Virginia
Virginia Tech vs Virginia: Keys to the Game and Prediction
After suffering a 96-81 loss at No. 7 North Carolina, Virginia Tech returns home for a rivalry game against Virginia. Tech came up short in their trip to Charlottesville earlier this season, but will look to avenge that loss tonight in what will certainly be a rocking Cassell Coliseum while also looking to climb up the ACC standings. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are playing some of their best basketball of the season currently as they battle UNC and Duke for the ACC regular season title.
With that said, here are my keys to the game and prediction for the Hokies against the Cavaliers.
1. Protect the Basketball
Turnovers were a major problem for the Hokies in the first matchup between these two teams as they had 15 while UVA only had seven. Virginia had only eight points off turnovers despite 10 of those 15 turnovers being steals for UVA, making a case that the Hokies were fortunate to lose by single digits.
Since the inflection point that surrounded that week, which included 20 turnovers in a victory at NC State, the Hokies have drastically cleaned things up offensively. That included having only six turnovers in their loss to North Carolina and though MJ Collins was quick to downplay that postgame given that UNC doesn’t force a ton of turnovers, that turnaround is still impressive.
Now the odds of Tech having only six turnovers are quite low given how good UVA is defensively with their top 10 rank in KenPom’s defensive efficiency while forcing 13 turnovers per game. However, the Hokies need to minimize the turnovers in a game where they must the maximize the number of opportunities given the challenge of facing UVA’s defense. That only grows in importance when you factor in that UVA ranks last in adjusted tempo per KenPom and allows the eighth fewest shot attempts per game in the country.
Tech will need their guards to be smart in this game and not try to force things to happen but let the game come to them. That’s especially true for Sean Pedulla who has to stay composed and pick his spots even if that means keeping the ball a few more times when the options to dish it off to require the ball to go through crowded spaces.
If the Hokies want to win this game, they not only need to be efficient, but can’t afford to waste offensive possessions with turnovers. Do that and there’s a good chance of a Hokie win in Cassell.
2. Control the Paint
On paper, Virginia Tech should be better than UVA in the frontcourt yet that was not the case when these teams first faced off in Charlottesville.
Jordan Minor dominated Lynn Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat with 16 points and five rebounds while UVA’s backup big Blake Buchanan added eight points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Kidd and Poteat were held to a combined four points and seven rebounds with neither playing being able to get anything going offensively. The post play made a big impact on the 65-57 victory for UVA as they outscored the Hokies 36-20 in the paint.
Tech can’t afford to be dominated like that again if the Hokies want to take down UVA while the Cavaliers know that winning the matchup down low will make it much more difficult for VT to get the job done.
The good news is that Kidd and Poteat have both been playing better lately with each being in double figures Saturday against UNC, facing a much better frontcourt duo of Armando Bacot and Jalen Washington than what UVA offers with Minor and Buchanan. However, it’s one thing to have the on-paper advantage, but another thing to get the job done.
Tech needs Kidd and Poteat to step up this time and maintain the on-paper advantage that the Hokies have. If they fail to do so, the Hokies will be in some trouble this evening.
3. Take Advantage of Open Threes
UVA is too good of a defensive team to have you believing that you will consistently get the type of open three-point opportunities that you’d like. Going into this game, Tech has to know that when they do get those chances, they have to shoot them with no hesitation and take advantage of them.
Of course, the Hokies have been a little up and down lately from three-point range going 11-23 (47.8%) in their win against Florida State last Tuesday followed by going 7-26 (26.9%) at UNC this past Saturday including 1-12 at the second half. Tech’s three-point shooting has generally improved as this season has progressed, but they’ve still been a little inconsistent at times.
It absolutely helps that the Hokies will be at home for this on a court they are more than used to shooting on. It also helps that Hunter Cattoor is still Hunter Cattoor and his 1-6 shooting performance from three-point range is clearly the exception to the norm.
This has to be about more than just Cattoor though with the Hokies needing Sean Pedulla, Tyler Nickel, and MJ Collins to provide some pop from three-point range. If Tech can collectively shoot 40% or better from three, there’s a very good chance that they’ll win this game.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 62, Virginia 58
Expect this to be a close, competitive game from start to finish with Virginia being sharp defensively but lackluster offensively. Virginia Tech’s three-point shooting was well below-average Saturday, but that will prove to be an outlier rather than a new trend.
Lynn Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat will step up and win the battle in the paint while Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla will bounce back from a 6-23 shooting day with a more typical performance to lead the Hokies to a victory over UVA.
Virginia
Significant snowfall over the next 48 hours in West Virginia and far western Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. — Friday will be windy and cold with highs in the 40s and wind chills in the 20s and 30s. A few scattered showers will be around, especially later in the day. Rain chances will be higher north of I-64, where some wet flakes could mix in. Wind gusts over 30 mph are possible.
For those traveling, the mountains of West Virginia will see significant snowfall over the next 48 hours, with one to two feet possible in the highest elevations. The Virginia panhandle will pick up a few inches of snow.
Saturday will be breezy with highs in the upper 50s to 60. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the lower 60s.
Monday will be mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid-60s.
A cold front will move through Tuesday morning with the slight chance of a shower.
Wednesday will be cooler with increasing clouds. Highs will be in the lower 50s.
As of now, it looks like a storm system will bring some rain into the area Wednesday night into Thursday.
Stay With CBS 6, The Weather Authority.
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Virginia
Virginia Football vs. SMU Game Preview, Score Prediction
Virginia and SMU will meet for the first time ever on Saturday at Scott Stadium, finally clashing on the gridiron nearly three years after the two programs were supposed to face each other in the Fenway Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. There is plenty at stake in this one, as the13th-ranked Mustangs look to keep their unblemished ACC record intact and clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game, while the Cavaliers are hoping to clinch bowl eligibility and send their seniors out with a win in their final game at Scott Stadium.
Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. SMU with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction.
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (5-5, 3-3 ACC) vs. SMU Mustangs (9-1, 6-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, November 23rd at 12pm ET
Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, VA
How to watch: ESPN2
How to listen: SiriusXM 381, SXM App 971 | Virginia Sports Radio Network
All-time series: first meeting
Read Virginia’s injury report for the SMU game here: UVA Football Week 13 Injury Report: Kam Robinson, James Jackson, Corey Thomas
See below for UVA’s week 13 depth chart for the SMU game: Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. SMU | Takeaways, Analysis
2023: 11-3, 8-0 AAC
2024: 9-1, 6-0 ACC
For Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs, their first foray into the Atlantic Coast Conference couldn’t be going much better, save an 18-15 loss in week 3 to BYU, a team that is still alive for the Big 12 Championship. SMU comes to Charlottesville riding a seven-game winning streak, which includes a 66-42 victory over TCU, an impressive 34-27 win on the road at then-No. 22 Louisville, an overtime victory over Duke that was a bit fortunate as the Blue Devils squandered multiple chances to win the game late, but the Mustangs followed that up with their most impressive win of the season, a 48-25 victory over Pitt. Last week, SMU was tested by Boston College, but ultimately pulled away for a 38-28 win.
SMU has the second-ranked scoring offense in the ACC, averaging just under 40 points per game. Powering that offense is a very strong run game, the second-best rushing offense in the ACC (190.9 rushing yards per game and 24 rushing touchdowns), which is headlined by one of the top running backs in the country in Brashard Smith, who has racked up 1,026 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and is averaging more than 100 yards per game.
Though SMU leans heavily on its ground game, the Mustangs are more than capable of throwing the ball as well. Quarterback Kevin Jennings ranks fourth in the ACC in completion percentage at 65.4% and is careful with the football, throwing 15 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He has a plethora of targets in the passing game, as SMU boasts three receivers with at least four touchdowns, four who have at least 20 catches, and five who have hauled in multiple touchdown passes this season.
SMU’s run defense is even better than its rushing offense, leading the ACC in run defense and allowing less than 100 yards per game on the ground. The Mustangs are a quite a bit weaker in pass defense, surrendering almost 250 passing yards per game, which is 13th in the ACC. SMU makes up for it by forcing turnovers, recording 14 interceptions (2nd-most in the ACC) and six fumble recoveries.
SMU has 23 sacks as a team this season, 9.5 of which have come from dynamic defensive ends Isaiah Smith and Jahfari Harvey, who will put a ton of pressure on UVA’s offensive tackles. Keep an eye on safeties Isaiah Nwokobia and Ahmaad Moses, who have each posted three interceptions this season.
UVA’s quarterback situation
With Anthony Colandrea’s quarterback play regressing recently (seven interceptions and one touchdown pass in his last three games) and Tony Muskett playing decently in his garbage time backup opportunities, Muskett and Colandrea have been splitting first-team reps in practice this week. Tony Elliott said on Tuesday that he was still leaning towards Colandrea retaining his starting job, but even if that’s the case, it’ll be interesting to see if Elliott has Colandrea on a short leash. Muskett has yet to enter a game that wasn’t already completely out of reach. Virginia is desperate to pick up that sixth win, so it should be all hands on deck.
Turnover margin and red zone efficiency
Virginia is -4 in the turnover margin department this season and ball security has been a particular issue recently. SMU, meanwhile, has forced 20 turnovers this season. The Mustangs are also ranked third in the ACC in both red zone offense and red zone defense, while the Cavaliers have struggled with red zone efficiency all season. An upset win for UVA will likely require the Hoos to win the turnover battle and execute at a high level in the red zone on both sides of the ball.
Defend home field
Virginia is 2-3 at home this season, with those wins coming against Richmond and Boston College. The Cavaliers must have some pride about protecting their home field and sending their seniors out on top in their last games at home. Much has been made about UVA’s home attendance this season. In their final opportunity to see Virginia football play at home this season, we’re looking for the UVA faithful to show out at Scott Stadium and provide the Hoos with a real home field advantage.
Virginia is capable of hanging around with and even beating SMU if the Cavaliers bring their A game. But UVA hasn’t been able to bring that A game consistently this season or even throughout all four quarters of a game and that’s what it’ll likely take in order to slow down SMU. I see the Pony Express continuing to roll as the Mustangs pick up their eighth straight win, remain unbeaten in conference play, and secure their spot in the ACC Championship Game.
Score prediction: SMU 31, Virginia 23
UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. SMU
Stat Comparison: How Virginia Football Stacks Up Against SMU on Paper
Tony Elliott Updates the Virginia Football Quarterback Situation
UVA Football Week 13 Injury Report: Kam Robinson, James Jackson, Corey Thomas
Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. SMU | Takeaways, Analysis
Virginia
Former Virginia student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr pleads guilty in deadly shooting of three football stars
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia student, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder this week in the shooting deaths of three UVA football players..
Jones’ plea comes after the 2022 on-campus slayings of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. All three young men played for the UVA Cavaliers football team. A fourth team member, Mike Hollins, and another student, Marlee Morgan, suffered injuries.
Jones’ stint on the football team overlapped with the players he shot, per information in the draft copy of the prosecutors’ summary, but there is no indication Jones and the players had a relationship.
Jones faced three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 4 and is expected to last for four days.
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While riding back to campus from a school trip on a charter bus in the hours before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor, stating, “tonight I’m either going to hell or jail. I’m sorry,” according to a summary that prosecutors read in court on Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained a draft copy of the summary.
UVA TO PAY $9 MILLION TO FAMILIES OF VICTIMS IN 2022 SHOOTING THAT KILLED 3 FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WOUNDED 2 OTHERS
Jones had been scheduled to stand trial in January on charges including aggravated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole in Virginia. The first-degree murder charges he pleaded guilty to in a plea agreement with prosecutors carry a sentence of 20 years to life.
Authorities said Jones opened fire aboard a charter bus as he and other students arrived back on campus after seeing a play and having dinner together in Washington, D.C.
The shooting erupted near a parking garage and prompted a 12-hour lockdown of the Charlottesville campus until the suspect was captured. Many at the school of some 23,000 students huddled inside closets and darkened dorm rooms, while others barricaded the doors of the university’s stately academic buildings.
During the rampage, Jones “methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus” to shoot some of his victims, the summary said.
Authorities have yet to release details on the motive in the shooting by Jones.
The university’s president, Jim Ryan, said Jones’ guilty plea represents “another step in a lengthy and painful journey for the families of the victims and for our community.”
“We continue to grieve the loss of three beloved members of our community and the injuries suffered by others on the bus,” Ryan’s statement added.
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Within days of the shooting, university leaders asked for an outside review to investigate the school’s safety policies and procedures, its response to the violence and its prior efforts to assess the potential threat of the student charged. School officials acknowledged Jones previously was on the radar of the university’s threat-assessment team.
In June, Kimberly Wald, a lawyer representing some of the victims and their families, announced that the university agreed to pay $9 million in a settlement. Wald said the university should have removed Jones from campus before the attack because he displayed multiple red flags through erratic and unstable behavior.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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