George Washington at No. 9 Virginia, 7 p.m. Friday ESPN3.com
Virginia has, as expected, started the basketball season 3-0 with easy wins over James Madison, Norfolk State, and South Carolina State. But the challenge gets stiffer Friday night in Charlottesville as George Washington comes to town.
The Colonials went to the tournament last year as a No. 9 seed and lost to Memphis, 71-66, finishing the season with a 24-9 record. Yes, Virginia then beat Memphis in the third round of the Big Dance so if GW had beaten the Tigers, Virginia would have taken on GW last season. GW lost Isaiah Armwood (12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game) and Maurice Creek (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) off that team but return a good core of players, including juniors Kethan Savage, Patricio, Kevin Larsen, and Joe McDonald.
The Colonials are 2-0 on this young season with dominating victories over Grambling State (92-40) and Rutgers (70-53). Garino leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg while also averaging 2.5 steals per game and Savage isn't far behind at 15 ppg while also averaging eight rebounds and 4.5 assists per
game. McDonald (11.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Larsen (11 ppg, nine rpg) are the squad's top rebounders. Top bench players include Yuta Watanabe (eight ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Nick Griffin (seven rpg). GW has shot well, 48 percent, but only 29.3 percent from beyond the arc and 68.3 percent from the charity stripe. UVa is at 47 percent and 75 percent, respectively, in those categories.
Thus far this season, Virginia's most impressive player has been Justin Anderson, last year's ACC Sixth Man of the Year, who is averaging 15.2 ppg and is shooting 62.5 percent from 3. Obviously a long way to go, but it looks as if Anderson has greatly improved his shot. He averaged about 30 percent from 3 over his first two seasons at UVa. Malcolm Brogdon (12.3) and Anthony Gill (11.7) are Virginia's other players averaging in double figures. The Wahoos have also gotten solid games out of big men Mike Tobey (8.7) and Darion Atkins (eight). They are also each averaging six rebounds per game. Freshmen Marial Shayok and Isaiah Wilkins have shown they might be able to contribute throughout the year. Shayok is averaging 5.7 ppg and is shooting 37.5 percent from 3 and has also been noted for good defense. Wilkins has blocked the most shots on the team (six) despite limited minutes and is averaging three points and 5.3 rpg.
I think this is going to be a pretty close game and the Colonials could definitely win. But Virginia has played well and I think it will respond to a better team coming to JPJ and raise its game to a higher level. Some fans were worried that Virginia did not beat lowly South Carolina State by more (75-55) but after watching the game, I thought the Bulldogs played with a lot of energy and, even though they are 0-3, it wouldn't surprise me to see them win their fair share of contests this season, especially in their conference, the MEAC. Plus, despite a slow start to the game, Virginia led by 21 points at the break and probably could have built the lead to 30 or more with a more aggressive approach in the second half.
With GW being a good test, watch for veterans like Brogdon and Gill to really step up and try to control the game. Brogdon has shown the ability to turn it on when he feels like the team needs it early in the season. Also watch for London Perrantes, who has been quiet in the two games he's played in this season, to try to assert himself a bit more. The 'Hoos have played some not-so-great competition thus far, but I think they will be ready for the test GW provides.
Virginia has, as expected, started the basketball season 3-0 with easy wins over James Madison, Norfolk State, and South Carolina State. But the challenge gets stiffer Friday night in Charlottesville as George Washington comes to town.
The Colonials went to the tournament last year as a No. 9 seed and lost to Memphis, 71-66, finishing the season with a 24-9 record. Yes, Virginia then beat Memphis in the third round of the Big Dance so if GW had beaten the Tigers, Virginia would have taken on GW last season. GW lost Isaiah Armwood (12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game) and Maurice Creek (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) off that team but return a good core of players, including juniors Kethan Savage, Patricio, Kevin Larsen, and Joe McDonald.
The Colonials are 2-0 on this young season with dominating victories over Grambling State (92-40) and Rutgers (70-53). Garino leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg while also averaging 2.5 steals per game and Savage isn't far behind at 15 ppg while also averaging eight rebounds and 4.5 assists per
Thus far this season, Virginia's most impressive player has been Justin Anderson, last year's ACC Sixth Man of the Year, who is averaging 15.2 ppg and is shooting 62.5 percent from 3. Obviously a long way to go, but it looks as if Anderson has greatly improved his shot. He averaged about 30 percent from 3 over his first two seasons at UVa. Malcolm Brogdon (12.3) and Anthony Gill (11.7) are Virginia's other players averaging in double figures. The Wahoos have also gotten solid games out of big men Mike Tobey (8.7) and Darion Atkins (eight). They are also each averaging six rebounds per game. Freshmen Marial Shayok and Isaiah Wilkins have shown they might be able to contribute throughout the year. Shayok is averaging 5.7 ppg and is shooting 37.5 percent from 3 and has also been noted for good defense. Wilkins has blocked the most shots on the team (six) despite limited minutes and is averaging three points and 5.3 rpg.
I think this is going to be a pretty close game and the Colonials could definitely win. But Virginia has played well and I think it will respond to a better team coming to JPJ and raise its game to a higher level. Some fans were worried that Virginia did not beat lowly South Carolina State by more (75-55) but after watching the game, I thought the Bulldogs played with a lot of energy and, even though they are 0-3, it wouldn't surprise me to see them win their fair share of contests this season, especially in their conference, the MEAC. Plus, despite a slow start to the game, Virginia led by 21 points at the break and probably could have built the lead to 30 or more with a more aggressive approach in the second half.
With GW being a good test, watch for veterans like Brogdon and Gill to really step up and try to control the game. Brogdon has shown the ability to turn it on when he feels like the team needs it early in the season. Also watch for London Perrantes, who has been quiet in the two games he's played in this season, to try to assert himself a bit more. The 'Hoos have played some not-so-great competition thus far, but I think they will be ready for the test GW provides.
Comments
Post a Comment