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Virginia
Five Keys to Virginia Basketball Upsetting No. 3 Duke
On Monday night, the Virginia Cavaliers will welcome the Duke Blue Devils to Charlottesville. The last time the Blue Devils played in John Paul Jones Arena was 2023, when Virginia earned a 69-62 overtime victory. With that said, here are five keys to the Hoos defending the home court two years later.
The freshman phenom leads the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, solidifying himself as a clear-cut Wooden Award favorite headed into March. The 6’9 forward runs the Duke offense, and containing him is the first way to frustrate it. So, who gets the assignment? None other than Andrew Rohde, who has proved to be Virginia’s top defender in the backcourt this season, showing his high knowledge of the ‘Pack Line’ defense. If Rohde, who has been an absolute star on both ends of the court these last few games, is up to the challenge against Flagg, it will bolster Virginia’s chances of upsetting the No. 3 team in the nation.
One of the major factors to Virginia’s win streak this past week has been the Hoos’ ability to shoot from downtown. The Cavaliers are shooting 40% from three these past three games, a mark that would put them 4th in the NCAA this season. Leading the charge has been Isaac McKneely, who notably shot 6/14 against Virginia Tech and 4/9 against Georgia Tech. He will need to be on his A-game once again from range. Other contributors such as Andrew Rohde, Dai Dai Ames, Elijah Saunders, and Ishan Sharma will also need to make sure they exploit the Blue Devils from deep, as every point counts even more against a team with the offensive ferocity that the Blue Devils play with.
Anthony Robinson came to life at Cassell Coliseum this past Saturday, scoring 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds, with three of those being on the offensive end of the floor, giving the Virginia offense second chances that were key to the Cavaliers earning their first victory in Blacksburg since 2020. Alongside Jacob Cofie and Blake Buchanan, the Hoos must be physical against Duke’s big Khaman Maluach to provide Virginia with extended possessions. In addition, this will further benefit Virginia from a pace-of-play standpoint, wasting seconds that Flagg and Co. could utilize on the other end.
Offensively, similar to Robinson’s performance Saturday, the Virginia big men need to step up, giving the Cavaliers consistent production throughout the game.
The mark of good Tony Bennett teams has been about executing at the free throw line, which generally is key to winning in March and upsetting highly touted opponents. Against Virginia Tech, the Cavs shot 16/19 from the stripe, a considerable factor in their three-point victory over the Hokies. Against Georgia Tech, the Hoos shot 4/5 from the line, and against Pittsburgh, Virginia shot 7/11. If the Hoos can keep it up against Duke, it’ll help Virginia keep it close.
The Cavaliers have begun to mesh this month with the offense starting to grasp the mover-blocker system, while Andrew Rohde has shown his vision as a point guard and leader for this Virginia offense. Besides the continual point production on the offensive side of the ball, if Virginia wants to win, they must fall back on the principle that has defined Virginia basketball since 2009, the ‘Pack Line’. If the Cavs can effectively execute their defense against some of the best offensive players in the country, Virginia has a decent shot at earning what could be a defining win for Ron Sanchez and company.
Tip-off for Virginia vs. Duke is at 8 pm at John Paul Jones Arena.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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