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3 players, 2 matchups, and 1 prediction: Virginia at Wake Forest

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3 players, 2 matchups, and 1 prediction: Virginia at Wake Forest


Virginia Basketball can’t win on the road. Not right now, anyway. The last three road games have all been blowouts. For many years, Virginia has consistently won on the road. People say “defense travels” and that was often true for those teams. But this team isn’t playing defense on the road. In those three losses, the opposing teams have scored 1.17 points per possession. That would rank in the bottom 10 nationally.

The Wahoos now travel to Winston-Salem to face another solidly mediocre ACC team in Wake Forest. They are coming off a road loss against Florida State on Tuesday, but they beat Miami last weekend. They are 11-4 (3-1 ACC), and ranked 44th on KenPom. The Wahoos have plummeted all the way to 60th on KenPom.

Game Time: Saturday, January 13, 2PM Eastern
TV: ESPN2
Streaming: WatchESPN

Three Players to Watch

Kevin “Boopie” Miller

Like so many teams these days, Wake Forest is led by transfers. Miller comes in from Central Michigan. They also have transfers from Gonzaga and Delaware. Four of their five starters come via transfer. Miller missed most of last season with a foot injury. He hasn’t missed a beat.

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Boopie runs the point and leads the team in scoring and assists, plus steals. Something I say over and over again, but Miller has never faced a defender like Beekman. Reece is going to have to be on point defensively, because Miller can score.

Some kinda move and finish. Miller can shoot (39% this year, 37% career). But this is more his game. He takes just around 3 treys per game. He’s best going downhill to the rim to either finish or draw a foul.

Andrew Carr

Another transfer, Carr actually came in last season, so he’s got some experience in the system. Last year, he averaged 11 and 6 on 48% shooting. He attempted around 3 treys per game, making just 31%.

He’s improved every one of those numbers since last year, and he’s up to 13 points and 7.5 rebounds on 53% shooting and 35% from downtown. Maybe he comes back closer to where he was last year by the end of ACC play. But that’s still a very good player, and it does seem like Carr has improved. He’s 6’10” 220, and this is the type of player Virginia has struggled with.

The Deacons have a seven-footer in Efton Reid (5-star recruit originally from Richmond, began at LSU and transferred to Gonzaga and now to Wake Forest), which makes Carr the 4. They’ll go small with Carr at 5 sometimes, but that is their starting lineup. And that type of lineup has given Virginia fits this year. Ryan Dunn is a beast defensively. On the perimeter. But he isn’t really up to banging inside with bigger players. He’s too slight. And Virginia doesn’t have enough frontcourt depth to move Dunn to the wing.

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If Virginia is going to win this game, keeping Carr off the offensive glass and out of the paint is absolutely imperative.

Again, the outside shot isn’t really his game. But this was a HUGE shot, on the road at BC, and it clinched the game. Notice Nice drive and kick from Miller.

Parker Friedrichsen

This is Wake’s answer to Isaac McKneely. He’s a 6’3” 195 freshman and he can shoot. But he doesn’t do much else. His rebound rate is miniscule. His assist rate is miniscule. He’s attempted 70 shots on the season and just 4(!) have come from 2-point range. That’s 94%! It’s a small sample size, but Friedrichsen does look solid defensively.

Friedrichsen is 8/20 from downtown over his past 3 games. McKneely is 9/17 over his last 3. That matchup at the 2 could be a key factor. If one of them gets going from deep, it could turn the game.

This is a sick step-back. How do you stop that?

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Two Key Matchups

Three Point Shooting

It isn’t just Friedrichsen. This whole team can shoot the rock. Cameron Hildreth, the longest tenured Deacon, is shooting 46% on 4 attempts per game. As a team, they are shooting just under 38%. It’s the most important part of their offense because it drives everything else they do.

Look at that game clinching three from Andrew Carr. At the beginning of the play, there isn’t a single Deacon inside the three-point line. Efton Reid is setting a screen up top for Miller, and the rest of the team are spotting up outside the arc. That means the paint is open, which makes the defender crash when Miller gets inside. That leaves the shooter open. Rotations against this offense have to be crisp, or there are going to be open threes.

Wake is a small team on the perimeter and they aren’t good at defending the outside. In their four losses, their opponents shot almost 40% from three. That’s what this game will be. If Virginia makes shots, they are in it. If they don’t make shots, they won’t be in it.

Turnovers

I’ve discussed this here before, but the extra possessions gained by Virginia’s forced turnovers was really helping to drive the offense. An offense that simply isn’t very good, gets a huge boost from easy buckets.

NC State had just 6 TOs in their runaway win. It’s safe to say that if Virginia has more TOs than their opponent, they are going to struggle to win.

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Historically, Tony Bennett’s teams haven’t been geat at forcing TOs. The goal is usually to force bad shots, not to force turnovers. The national championship team ranked 250th in forced turnover rate. It’s because of the natural talents of Beekman and Dunn, mostly. But it may also have been covering for some other defensive shortcomings. That only works if teams actually commit turnovers, though.

Wake Forest is a low turnover team. They play a lot of iso ball and a lot of screen-and-roll. Not a ton of passing from guys not named Miller. The Deacons rank 312th nationally in assist rate. That’s usually a bad thing against Tony Bennett teams. Not sure about this team right now though.

One Prediction

Wake is much more of a perimeter oriented team, compared to NC State. That matchup never looked great because of the Wolfpack’s interior presence. It feels like a better matchup for the Hoos. But until we see this team play well on the road, it is awfully hard to think they are going to win anything.

Prediction: Deacons 69, Virginia 60



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Colorado, Deion Sanders to hire former highly-touted DC as defensive assistant

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Colorado, Deion Sanders to hire former highly-touted DC as defensive assistant


Colorado is expected to hire former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Chris Marve as its next linebackers coach, according to CBS Sports. Marve served as the Hokies DC from 2022-2024.

Marve has previous experience on defensive staffs at Vanderbilt, his alma mater, Mississippi State, Florida State and Virginia Tech. He’s been in the coaching industry since 2014 when he was brought on as a defensive assistant with the Commodores.

By the time he left his alma mater in 2018, he had worked his way up to inside linebackers coach. He was brought on at Mississippi State in 2019 as the Bulldogs’ defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach. His run there lasted one year before moving on to coach at Florida State for two seasons as the Seminoles’ linebackers coach.

ACC foe Virginia Tech would poach him away ahead of the 2022 season, where he stayed until he was fired following the 2024 season. He spent the 2025 season away from college football, and will now get another shot by joining Deion Sanders’ staff in 2026.

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His playing days spanned from 2007-2011, where he has a three-time All-SEC linebacker for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Marve also earned Freshman All-American honors in 2008.

He’ll join a Buffaloes program that finished the 2025 season with a 3-9 record, which included a 1-8 record vs. conference opponents. This came in the fallout of their 9-win season led by current Cleveland Browns QB Sheduer Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

Colorado wide receiver Dre’lon Miller plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Colorado wide receiver Dre’lon Miller plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos. He caught 20 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown this past season.

His 2024 season was a bit better. Miller caught 32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns prior. He’s shown he can get the job done when there’s some solid quarterback play on offense.

Miller played high school football at Silsbee (Silsbee, TX), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 141 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that complies all major recruiting media services.

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Time will tell where he ends up next. There will certainly be plenty of interest in his services when the time comes.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.





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Virginia Democratic operative arrested on child pornography charges

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Virginia Democratic operative arrested on child pornography charges


WARNING: This story contains material some readers may find disturbing due to its graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia Democratic operative is accused of distributing child pornography.

Randon Alexander Sprinkle, 30, allegedly engaged in conversations with an undercover FBI agent in May of this year through the Jack’d app under the name “Randy.”

The 9-page affidavit states that Sprinkle asked the agent to move their conversation to Telegram, where he allegedly wrote “mostly into young, rape, incest – you?”

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The arrest has prompted swift condemnation from elected officals who worked with Sprinkle in various capacities.

Richmond City Council Vice President Katherine Jordan said Sprinkle served as her 2024 campaign treasurer, handling campaign forms, events and financial reporting.

“What has been alleged is disgusting and abhorrent,” Jordan said in a statement. “I’m shocked and sickened.”

1st District Council member Andrew Breton also used Sprinkle’s services for campaign finance reports and event logistics.

“The allegations are shocking and disturbing. I am grateful that law enforcement is involved, and that justice is taking its course,” Breton said.

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Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who has appeared in several photos with Sprinkle that he posted on X, also responded through spokesman Jared Leopold.

“Congresswoman McClellan is shocked by these appalling accusations which should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Leopold stated.

Sprinkle previously served as a leader in the Young Democrats of Virginia and held a financial director position with the Democratic Part of Virginia.

He has also been photographed with Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. Spanberger’s representatives have not responded to requests for comment.

The FBI affidavit confirms that 68 files were extracted during a forensic sweep of Sprinkle’s electronic devices, some with disturbing titles. Legal expert Ed Riley said the investigation may have uncovered evidence of distribution through peer-to-peer networks where individuals exchange illegal video files and images.

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If convicted on the single charge of distribution of child pornography, Sprinkle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison, with potential sentencing up to 20 years.

“If they find the images and they can connect you to the images, you’re not dealing with the merits of the case anymore. You’re dealing with the resolution that it’s going to be,” Riley said.

Sprinkle is currently being held at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.





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Penn State transfer opens the door for a James Franklin reunion at Virginia Tech

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Penn State transfer opens the door for a James Franklin reunion at Virginia Tech


Things are beginning to slow down for James Franklin since being hired at Virginia Tech in November. Sure, you can say that it never really slows down for a college football coach, but since signing his contract in Blacksburg, he has made major strides in recruiting, bringing the Hokies from near the bottom of the FBS to a Top 25 class with the Class of 2026.

Franklin has also been building his first staff at Virginia Tech. In both cases, recruiting and coaching additions, he has gone back to his Penn State roots to pluck both recruits and coaches. Heck, he is even reportedly bringing back former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry, who was fired in September to open the door for Franklin to come to Tech, as his defensive coordinator.

The transfer portal opens up next month, and there are going to be several needs that Franklin and his staff are going to have to address. There are going to be several portal targets, and one of them announced he was leaving Penn State and made it clear that he was thankful for Franklin for his time in State College. Is it a sign of things to come when he enters the portal?

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Penn State transfer Chaz Coleman opens door for reunion with James Franklin

It was reported by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals and On3 that five-star Penn State edge Chaz Coleman was entering the transfer portal. Coleman quoted the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and made it a point to thank Franklin and his staff for believing in him.

“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal this coming January to pursue other opportunities. I’d like thank James Franklin and his staff for believing in me and teaching me what it means to believe in myself,” Coleman wrote.

Coleman becomes one of the most coveted players when the portal opens, and the Warren, Ohio native will have no shortage of suitors. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher played well as a freshman for the Nittany Lions with eight tackles in five games. Several of the top programs are going to be in on him. Don’t be surprised if Ohio State makes a major push for him.

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As far as Virginia Tech goes, does Franklin get in the mix? That remains to be seen, but stranger things have happened. He would be a tremendous get for the Hokies, who need help along the defensive side of the ball along the line. Did he call out Franklin by coincidence, or is there an underlying message there? Most likely the first one, but we’ll see.





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