No. 11 Louisville at No. 4 Virginia, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
It's hard to put into words what this senior class of Cavaliers -- which includes Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, Evan Nolte, and walk-on Caid Kirven -- mean to the team and program.
Even if Virginia keeps up its success in coming seasons, losing five seniors is kind of the end of an era, especially these guys. They have presided over one of the most successful four- to five-year stretches in the history of the UVa basketball program.
Brogdon is an older guy; there's a reason his teammates call him Uncle. From Atlanta, he was a contributor right away as a freshman, averaging 6.7 points during the 2011-12 season. However, he was one of many players to miss the end of the year with an injury. Virginia made the NCAA tournament but struggled mightily at the end of the campaign with depth, bowing out quickly in the first round to Florida. He had to have surgery to correct the arch in one of his feet. It was unclear if he would even play again. He had to sit out the 2012-13 season. He came back, though, for 2013-14 as a sophomore and contributed more than anyone could have imagined. As UVa exploded, so did Brogdon. He led the team with a 12.7-point scoring
average, overtaking even Joe Harris, who was the ultimate teammate his senior season. Last year, Brogdon was again steady, leading the team with 14 ppg. Those two years, it was a team effort as far as scoring goes. It still is this year, but Brogdon has elevated his game to another level, averaging 18.5 points. He is perhaps the leading candidate for ACC player of the year along with North Carolina's Bryce Johnson. Brogdon has increased his overall shooting percentage each season (39.6, 41.3, 42.2, 47.7) and is experiencing his best season from beyond the arc (42.2 percent). He's hitting 88.4 percent of his free throws and is at 87 percent for his career, which is first in Virginia history. He is right around Roger Mason Jr.'s mark, so the last few games will determine if Brogdon ends up being the program's best ever at the stripe. And of course, his on-ball defense has been second to none, as he's stepped up and time and time again this season slowed down or completely the stopped the other team's best player. He deserves more lines on his defense, but the breadth of my basketball knowledge isn't enough to do him justice. Suffice to say, he might also win ACC defensive player of the year.
Gill came to Virginia before the 2012-13 season as a transfer from South Carolina. He was ineligible that season when UVa went to the NIT, just missing out on an NCAA bid. It was said the Cavaliers' best player was sitting out -- a reference to Gill. The people who said that appeared to have been not far off. He made an instant impact during the 2013-14 season and was perhaps Virginia's best player during the final stretch of the season. He got hurt in the second half of Virginia's Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State, changing the
complexion of that matchup, which UVa lost by two. The last two years, Gill has been one of most important cogs on the team, drawing defenses into the middle of the lane, where he has put together an array of moves, opening up shots on the perimeter for his teammates. He's hit 57.2 percent of his shots over his career and is enjoying his highest career average this year at 13.5. He's also worked very hard at his free throws, adding nearly 10 percent from his sophomore season to now, where he is at 71.7 percent. He should probably get to the line more. He seems to be consistently pounded down low. If he played at Duke, he would be averaging 16-17 ppg with more trips to the charity line. He's never been an elite rebounder, right around 6 rpg, but he's a bit short at 6-foot-8. Other coaches and commentators consistently say he is one of the hardest workers they've seen in the lane.
Ah, Tobey. Every year was going to be his year, his breakout campaign. It never quite came. But that doesn't mean he hasn't produced at a steady clip for the Wahoos. The big 7-footer from New York has been very consistent, actually, averaging 6.7 points for his career, which is what he's at this year. His best year ppg-wise came last year (6.9). This is, however, his best field goal percentage year (57.9; 52.2 for his
career), perhaps helped by his number of dunks. I don't have statistics on it, but it seems like he's dunked the ball more this season. And that's what fans have wanted all along -- for Tobey to be more aggressive -- and he's slowly gotten there it seems like. He's right at 3.9 rpg for his career, not great for a tall guy like himself, but solid nevertheless. There aren't many players, though, to this day that will get a rise out of JPJ like Tobey -- maybe the next guy.
If Nolte makes two 3s today, prepare for the noisy crowd to reach ear-splitting levels. Fans cheer so loudly for him because he's fallen on hard luck ever since a really solid freshman campaign in 2012-13, when he hit nearly 39 percent of his 3s. His percentage has gone down each year since then (33.3, 27.6, 19.2). I'm not sure anyone really knows what happened. He averaged nearly 20 minutes per game his freshman season. Recruiting better talent lowered his playing time, but mostly, he just lost confidence for some reason. Personally, I think his best offense now
comes from when he's down low or taking mid-range jumpers. His defense is solid, too, as he really knows Tony Bennett's system.The crowd will go wild today, though, if he sinks a 3. You can be sure of that.
Kirven is a walk-on, so obviously the fans will roar if he scores. If he is in the game, it will also be the end of a great outing for the Cavaliers, since I doubt Bennett will put in the walk-ons unless the game is well in hand with a couple minutes left, even on his senior night. Kirven has already scored in his career and this year. One of my most memorable moments, though, at JPJ was two years ago when UVa beat Syracuse for the ACC regular-season crown. Thomas Rogers, a walk-on senior, had never scored, if I remember correctly. At the end of the blowout win, Rogers sunk a 3. The crowd went bananas. It was very, very loud. Let's hope Kirven can have a moment like that today.
And that's just on the court for these seniors. Off the court, they have proven to be model citizens and solid academically. Fans will joke about Brogdon becoming president, but it is no joke that he is a stud in the classroom. He's getting his Master's in public policy and one of his dreams is to help get clean water to parts of Africa that need it. He is truly an outstanding young man we can be proud of.
Oh yes, the game today. There might not be anything actually riding on it as far as ACC tournament seeding goes once it starts. The Virginia Tech-Miami and North Carolina-Duke games, which both will probably be over by the time the Cardinals and Cavaliers tip off, affect what if anything is at stake for UVa. Simply put, if Tech upsets Miami, and Duke tops UNC, Virginia will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament and, with tiebreakers, win a third consecutive ACC regular-season title, though not outright. There are several other scenarios for UVa's seeding. This link shows the scenarios for every ACC team, which are too complex and numerous to list here.
UVa, of course, will be pumped up for senior night. Louisville will be, too. In a most unique situation, this is the Cardinals' final game of the season. Normally, a team of their caliber would be gearing up for the postseason tournaments. But, since Louisville instituted a postseason ban on itself, this is it. So expect the Cardinals to go all out. If they need additional motivation, Virginia absolutely dominated them earlier this season in Louisville, 63-47. In that one, Brogdon and Gill had 13 points each to lead UVa. Tobey had nine as did London Perrantes. Damion Lee, Louisville's leading scorer, was 2 of 7 from the field and ended with six points. Ray Spalding and Deng Adel had 12 each for the Cardinals.
I can't expect a game like that again, though it could get out of control at JPJ if UVa starts to build a margin like it did at Louisville.The Cardinals are going to come out with pride, I'm sure, and try to fix what happened in the first meeting this season. But with the emotions riding high, as long as UVa controls them, I can't see this group of seniors or this team losing the last home game of the season.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
It's hard to put into words what this senior class of Cavaliers -- which includes Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, Evan Nolte, and walk-on Caid Kirven -- mean to the team and program.
Even if Virginia keeps up its success in coming seasons, losing five seniors is kind of the end of an era, especially these guys. They have presided over one of the most successful four- to five-year stretches in the history of the UVa basketball program.
Brogdon is an older guy; there's a reason his teammates call him Uncle. From Atlanta, he was a contributor right away as a freshman, averaging 6.7 points during the 2011-12 season. However, he was one of many players to miss the end of the year with an injury. Virginia made the NCAA tournament but struggled mightily at the end of the campaign with depth, bowing out quickly in the first round to Florida. He had to have surgery to correct the arch in one of his feet. It was unclear if he would even play again. He had to sit out the 2012-13 season. He came back, though, for 2013-14 as a sophomore and contributed more than anyone could have imagined. As UVa exploded, so did Brogdon. He led the team with a 12.7-point scoring
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| Malcolm Brogdon |
Gill came to Virginia before the 2012-13 season as a transfer from South Carolina. He was ineligible that season when UVa went to the NIT, just missing out on an NCAA bid. It was said the Cavaliers' best player was sitting out -- a reference to Gill. The people who said that appeared to have been not far off. He made an instant impact during the 2013-14 season and was perhaps Virginia's best player during the final stretch of the season. He got hurt in the second half of Virginia's Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State, changing the
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| Anthony Gill |
Ah, Tobey. Every year was going to be his year, his breakout campaign. It never quite came. But that doesn't mean he hasn't produced at a steady clip for the Wahoos. The big 7-footer from New York has been very consistent, actually, averaging 6.7 points for his career, which is what he's at this year. His best year ppg-wise came last year (6.9). This is, however, his best field goal percentage year (57.9; 52.2 for his
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| Mike Tobey |
If Nolte makes two 3s today, prepare for the noisy crowd to reach ear-splitting levels. Fans cheer so loudly for him because he's fallen on hard luck ever since a really solid freshman campaign in 2012-13, when he hit nearly 39 percent of his 3s. His percentage has gone down each year since then (33.3, 27.6, 19.2). I'm not sure anyone really knows what happened. He averaged nearly 20 minutes per game his freshman season. Recruiting better talent lowered his playing time, but mostly, he just lost confidence for some reason. Personally, I think his best offense now
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| Evan Nolte |
Kirven is a walk-on, so obviously the fans will roar if he scores. If he is in the game, it will also be the end of a great outing for the Cavaliers, since I doubt Bennett will put in the walk-ons unless the game is well in hand with a couple minutes left, even on his senior night. Kirven has already scored in his career and this year. One of my most memorable moments, though, at JPJ was two years ago when UVa beat Syracuse for the ACC regular-season crown. Thomas Rogers, a walk-on senior, had never scored, if I remember correctly. At the end of the blowout win, Rogers sunk a 3. The crowd went bananas. It was very, very loud. Let's hope Kirven can have a moment like that today.
And that's just on the court for these seniors. Off the court, they have proven to be model citizens and solid academically. Fans will joke about Brogdon becoming president, but it is no joke that he is a stud in the classroom. He's getting his Master's in public policy and one of his dreams is to help get clean water to parts of Africa that need it. He is truly an outstanding young man we can be proud of.
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| Caid Kirven |
UVa, of course, will be pumped up for senior night. Louisville will be, too. In a most unique situation, this is the Cardinals' final game of the season. Normally, a team of their caliber would be gearing up for the postseason tournaments. But, since Louisville instituted a postseason ban on itself, this is it. So expect the Cardinals to go all out. If they need additional motivation, Virginia absolutely dominated them earlier this season in Louisville, 63-47. In that one, Brogdon and Gill had 13 points each to lead UVa. Tobey had nine as did London Perrantes. Damion Lee, Louisville's leading scorer, was 2 of 7 from the field and ended with six points. Ray Spalding and Deng Adel had 12 each for the Cardinals.I can't expect a game like that again, though it could get out of control at JPJ if UVa starts to build a margin like it did at Louisville.The Cardinals are going to come out with pride, I'm sure, and try to fix what happened in the first meeting this season. But with the emotions riding high, as long as UVa controls them, I can't see this group of seniors or this team losing the last home game of the season.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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