No. 15 Virginia at No. 18 West Virginia, 7 p.m. ESPNU
The 8-0 Cavaliers face probably their biggest test of the season so far when they travel to face the Mountaineers tonight.
This is the third matchup in three years for the two teams. Two years ago at Madison Square Garden, Virginia fell behind by 12 before whittling down WVU's lead to six by halftime. In the second half, UVa pulled away for a 70-54 win. Last season, the Cavaliers got up 17-9 in Charlottesville, but the Mountaineers battled back to be down two at the half. The second 20 minutes was nip and tuck the whole way, and with 1:30 left, the game was tied. WVU scored 11 of the final 13 points in the game, though, and won, 66-57, snapping the Wahoos' 24-game home winning streak.
Virginia is coming off a 49-37 win over Wisconsin and then an easier victory over Lehigh, 75-54. Against the Badgers, Kyle Guy had 17 points and Devon Hall added 15. UVa held Wisconsin to just 17 second-half points and 31.3 percent shooting for the game.
Here's a look at this WVU squad.
Record: 7-1
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Jevon Carter (19), senior guard Daxter Miles Jr. (14.9), sophomore guard James Bolden (11.6), sophomore forward Lamont West (10.5)
Leading rebounders: Sophomore forward Sagaba Konate (6.1), sophomore forward Wesley Harris (6.1), West (5.1), Carter (4.8)
Assist leaders: Carter (5.5), Miles (3)
Notable: Konate (9.6), Harris (8), and freshman forward Teddy Allen (7.9) are significant scorers as well. Carter averages 4.5 steals, and Konate averages 3.6 blocks.
Best win: In Florida at the AdvoCare Invitational over Missouri, 83-79
Worst win: Also in Florida, over Marist, 84-78. Marist is 1-7.
Other wins: American, Morgan State, Long Beach State, Central Florida, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Loss: In the Armed Forces Classic season opener in Germany, Texas A&M beat WVU, 88-65. The Aggies were ranked No. 25 at the time and are up to No. 7 now and are 7-0.
What WVU does well: The Mountaineers' fast pace and penchant for forcing turnovers with their "Press Virginia" style of defense helps them score 90 points per game. WVU ranks fifth in the country in steals per game (11.4) and is tied for third in turnovers forced (22.3). WVU ranks 80th in rebound margin (+5.1).
What WVU doesn't do well: The Mountaineers don't shoot the ball particularly well. They make 44.4 percent of their field goals (200th), 33.3 percent of their 3s (tie-227th), and 74.4 percent of their free throws (much better there, ranking 75th).
Virginia has won every game this year by double digits except one -- 76-67 over VCU. The Cavaliers have mostly passed tests with ease. UNC Greensboro gave them a little trouble in the second half, VCU was pesky in the second half, Rhode Island was a solid opponent that was dealing with injuries, and Wisconsin was tough to shake until the second half. The environment UVa is headed to tonight is probably going to be one of the rowdiest road atmospheres of the season. The crowd will go crazy should WVU get some turnovers and turn them into points, and we know it will get some. The style is going to be similar to VCU but more hectic, more charged, more experienced. This is a great challenge for the team before the exam break. UVa won't play again until hosting Davidson on Dec. 16. It would be a fantastic win and a loss wouldn't hurt a ton as far as building an NCAA tournament resume goes.
Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and Devon Hall are all experienced ballhandlers who will be crucial to the team's success, and it is definitely a good thing Jerome and Guy were exposed to WVU last season as freshmen. Also, Nigel Johnson coming off the bench could be an X-factor. He has a gear Jerome does not have and is just older than Jerome and could be a spark. He has experience playing WVU when he was at Kansas State from 2013-15. He also looked good against Lehigh, dishing out eight assists to only one turnover, including two alley-oops, one to Mamadi Diakite and one to Jay Huff. Ultimately, though, I think UVa just makes a few too many mistakes and does suffer its first loss of the season in a close game.
Gut feeling: West Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
The 8-0 Cavaliers face probably their biggest test of the season so far when they travel to face the Mountaineers tonight.
This is the third matchup in three years for the two teams. Two years ago at Madison Square Garden, Virginia fell behind by 12 before whittling down WVU's lead to six by halftime. In the second half, UVa pulled away for a 70-54 win. Last season, the Cavaliers got up 17-9 in Charlottesville, but the Mountaineers battled back to be down two at the half. The second 20 minutes was nip and tuck the whole way, and with 1:30 left, the game was tied. WVU scored 11 of the final 13 points in the game, though, and won, 66-57, snapping the Wahoos' 24-game home winning streak.
Virginia is coming off a 49-37 win over Wisconsin and then an easier victory over Lehigh, 75-54. Against the Badgers, Kyle Guy had 17 points and Devon Hall added 15. UVa held Wisconsin to just 17 second-half points and 31.3 percent shooting for the game.
Here's a look at this WVU squad.
Record: 7-1
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Jevon Carter (19), senior guard Daxter Miles Jr. (14.9), sophomore guard James Bolden (11.6), sophomore forward Lamont West (10.5)
Leading rebounders: Sophomore forward Sagaba Konate (6.1), sophomore forward Wesley Harris (6.1), West (5.1), Carter (4.8)Assist leaders: Carter (5.5), Miles (3)
Notable: Konate (9.6), Harris (8), and freshman forward Teddy Allen (7.9) are significant scorers as well. Carter averages 4.5 steals, and Konate averages 3.6 blocks.
Best win: In Florida at the AdvoCare Invitational over Missouri, 83-79
Worst win: Also in Florida, over Marist, 84-78. Marist is 1-7.
Other wins: American, Morgan State, Long Beach State, Central Florida, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Loss: In the Armed Forces Classic season opener in Germany, Texas A&M beat WVU, 88-65. The Aggies were ranked No. 25 at the time and are up to No. 7 now and are 7-0.
What WVU does well: The Mountaineers' fast pace and penchant for forcing turnovers with their "Press Virginia" style of defense helps them score 90 points per game. WVU ranks fifth in the country in steals per game (11.4) and is tied for third in turnovers forced (22.3). WVU ranks 80th in rebound margin (+5.1).
What WVU doesn't do well: The Mountaineers don't shoot the ball particularly well. They make 44.4 percent of their field goals (200th), 33.3 percent of their 3s (tie-227th), and 74.4 percent of their free throws (much better there, ranking 75th).
Virginia has won every game this year by double digits except one -- 76-67 over VCU. The Cavaliers have mostly passed tests with ease. UNC Greensboro gave them a little trouble in the second half, VCU was pesky in the second half, Rhode Island was a solid opponent that was dealing with injuries, and Wisconsin was tough to shake until the second half. The environment UVa is headed to tonight is probably going to be one of the rowdiest road atmospheres of the season. The crowd will go crazy should WVU get some turnovers and turn them into points, and we know it will get some. The style is going to be similar to VCU but more hectic, more charged, more experienced. This is a great challenge for the team before the exam break. UVa won't play again until hosting Davidson on Dec. 16. It would be a fantastic win and a loss wouldn't hurt a ton as far as building an NCAA tournament resume goes.
Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and Devon Hall are all experienced ballhandlers who will be crucial to the team's success, and it is definitely a good thing Jerome and Guy were exposed to WVU last season as freshmen. Also, Nigel Johnson coming off the bench could be an X-factor. He has a gear Jerome does not have and is just older than Jerome and could be a spark. He has experience playing WVU when he was at Kansas State from 2013-15. He also looked good against Lehigh, dishing out eight assists to only one turnover, including two alley-oops, one to Mamadi Diakite and one to Jay Huff. Ultimately, though, I think UVa just makes a few too many mistakes and does suffer its first loss of the season in a close game.
Gut feeling: West Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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