahoos after the men's game Sunday at Klockner Stadium. The 'Hoos beat Penn State, 12-11, at home this season but lost to Princeton on the road, 15-13.
Men's tennis: The men are the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and host Army at home Saturday at noon.
Women's tennis: The women are the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and host Youngstown State on Friday at 1 p.m.
Softball: I don't think I thought it was possible, but the softball team finished with a record this season of 8-43. That makes for a worse winning percentage (.160) than the football team has this academic year (.167) and the worst one at the university. The softball Cavaliers take that unwanted trophy this year. We will have to see if either can improve in 2014-15. The softball team has traditionally been one of the worst teams at UVa. It was the first team I covered as an associate editor at The Cavalier Daily and that year, they won one ACC game and that is what they did this year, too.
Comments
Post a Comment