After winning in a blowout victory over the Liberty Flames the Virginia Cavaliers take their next step in the Dave Leitao era. The Cavaliers travel to Richmond to face the Spiders out of the Atlantic Ten conference. Tonight's matchup is definitely an upgrade in the competition level for the Hoos. Both teams come into the game with 1-0 marks on the season so far.
It's still early in the season to honestly gauge how good both teams are as the Hoos won easily over Liberty 79-44 and the Spiders struggled somewhat in their victory over the Hampton Pirates 44-40. On paper the Hoos look like a resounding favorite but everyone knows the Spiders have been known to give teams' fits over the years.
If there's an advantage for the Hoos in tonight's game it would have to be the backcourt of Sean Singletary, J.R. Reynolds, and Mamadi Diane. The trio's first game saw tremendous success and if they continue to build chemistry it could spell some additional victories for the Hoos later on down the road. The Spiders however will prove to be a tougher task than the Flames provided last Friday.
The Spiders started a rather large lineup during their game against Hampton so the Hoos will have to utilize their speed and execution to nullify the size differences on the wings. Look for the Hoos to try and get out on the break early and often to wear down the Spiders for easy buckets in transition. Tonight's matchup will be a good barometer for Dave Leitao and his staff to see just where the team stands. While they obviously aren't looking ahead they do have a matchup with the Arizona Wildcats in five days but tonight they must focus on the Spiders to try and come away from Richmond with a win.
Richmond Spiders vs Virginia Cavaliers
(Projected Starters & Stats)
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Tipoff 8 PM @ Richmond |
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F Jarhon Giddings
9 PPG, 7 RPG, 1 APG
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PF |
F Laurynas Mikalauskas
14 PPG, 5 RPG, 1 SPG
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F Jermaine Bucknor
14 PPG, 11 RPG, 1 APG
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SF |
F Mamadi Diane
17 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG
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C Kevin Steenberge
5 PPG, 6 RPG, 4 APG
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C |
C Tunji Soroye
5 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 BPG
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G/F Oumar Sylla
3 PPG, 2 RPG
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SG |
G J.R. Reynolds
14 PPG, 2 RPG, 6 APG
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G/F Peter Thomas
7 PPG, 2 RPG, 2 APG
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PG |
G Sean Singletary
15 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG
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