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Justin Anderson
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Robert Barnes
18 Jan, 2023
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Virginia Meets Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament
The Virginia Cavaliers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets square off Wednesday in the ACC Tournament. It’ll be the first game of the day in Charlotte, scheduled for noon and televised on ESPN.
The Cavaliers are the 9-seed of the tournament, finishing at 8-12 in conference play. While Georgia Tech comes in as the 8-seed with a 10-10 ACC record.
About Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is led by second-year head coach Damon Stoudamire. The former Arizona star played 13 seasons in the NBA. He had a previous head coaching stint at Pacific, followed by a few years as an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking on the Georgia Tech job. His overall record as a college head coach is 101-110.
Stoudamire’s team enters with a 16-15 overall record, finishing at 10-10 in conference play. He seems to have the program trending up, just the third time in the last 18 years they’ve finished with a .500 or above ACC mark. They accomplished that despite dealing with a rash of injuries. The NCAA’s NET rankings slot them at 116, eleven spots behind Virginia. Adjusted efficiency metrics show them to be pretty good defensively, just average on the offensive end.
Georgia Tech’s Personnel
As mentioned, Georgia Tech has dealt with a rash of injuries this season. They’ll stick with a seven or eight man rotation for the most part, depending on who’s available. Stoudamire went with the following starters last time out.
G - Naithan George (6’3” Sophomore, 12.4 points and 6.5 assists per game)
G - Lance Terry (6’3” Senior, 15.0 points per game, 36% from 3)
F - Duncan Powell (6’8” Senior, Sacramento State transfer, 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game)
F - Baye Ndongo (6’9” Sophomore, 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game)
F - Ibrahim Souare (6’9” Freshman, 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game)
Back from injury, freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf (8.4 PPG) has become a key part of the rotation. Senior guard Javian McCollum (12.2 PPG) has been out of action for the last month after suffering a concussion. His status is still considered game-to-game.
Rematch
Virginia won the only regular season meeting between these teams, 75-61 in Charlottesville. It was part of a good stretch for the Wahoos from late January through early February when they won four out of five. Isaac McKneely (20 points) and Dai Dai Ames (18 points) led the way, as Virginia had one of their best offensive performances of the year.
The Yellow Jackets were missing several key pieces, however. That was the first game Javian McCollum missed after suffering a concussion. As mentioned, his status is still game-to-game. Jaeden Mustaf was also out with an injury. And leading scorer Lance Terry was clearly hampered by a hand injury in that game, held scoreless.
So it will be a different challenge for Virginia this time, against a more intact Yellow Jackets squad.
Up Next
Both teams are playing to keep their season alive. The winner advances to Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal round to face #1 seed Duke at noon.
Be sure to tune in for the pregame show, starting 30 minutes before tipoff. Available on the Locker Room Access Facebook page and YouTube channel.
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)
Wahoos Set for Regular Season Finale at Syracuse
By Josh Burton
Coming off a tightly contested 60-57 victory over Florida State on Tuesday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team now sits at 15-15 (8-11 ACC) and will look to finish the regular season with a winning record as they head to Syracuse on Saturday. This one is scheduled for an 8 pm tip and will air on ACC Network.
About Syracuse
The Syracuse Orange are led by head coach Adrian Autry, in his second season. Autry is 32-30 in his time at Syracuse, with the Orange being 12-18 (6-13 ACC) this season. They’re coming off a close 77-75 loss at SMU Tuesday night. Autry was rumored to potentially be on the hot seat, but it was confirmed this week that he would be back next season.
Syracuse has had a rough season, but they’ve been more competitive lately and improved on the offensive end. They’re also a very experienced team, with seven of their eight current rotation players being upperclassmen. Last time out they started:
G - #5 Jaquan Carlos (6’ Senior, Hofstra transfer, averages 6.4 points and 4 assists)
G - #2 J.J. Starling (6’4” Junior, averages 18 points)
G - #3 Lucas Taylor (6’5” Senior, Georgia State transfer, averages 6 points)
F - #13 Jyare Davis (6’7” Senior, Delaware transfer, averages 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds)
C - #44 Eddie Lampkin Jr. (6’11” Covid Senior, Colorado transfer, averages 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds)
6’7” junior Chris Bell (#4) also plays a key role off the bench, averaging 9.9 points.
Defending Inside
Syracuse isn’t a team that’s going to overwhelm you with three-point shooting, although they’ve been much more efficient in that area the last few games. Most of their damage is done inside the arc, where Starling shines at getting to the rim and Lampkin is the type of big body scoring center that has shown to give the Hoos fits this season.
Look for the Wahoos to throw different looks at these talented players, and for the frontcourt to continue to rotate. This is the type of physical matchup inside where first-year Anthony Robinson could really shine.
Seeding Possibilities
As always this time of year, the last game of the season could have major implications on the ACC tournament bracket. If the Hoos take care of business and get some help from Clemson (hosting Virginia Tech), UVA would clinch the 9 seed and a first round bye for the ACC tournament. There are some other scenarios where this could work out as well, but this is the most straightforward way to get there.
This contest will conclude the regular season, and the ACC tournament will begin on Tuesday. Although it’s been a challenging season for the Hoos, it should not be forgotten that last year NC State went from 10-seed in ACC tournament to the Final Four. In March, anything can happen. Locker Room Access will have full coverage of the rest of the season, beginning with our pregame show airing 30 minutes before tip.
(Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)
2025 Guard Chance Mallory Names Finalists
Top available senior Chance Mallory is down to five finalists. The 5’10” point guard out of St. Anne’s-Belfield (VA) will choose between Virginia, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. According to a report from Joe Tipton of On3Sports, Mallory plans to announce his decision on March 22nd.
2025 4⭐️ Chance Mallory is one of the top players left on the board in the ‘25 class. He told @LeagueRDY he’s down to these five schools:
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) March 6, 2025
Virginia Tech
Vanderbilt
Maryland
Tennessee
Virginia
Mallory has taken official visits to all five programs. Was previously committed to… pic.twitter.com/5x9TgnM5gU
Mallory previously committed to play for his hometown program Virginia under Tony Bennett. Later following Bennett’s retirement, Mallory reopened his recruitment. He’s taken official visits to all five finalists. The Virginia and Virginia Tech visits were in September, prior to his original commitment. Maryland, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt received visits in recent months.
Quick Reaction
The main question at the moment is whether or not Mallory has actually made his decision. His hope was always to come to a verdict around this point on the calendar, so as to avoid getting caught up in transfer portal traffic. His reported announcement date of March 22nd is two days before the portal opens, certainly fitting those plans.
With that date being 16 days away, it could be that a final decision isn’t made, or even that the date isn’t yet etched in stone. It’s a particularly relevant topic for Virginia. Currently without a coach, the Cavaliers are still considered a serious contender for Mallory. It was expected that he would wait to see who the new coach is first. Is he leaving a time window for the coach to be named? And if so, is that enough time? It would be cutting it very close.
On the other hand–if he has come to a verdict, that would bode well for Tennessee. Rick Barnes and the Volunteers have hosted him twice on visits in recent months. As Pablo Cong wrote this week for LRA-Tennessee, Mallory is the top candidate to replace graduating senior Zakai Zeigler at point guard next season.
The darkhorse of the race is Mike Young and the Virginia Tech Hokies. They’ve been a steady presence in Mallory’s recruitment, and that relationship is strong. Along with Virginia and Tennessee, those seem to be the three most relevant teams of his finalists.
Stay tuned to Locker Room Access for further recruiting coverage as the offseason nears.
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