Wake Forest at No. 11 Virginia, 8 p.m. ESPNU
Virginia succumbed on the road at Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 88-76 in overtime. It was the Cavaliers' first double-digit loss since the blowout by Tennessee in late December 2013. Virginia's offense put up 70 points in regulation, however the defense had some uncharacteristic breakdowns. Pitt shot 61.9 percent from beyond the arc, the main issue for UVa. And like the loss to Florida State, Virginia was woefully behind on the free throw line, having only five attempts to Pitt's 28. UVa both needs to get more aggressive going to the rim to draw more fouls -- instead of taking so many jump shots, which is a riskier offensive philosophy anyway -- and get in the ear of refs more often, which is probably part of Tony Bennett's job. And I'm sure he is. Hopefully that odd stat of the past two games begins to even out.
Virginia hasn't had a three-game losing streak since the 2010-11 season, and the Wahoos will try to avoid that tonight at home vs. Wake Forest. Here's more on the Demon Deacons:
Record: 10-5, 1-2 ACC
Leading scorers: Sophomore forward John Collins (16.4), sophomore guard Bryant Crawford (14.3), sophomore guard Keyshawn Woods (12.9), junior forward Dinos Mitoglou (10.6)
Leading rebounders: Collins (9.5), Mitoglou (6.5), Woods (4.7), Crawford (3.8)
Assist leaders: Crawford (5.9), Woods (3.3), freshman guard Brandon Childress (2.5)
Notable: Childress is the son of Wake legend Randolph, who was a star in the 1990s. He is an
assistant for the Demon Deacons. Brandon is also averaging 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. Two other players, Austin Arians and Mitchell Wilbekin, averaging more than 5.7 ppg. Crawford averages 1.7 steals, and Collins averages 1.7 blocks.
Best win: The Deacons beat College of Charleston, which is now 13-4, and UNC Greensboro, which is now 12-5. Wake beat UNCG, 78-75, in Greensboro. Virginia beat UNCG on the road as well to open the year, 76-51. Wake also beat LSU, which is 9-5, 110-76.
Worst win: Coastal Carolina is 7-9, but Wake far from dominated the Chanticleers, 86-74.
Other wins: Bucknell, Radford, UTEP, Richmond, Charlotte, Boston College
Best loss: 69-65, at No. 17 Xavier
Worst loss: Wake lost by 16 to FSU and by 19 to Villanova, but both of those teams are looking really good and have only one loss. Wake's worst loss might be 65-58 at Northwestern, which is 12-4 but certainly not a traditional power.
Other loss: Clemson, 73-68
What Wake Forest does well: The Demon Deacons score 80.9 ppg (44th), shoot 47.6 percent (53rd), and move the ball well (16.5 assists per game, 53rd). Their percentage from 3-point land, 39.5, is tied for 34th, and their free throw percentage of 76.3 ranks 21st. They also own a +4.5 rebound margin 73rd).
What Wake Forest does poorly: The Demon Deacons' defense is lacking again, as they are giving up 73.2 ppg (215th) and a 43.8 field goal percentage (210th). They also have forced 190 opponent turnovers compared to 200 for them, a -.7 margin (tied for 222nd).
Wake is probably better than last season, but it looks like Danny Manning's third team in Winston-Salem could struggle again against good teams. The 'Hoos should be feeling a little pressure to get a win, so hopefully they come out with a sense of urgency and get it done. The Demon Deacons are dangerous, though, and their 3-point ability worries me after what FSU and Pitt did. But a UVa team playing better than average at home should get this victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
Virginia succumbed on the road at Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 88-76 in overtime. It was the Cavaliers' first double-digit loss since the blowout by Tennessee in late December 2013. Virginia's offense put up 70 points in regulation, however the defense had some uncharacteristic breakdowns. Pitt shot 61.9 percent from beyond the arc, the main issue for UVa. And like the loss to Florida State, Virginia was woefully behind on the free throw line, having only five attempts to Pitt's 28. UVa both needs to get more aggressive going to the rim to draw more fouls -- instead of taking so many jump shots, which is a riskier offensive philosophy anyway -- and get in the ear of refs more often, which is probably part of Tony Bennett's job. And I'm sure he is. Hopefully that odd stat of the past two games begins to even out.
Virginia hasn't had a three-game losing streak since the 2010-11 season, and the Wahoos will try to avoid that tonight at home vs. Wake Forest. Here's more on the Demon Deacons:
Record: 10-5, 1-2 ACC
Leading scorers: Sophomore forward John Collins (16.4), sophomore guard Bryant Crawford (14.3), sophomore guard Keyshawn Woods (12.9), junior forward Dinos Mitoglou (10.6)
Leading rebounders: Collins (9.5), Mitoglou (6.5), Woods (4.7), Crawford (3.8)
Assist leaders: Crawford (5.9), Woods (3.3), freshman guard Brandon Childress (2.5)
Notable: Childress is the son of Wake legend Randolph, who was a star in the 1990s. He is an
Best win: The Deacons beat College of Charleston, which is now 13-4, and UNC Greensboro, which is now 12-5. Wake beat UNCG, 78-75, in Greensboro. Virginia beat UNCG on the road as well to open the year, 76-51. Wake also beat LSU, which is 9-5, 110-76.
Worst win: Coastal Carolina is 7-9, but Wake far from dominated the Chanticleers, 86-74.
Other wins: Bucknell, Radford, UTEP, Richmond, Charlotte, Boston College
Best loss: 69-65, at No. 17 Xavier
Worst loss: Wake lost by 16 to FSU and by 19 to Villanova, but both of those teams are looking really good and have only one loss. Wake's worst loss might be 65-58 at Northwestern, which is 12-4 but certainly not a traditional power.
Other loss: Clemson, 73-68
What Wake Forest does well: The Demon Deacons score 80.9 ppg (44th), shoot 47.6 percent (53rd), and move the ball well (16.5 assists per game, 53rd). Their percentage from 3-point land, 39.5, is tied for 34th, and their free throw percentage of 76.3 ranks 21st. They also own a +4.5 rebound margin 73rd).
What Wake Forest does poorly: The Demon Deacons' defense is lacking again, as they are giving up 73.2 ppg (215th) and a 43.8 field goal percentage (210th). They also have forced 190 opponent turnovers compared to 200 for them, a -.7 margin (tied for 222nd).
Wake is probably better than last season, but it looks like Danny Manning's third team in Winston-Salem could struggle again against good teams. The 'Hoos should be feeling a little pressure to get a win, so hopefully they come out with a sense of urgency and get it done. The Demon Deacons are dangerous, though, and their 3-point ability worries me after what FSU and Pitt did. But a UVa team playing better than average at home should get this victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
For my money, FSU and Pitt showed teams exactly how to beat us this year. The Pack-Line limits teams' ability to drive into the paint against us, so they're driven out to the perimeter. If they can hit threes and long twos, game over. Our perimeter defense is not as good as in the past.
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