The No. 25 (AP) Virginia men’s basketball team seek revenge tonight against in-state rival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Cavaliers (20-6, 7-5 ACC) fell to the Hokies (15-12. 4-8 ACC) 47-45 Jan. 22. Virginia entered the match-up with a 15-2 record and a season-high ranking of No. 15 but staggers into tonight’s game losers of three of its last five games.
After a huge 71-44 victory against Maryland Saturday, the Cavaliers are ready to carry that success into tonight’s crucial tilt.
“It just means it’s a quick turnaround,” senior guard Sammy Zeglinski said. “It’s just a whole different team.”
Zeglinski was one of several key players who contributed to Virginia’s first marquee offensive performance in weeks. After breaking 60 points just once this February, the Cavaliers exploded for 40 points in the second half alone to zoom past the Terrapins. Senior forward Mike Scott led the charge, tallying a game-high 25 points and exhibiting again why his team’s postseason chances rest squarely on his shoulders.
“Mike is having a terrific year,” coach Tony Bennett said. “He is showing his versatility. He desperately wants to leave behind a successful senior year, and to leave a stamp on this program to help it in the future.”
Scott contributes to the team’s success on and off the court, adding team leader to a litany of other titles.
“I’m so proud of him — as much off the court as on the court — because I have seen him grow in terms of his leadership abilities,” Bennett said.
To maintain its offensive success, however, Virginia needs to see a sustained effort from its supporting cast against a Tech team which double- and triple-teamed Scott in the first match-up. With sophomore guard and second-leading scorer Joe Harris mustering just eight total points in the two games since he broke his non-shooting hand, the onus will fall on Zeglinksi and budding freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon to supplement Scott’s stellar play.
Zeglinski has struggled from beyond the arc in recent weeks, shooting just 16.7 percent from the three-point range before going 2-for-5 from three against Maryland. Still, Bennett values Zeglinski as more than just a shooter and is pleased with his senior leader’s overall effort this season.
“I know that he has been struggling in terms of his shot, but his floor game has actually been improving,” Bennett said.
Brogdon’s improved play has been the silver lining to Virginia’s recent wobbles, as the freshman has averaged 9.8 points a game in his last five outings. Since the transfers of redshirt freshman forward James Johnson and sophomore guard KT Harrell in December and the injury to senior center Assane Sene in January, the Virginia bench has been thin, making Brogdon’s presence critical. He scored 14 points off the bench against Maryland, the second-highest total of his career.
“He’s shooting the ball well and he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Zeglinski said. “He had a complete game [against Maryland]. He shot the ball well. He’s going to continue to do that, and it’s good for us to have him out there as a freshman being so confident.”
Virginia Tech’s road upset of Virginia has proven an anomaly in an otherwise rocky season. The Hokies have gone just 3-5 since the game with no victories in that span against an above .500 team, and they rank in the bottom half of the conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage and rebounding. Other than Virginia, the only teams Tech has beaten with a winning record are Campbell, Norfolk State and St. Bonaventure.
Yet the Hokies enter tonight’s game after a somewhat promising week. Senior guard Dorenzo Hudson drilled a three as time expired to give Virginia Tech a 74-73 overtime triumph against Georgia Tech Saturday after the Hokies pushed No. 17 ACC co-leading Florida State to the brink in a 48-47 defeat earlier in the week. Junior guard Erick Green performed well in each game, totaling 32 points, seven assists and four steals. Green ranks in the top ten in the ACC in all three categories.
Virginia enters tonight’s contest expecting its 21st victory, despite three consecutive road losses. A win not only would avenge one of the squad’s poorest performances in conference play but also would pad the Cavaliers’ credentials for their first NCAA Tournament at-large berth since 2007.
“We know that they stole one from us here earlier in the season,” Zeglinski said, “so we’re excited to go in there and give them 110 percent.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPNU.