Virginia gains game against Gonzaga, misses out on Villanova, MSU

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No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 17 Virginia in Fort Worth, Texas; Dec. 26, 4 p.m. CBS 

Well, what a difference a week makes.

Late Dec. 8, it was revealed that Virginia's ACC-Big Ten matchup against Michigan State scheduled for Dec. 9 in Charlottesville had been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within UVa's program.

A day later, the Cavaliers had to pause all activities, thus once again postponing the matchup with William & Mary in Charlottesville. That game had already been pushed back from Dec. 12 to Dec. 13 because of COVID issues with the Tribe.

Because no timetable had been given for the pause, there was still hope that Virginia would be able to restart practice in time to face Villanova in their big marquee matchup at Madison Square Garden this Saturday. But on Wednesday, it was confirmed that the game was canceled. However, there was a sliver of good news. Virginia is supposed to start practice Saturday, and the game against W&M has been put back on the slate, this time on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. Hopefully the third time's the charm for this in-state contest.

Still, for the Wahoos and their fans, there was disappointment. Virginia was supposed to have faced Florida, Michigan State, and Villanova before ACC play began, and none of those games had come to fruition. (Technically, the MSU game still says postponed, but that's bound to be canceled with both teams barreling toward conference play.) Instead, the Cavaliers were staring at a nonconference schedule decidedly bereft of big-name foes. And on top of that, UVa lost to one of those mid-tier opponents, San Francisco. For a team obviously still needing to find its rhythm before the ACC schedule, this was not the best situation to be in. Additionally, assuming there is an NCAA tournament, Virginia would be lacking in the nonconference-strength-of-schedule category.

But on Thursday, VirginiaSports.com dropped a bomb:

OK, that's one way to make up for missing out on the Villanova and Michigan State matchups! UVa will now get a chance to take down the No. 1 team in the country, that is assuming Gonzaga remains the nation's top-ranked squad.

It's going to be a tough game to win, no doubt, but the positives are clear: the strength of schedule gets an immediate boost, and this will be a valuable learning experience for UVa as it prepares to face strong ACC teams and hopefully, solid teams in the Big Dance.

Gonzaga (3-0) has had a string of games postponed or canceled as well. In fact, the Bulldogs (or Zags as they are probably more commonly called) have not played since holding off No. 11 West Virginia on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis, 87-82, in a Jimmy V Classic game. Since then, the Zags have had games canceled against five teams: most notably No. 2 Baylor, and also Tarleton State, Southern University, Northern Arizona, and Idaho. Gonzaga needed to tack on more games, and it found a willing partner in Virginia that needs to do the same.

While UVa has the Tuesday tune-up against William & Mary — the Wahoos’ first game since edging Kent State in overtime Dec. 4 — before the Dec. 26 game, Gonzaga actually has two games scheduled before then: No. 3 Iowa in Sioux Falls, S.D., this Saturday (noon, CBS), and a home game versus Northwestern State on Monday.

That matchup with the Hawkeyes is what gives me pause about whether Gonzaga will still be ranked No. 1 once UVa plays it, but the Bulldogs have turned away all comers so far: No. 6 Kansas 102-90, and Auburn 90-67, in addition to WVU. Those first two games were played in Florida.

UVa has faced Gonzaga three times. Infamously of course, in the 2001 NCAA tournament, the No. 5-seeded Cavaliers fell to the No. 12-seeded Zags, 86-85, in the first round. In the 2005-06 season, Virginia lost at Gonzaga, 80-69. The next year, when Sean Singletary, J.R. Reynolds, and Jason Cain led the Wahoos back to the Big Dance, the Cavaliers defeated the Zags during the regular season at John Paul Jones Arena, 108-87. That game made my top 10 list from the summer of the best UVa basketball games I've attended. (Check out No. 7.)

So let's hope everyone in Virginia's program has remained healthy or is getting there, and is getting that itch to play, because in a little more than a week, another top-five team is on the docket, and hopefully this one stays there!

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