Virginia-Michigan State ACC-Big Ten battle postponed

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Well, that sucks on multiple levels.

The much-anticipated ACC-Big Ten Challenge meeting pitting No. 18 Virginia against recent nemesis and No. 4-ranked Michigan State at John Paul Jones Arena has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Cavaliers’ program.

The news came down from the Virginia Men’s Basketball Twitter account at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
My first thought is I hope that everyone is OK within the program — players, coaches, staff members — and hopefully, no one is seriously ill.

The game was scheduled for 9:15 p.m. Wednesday night. It was going to be broadcast on ESPN.

The matchup held several juicy storylines: Virginia facing its first Power Five opponent of the season, and a top-five one at that. How would the Wahoos look after some early-season struggles? Revenge game: It’s no secret MSU beat UVa in consecutive NCAA tournaments in 2014 and ’15. The Spartans also defeated the Cavaliers in the Challenge in 2002, and in 2001, the teams played in the infamous game at the Richmond Coliseum that had to be cancelled early in the second half due to the floor being wet. UVa led 31-28 when the game was called off. And this was going to be the battle of brothers: the Cavaliers’ Sam Hauser against little brother Joey on the Spartans.

But for now, those storylines are on hold. The game has officially been postponed, but one wonders if it will eventually be canceled.

William & Mary shut down its program for two weeks due to COVID, but got up and running again Tuesday. As a result, Virginia’s game against the Tribe that was originally scheduled for this Saturday that was postponed was put back on the schedule for Sunday at 6 p.m. That rescheduled contest is now in doubt in light of UVa’s COVID issues. Earlier Tuesday, Virginia tweeted about facing W&M after all.
After the W&M game, the next matchup on Virginia’s schedule is Villanova in New York on Dec. 19. If the Cavaliers have to shut down their program for two weeks, then obviously that game will need to be postponed, too.

After that, UVa is not slated to play until Dec. 30 at Notre Dame. That time off is, I’m sure, really valuable for the players and coaches because they have worked really hard to have any kind of season, and contact with other people has been limited. Everyone is going to want to spend time with family.

But there is time to play with there, so I won’t rule out the possibility of any of these games being played at some point. After all, the W&M game was put back on the schedule. I’d have to think there is a mutual desire between Virginia and Michigan State to play their high-profile game, so we will have to wait and see.

For now, though, thoughts and prayers go out to the Hoos and the larger UVa community.

Though the Spartans were slated to take on the Cavaliers tonight, UVa hasn't had to rely on a big-name team to provide it a test so far; the mid-majors have been a handful themselves. 

Virginia is 3-1, with easy wins over Towson and St. Francis (Pa.), a surprising setback against San Francisco, and a tight 71-64 victory over Kent State on Friday in overtime.

Hauser and Jay Huff both scored 18 points against the Golden Flashes, with Huff notching his first double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. Virginia went 7 of 18 on 3-pointers, with Hauser hitting three. Kihei Clark had his best game of the season, with 14 points, three assists, and just one turnover.

Virginia led 29-22 at the break, but Kent State controlled a large portion of the second half and went up 56-52 with 4:14 left. It made seven treys in the second 20 minutes after sinking just two in the opening half.

However, Clark and Huff would not let the 'Hoos be upset a second time in the first four games, as they both got aggressive and got to the free throw line a few times down the stretch. UVa actually went up 62-59 with about a minute left, but then allowed the Golden Flashes to have three looks at the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation because the 'Hoos were unable to come up with a defensive rebound. The last attempt went through, and Kent State pushed the game to OT.

After some scoreless possessions to start the extra period, Hauser finally made a layup and then a triple to give the 'Hoos the separation they needed to come away victorious.

Virginia made 22 of 30 free throws, a solid performance, but actually below where it has been for much of the early part of the season: UVa has been exceptional at the line at 81.3%, in the top 15 nationally. UVa as a whole is shooting the ball quite well, 49.5% from the field (top 50) and 37% from beyond the arc (top 100).

But as has been obvious in the loss to USF and the near-loss to KSU, there have been issues on both sides of the floor as coach Tony Bennett has tried to find the right player combinations and rotations while also trying various offensive sets during an experimental run through the pre-ACC schedule.

To read about other topics of conversation surrounding the early portion of the season, check out this extensive roundtable discussion on HoosPlace.com.

If you want to dive further into a recap of the Kent State game, check out this analysis as well.

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