Primetime Showdown: Boston College at Virginia

matt snead — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:44:52 -0500

After losing an overtime heartbreaker to the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday, the Cavaliers of Virginia look to bounce back with a win at home against conference-foe Boston College. The ‘Hoos lost as the buzzer sounded when Virginia Tech’s Deron Washington laid up an off-balanced floater in the lane. Virginia’s Sean Singletary led the Cavs with a season high 34 points and career high 10 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Eagles of Boston College are flying high lately after crushing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by 39, and beating Miami by 10 last week. The Eagles are 2nd in ACC standings after climbing to a 12-4 overall record and 3-0 in conference play. Boston College’s Tyrese Rice has been an absolute beast this season, averaging nearly 20 ppg, 4 rpg, and 5 apg, and his play will be essential if BC wants to take down the ‘Hoos in JPJ.

This matchup is really a toss-up. The Eagles are balanced on offense and feature three key players who average double figures in points per game. The Eagles are allowing a mere 67.0 points per game this season against opponents, while Virginia gives up about 70 points per game. The Cavs also have a balanced offense, as they have three key players who average double figures in points per game, combining for over 41 points per game. This game is all about who wants it more, as no team has any real advantage

The main key to this game for Virginia is to crash on the boards, on both offense and defense. The ‘Hoos are 2nd in the country in rebounding margin, and they need to prove they can do it against a good ACC team in Boston College. Also, if Virginia’s going to win this game, they need to have their big three play well. Key players Mamidi Diane and Adrian Joseph have all but disappeared lately and the Cavaliers cannot keep relying on Sean Singletary to carry his team to victories. The key for Boston College is to limit turnovers and hit open shots.

Game predictions: This game goes down to the wire, but Virginia prevails at home for their first ACC win of 2008.

Boston College 73 Virginia 77

Rice: 22 points, 5 rebs, 5 assists, stl
Singletary: 25 pts, 6 rebs, 7 assists

Duke-Virginia: Dukies Take on 'Hoos at Cameron Indoor

matt snead — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:19:51 -0500

Tonight marks the first in-conference game for the University of Virginia and Duke University. The Cavaliers (10-3),(0-0), lead by senior all-american point guard, Sean Singletary, haven’t played in a week and a half. The ‘Hoos are coming off a 38 point drubbing at the hands of the Xavier Musketeers, while the Blue Devils (12-1),(0-0), won a hard-fought battle and prevailed at Temple (74-64).

After the Cavs were dropped by Xavier, head coach Dave Laetio revoked the Cavs’ privileges and amenities of John Paul Jones Arena. He made an emphasis that the next few practices would be of the defensive variety, after giving up 108 points total and 61 in the first half against Xavier. Don’t expect the same defensive squad to show up tonight though, as coach has made it clear to his Cavaliers that if they don’t play defense, they don’t play.

Everything’s great in Raleigh/Durham though, as the Dukies have jumped to No. 7 in the country. Duke features a balance of both veterans and underclassmen. Despite the team not having much chemistry with the freshman, they’ve lived up to their expectations. Freshman F Kyle Singler has carried more than his load, averaging 13.0 ppg and 6.1 rebs per game, only being behind DeMarcus Nelson in both categories. The Blue Devils’ leader on the court is senior F Demarcus Nelson. Nelson leads the Blue Devils in ppg, rpg, and apg.

Tonight’s game will depend on the tempo set early-on, and if the Cavaliers can clamp down on "D". The Cameron Crazies will be decked out in royal blue and living up to their name tonight, which could create communication problems for the 'Hoos. Duke will want to run with Virginia, in fact, they want Virginia to run with them, too. If Virginia can control the tempo and play at their own pace, this game could be closer than what you might expect. One matchup one might want to pay close attention to is Henderson, who is fleet-footed. Another matchup you might want to closely watch is whoever is guarding Sean Singletary. No one on Duke can stay with him, so we’ll see how that plays out. But, when teams are in ACC play, you can throw the facts and stats out of the window. The team that produces the least turnovers tonight should be victorious.

Predictions: Player of the game for both teams: Virginia G Sean Singletary,

Duke G/F Gerald Henderson.

Prediction: Virginia 67 Duke 75

Bleacher Report - Articles by matt snead

Primetime Showdown: Boston College at Virginia

Duke-Virginia: Dukies Take on 'Hoos at Cameron Indoor