Heading into Wednesday night's matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats the Virginia Cavaliers have a chance to rebound after taking a convincing loss on the road against #9 ranked Arizona last Sunday. Here we take a look at the matchup which is part of the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge pitting schools from both conferences against one another. Coming into tonight's game the challenge stands at 3-3 with the decisive games to be played tonight with five more matchups including the Cavaliers versus the Wildcats.
Ironically the Northwestern Wildcats (3-2) are coming off a loss to the hands of the DePaul Blue Demons, the very team current Virginia head coach Dave Leitao left before arriving in Charlottesville to lead the Hoos. The Wildcats feature a tremendous scorer in power forward Vedran Vukusic (25.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg) who originally hails from Croatia. At 6'9 245 pounds the standout big man could present a huge problem for the thin front line that Dave Leitao currently has. Freshman Laurynas Mikalauskas could have his hands full but the youngster will definitely have to stay out of foul trouble to be able to provide Leitao a good size matchup for Vukusic.
Another key player for the Northwestern is guard Tim Doyle (9.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.2 apg). Doyle at 6'5 215 pounds is versatile and large enough to cause problems for the Virginia backcourt. Mohamed Hachad (6.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 apg) and Michael Jenkins (2.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg) also receive significant minutes for the Wildcats.
Patrolling the paint as the center will be 6'10 230 junior center Vince Scott (5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg). Scott is not a strong defender but he does have good range on his shot including beyond the arc where he nailed 17 treys at a 36.2% clip.
Dave Leitao and his team clearly has the advantage on the perimeter in guards Sean Singletary (17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg) and J.R. Reynolds (14.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.3 apg). The duo has been given the greenlight offensively and will have to once again help guide the Cavaliers. Look for the Hoos to push the ball up the court early and often against the Wildcats to try and utilize the team's speed and athletic ability for easy points when the situation is right.
Sophomore swingman Adrian Joseph (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg) provides instant energy off the bench for the Cavaliers and should see significant minutes as well. Also providing good energy off the bench is junior power forward Jason Cain (3.7 ppg 5.3 rpg). Freshmen starters Mamadi Diane (8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg) and Laurynas Mikalauskas (7.0 ppg 4.0 rpg) will get another dose of solid competition from the Wildcats as they continue their trek through their first season in Charlottesville.
Sophomore center Tunji Soroye (1.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg) has played well especially when it comes to rebounding and blocking shots for Dave Leitao but he did foul out in the Hoos' latest outing against Arizona. Look for Soroye to pick his spots and focus on controlling the boards and paint with his defensive prowess.
The Cavaliers will look to help the ACC try to win yet another ACC-Big Ten Challenge series this year against the Wildcats. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM and will be televised nationwide on ESPNU.