Locker Room Access - Virginia

The Virginia Cavaliers (8-5 overall, 1-1 in ACC) will start the new year off by hosting the Louisville Cardinals (9-5 overall, 2-1 in ACC) in a key conference clash on Saturday.  Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM Eastern, televised on ACC Network.  

About Louisville

The Cardinals have a new head coach, Pat Kelsey.  He was hired away from College of Charleston, where he had a very successful three year run.  The Louisville roster received a complete makeover after the coaching change.  Through the transfer portal, Kelsey has assembled an older very experienced team. 

Louisville enters with a 9-5 overall record, 2-1 in ACC play.  They’re fresh off a big home win over North Carolina on Wednesday. The Cardinals played a difficult non-conference schedule, and came away with a couple resume wins against West Virginia and Indiana.  They currently sit at 50 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, making this a Quad-2 home game for Virginia.  

Louisville’s Personnel

Seven of the nine players who saw action last time out are seniors, including several in their extra year.  They’re all new to Louisville, but it’s an older team.  Kelsey has been starting the following big lineup, then will downshift once he turns to the bench.  

G - #24 Chucky Hepburn (6’2” Senior, Wisconsin transfer, 15.9 points and 5.4 assists per game)

G - #5 Terrence Edwards Jr. (6’6” Super Senior, JMU transfer, 14.1 points per game)

G - #1 J’Vonne Hadley (6’6” Senior, Colorado transfer, 10.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game)

F - #93 Noah Waterman (6’11” Super Senior, BYU transfer, 7.7 points per game)

F - #0 James Scott (6’11” Sophomore, Charleston transfer, 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game)

Sharpshooting guard Reyne Smith (13.4 PPG), another Charleston transfer, plays starter minutes off the bench.  

Aggressive Style

More than half of Louisville’s shots this season have come from three-point range, one of the highest attempt rates in the country.  They haven’t shot well from deep as a team, under 30%, but they’ll take lots of them.  When the shots go down, they become very tough to beat.   Guard Reyne Smith is a specialist, currently leading the ACC in made three-pointers by a wide margin.  

The Cardinals look to attack in transition at every opportunity.  And they’re a good offensive rebounding team. UVA has been vulnerable at times this season in both of those areas.  Defensively, they pressure and try to force turnovers.  I would expect to see an occasional full-court press thrown in.  It’s crucial for the Wahoos to win the possession battle by taking care of the ball and limiting Louisville to one shot.  

Point Guard Concerns

Virginia starting point guard Dai Dai Ames was missing for most of Tuesday’s win over NC State.  The sophomore was taken out after nine minutes, and never reinserted.  It’s unclear if he was available or ruled out by injury.  He’s been dealing with a nagging ankle sprain since the SMU game in early December.  

The point guard position has been a soap opera for Virginia. Likely starter Jalen Warley entered the transfer portal just before the season, following Tony Bennett’s retirement.  And it looks like freshman Christian Bliss may sit out the season.  He’s been back practicing for a while, but doesn’t suit up for games.  Those two along with Ames were expected to make up the point guard by committee.  

Junior Andrew Rohde has filled the void, leading the team in assists.   He had one of his best games in the win over NC State, dishing out 7 assists with only one turnover.  If Ames can’t go or is limited again on Saturday, it’ll take a collective effort from the Wahoo guard rotation.  

Up Next

Virginia makes their first ACC West Coast trip next week.  They’ll face California in a late night 11:00 PM Eastern tip out in Berkeley on Wednesday.  Then head to Stanford for a Saturday afternoon game. 

Be sure to tune in for the Locker Room Access pregame show, 30 minutes before tipoff as always, available on YouTube and Facebook. 

(Featured Image Credit: Jamie Holt/UVA Athletics) 

By Josh Burton

Coming off a 63-58 victory over American and an extended break for Christmas, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team (7-5, 0-1 in ACC play) will now begin conference play in full as they host NC State on Tuesday. This one will air on ESPN2 and is scheduled for a noon tip-off on New Year’s Eve.

About NC State

The NC State Wolfpack are led by Kevin Keatts, who is in his 8th season. Keatts is 147-98 overall at NC State, including being 8-4 overall and 1-0 in ACC play this year. Most will remember State knocking off the Hoos in last year's ACC Semifinals on their run to both the conference championship and a Final Four appearance.

State had a lot to replace from last year's postseason success. Four of five starters have moved on.  The contributions are more balanced this season, with five players averaging 9 points or better. They line up:

G - #12 Michael O’Connell (6’2” Covid Senior, averages 6.5 points and 4 assists per game)

G - #8 Jayden Taylor (6’4” Senior, averages 12.4 points per game)

G - #10 Marcus Hill (6’4” Senior, Bowling Green transfer, averages 12.6 points per game)

G - #3 Dontrez Styles (6’6” Senior, Georgetown transfer, averages 9.7 points per game)

F - #34 Ben Middlebrooks (6’10” Senior, averages 9.8 points per game)

Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6’10” Louisville transfer) also plays a key role off the bench, averaging 9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Stepping Up

In their last few contests, UVA found key contributions from some different players. Junior forward Elijah Saunders has been the main leader for the Hoos, having scored 15 or more points in 4 of their last 5 games. Senior guard Taine Murray has also come on strong, scoring 13 and 14 points in the last two games, respectively.

Against NC State, look for both of these players to continue to try and build upon recent success. Saunders should have an advantage inside to start out where he has shown capable of scoring well against similar sized competition all year. Taine should also be a key piece as his experience will be needed for both the true beginning of conference play and going up against a very experienced Wolfpack team.

Freshman Finding Footing

Virginia coach Ron Sanchez has change was made to the lineup, as first-year forward Jacob Cofie was inserted into the starting lineup against Memphis and stayed there for the American game. While Cofie has shown flashes, he also struggled with fouls against a very competitive and physical Memphis frontcourt. NC State center Ben Middlebrooks is another physical player that Cofie will have to deal with, so keeping fouls to a minimum will be crucial for him.

Coming off the extended break and staring directly at conference play is in some ways refreshing this season. There’s still a lot to play for and I’m sure adjustments will be made to stay competitive all winter. What adjustments do you think the staff and players will make? Be sure to join the Locker Room Access pregame show with your takes, airing live at 11:30 Tuesday morning!

(Featured Image Credit: Jamie Holt/UVA Athletics)

By Josh Burton

Fresh off exams and a 59-41 victory over Bethune-Cookman last week, the UVA Men’s Basketball team is now 6-4 (0-1 in ACC play) and will look to pick up a win in their last real non-conference test as they host the Memphis Tigers Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 pm and will air on ESPN2.

About Memphis

The University of Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference are led by 6th-year head coach Penny Hardaway. Penny has amassed a 141-64 record overall, going 8-2 so far this season. In their last contest, Memphis picked up a major road victory over #16 Clemson, 87-82 (OT). 

The Tigers play a heavy pressure defense and have so far been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, connecting on over 44% as a team. This is mostly a product of only having their best shooters taking the shots.  Three Tigers have attempted 22 or more 3’s, all of them hitting 39% or better on the season.  

Lining Up

Memphis has a very experienced lineup, with six of eight regular rotation players being Seniors. They generally start:

G - #11 Tyrese Hunter (6’ Senior, Texas transfer, averages 16 points while hitting 51.6% from three-point range)

G - #4 PJ Haggerty (6’3” Redshirt Sophomore, Tulsa transfer, averages 21.9 points and 6 rebounds per game)

G - #3 Colby Rogers (6’3” Covid Senior, Wichita State transfer, averages 13.4 points while hitting 44.6% from three-point range)

F - #2 Nicholas Jourdain (6’7” Covid Senior, averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game)

C - #32 Moussa Cisse (6’11” Covid Senior, Ole Miss transfer, averages 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game)

6 '9 " Illinois transfer Senior Dain Dainja plays a key role off the bench, averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Under Pressure

As mentioned above, Memphis is mainly known for their pressuring defense. The Hoos will absolutely have to value each possession to have a chance in this one.

Some of the concern could be eased if guard Dai Dai Ames is able to play. Ames sat out the last contest with an ankle issue. The continued development of first-year guard Ishan Sharma will also be crucial here. Sharma is coming off his best performance of his young career, going for 12 points and 3 assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman. 

The Hoos will need as many capable ball handlers as possible for this one. Having the two dynamic guards both available and playing at a high level would go a long way in determining the outcome of the contest.

Hitting Shots

While Memphis plays a pressure style, the strength of their halfcourt defense is on the interior. They've been vulnerable from three-point land, with opponents hitting 36% on high volume.  Memphis is also a smaller team than last season when they only started one player under 6’6”.

The three-point shot has been known as the great equalizer in basketball for awhile, but this is truly a contest where being able to connect from outside would help the Hoos overcome deficits in experience and athleticism.  

Look for both Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde to try and bounce back from poor shooting performances last week. Although both are over 44% on the year from distance, they combined to go 1-8 against Bethune-Cookman. That will need to change in a major way for the Hoos to find success.

Orange Out

🟠🔶🔸Re-Release: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞🔸🔶🟠

🎟️ https://t.co/smR3pGTt8p

🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/hbKXhDI0zs

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) December 15, 2024

The anticipation for this game is high in part because it's an opportunity for a marquee non-conference victory, but also because of the Orange Out scheduled. The program has been hyping the event, with a video released on Sunday revealing the “Retro” orange uniforms the Hoos will be wearing. You can get an orange retro jersey in the UVA Sports Shop. 

This is a tough game for the Hoos but also a major opportunity. Be sure to follow along with Locker Room Access, pregame coverage will begin at 6:30.

(Featured Image Credit: Jamie Holt/UVA Athletics)