Virginia at Pittsburgh Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
Following a narrow 75-74 loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team (10-12, 3-8 ACC) will have to move on quickly as they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers Monday night. This one is set for a 7 pm tip and will air on ESPN.
About Pitt
The Pitt Panthers are led by head coach Jeff Capel, in his 7th season. Capel has a career record of 273-209, with Pitt being 14-7 (5-5) this season. They are coming off a tough 76-74 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday.
Lining Up
Pitt generally likes to go 8 deep, but they have dealt with various injury issues so far this season. They’ve also messed with their starting lineup some. In their last two games, they started:
G - #3 Jaland Lowe (6’3” Sophomore, averages 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds)
G - #5 Ishmael Leggett (6’3” Senior, averages 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds)
G - #1 Damian Dunn (6’5” Grad Senior, Houston transfer, averages 10.6 points)
F - #55 Zack Austin (6’7” Senior, averages 9.5 points)
F - #2 Cameron Corhen (6’10” Junior, FSU transfer, averages 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds)
This lineup is a downshift in size, whereas they have also started Guillermo Diaz Graham (7’ Junior, averages 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds) in place of Dunn when they wanted to go with a longer lineup.
Matching Up
The health of the Hoos may determine which lineup Pitt chooses to go with. Junior forward Elijah Saunders has missed the last two games with an injury, which has caused the Hoos to primarily go to a bigger lineup starting both Blake Buchanan and Jacob Cofie. With the quick turnaround here, Virginia coach Ron Sanchez said he doesn't expect Saunders back for this one. That could push Pitt toward going with their bigger lineup.
In the backcourt, the Hoos are getting back close to full strength. That's important in this matchup, as Pitt has a pair of very talented guards. In the last two weeks, both Andrew Rohde (injury) and Ishan Sharma (illness) have missed time. Both were able to contribute on Saturday, a great sign moving forward. UVA will need both to be playing at a high level to have success in this one.
Tony Bennett Day
The Hoos will host Georgia Tech on Saturday. That should be a special day, as it has been marked as a celebration of legendary head coach Tony Bennett. As part of the celebrations a banner will be raised honoring his legacy, with other forms of celebration also planned for both Saturday and in the future.
As always the Locker Room Access show will start 30 minutes before tip. Be sure to join us on both Facebook and YouTube.
(Featured Image Credit: Getty)