We’ve already done our NC State and Virginia previews (next up – Pitt), and with both teams having talented new coaches and almost entirely new rosters, both will be really interesting to watch.
Both teams have new point guards, Dallin Hall (from BYU) for State and Tre Holloway (from Michigan State) for Virginia, and they’re rated as a draw. They’re both experienced though and that’s a huge asset.
At shooting guard, State has freshman Matt Able while Virginia has Jacari White (from North Dakota State). He gives Virginia the edge.
At the wing, it’s Malik Thomas (San Francisco) vs. Terrance Arcenaux (Houston) and the site gives Virginia the edge, partly because Arcenaux is coming off a major injury.
The power forward matchup is really interesting: Virginia’s freshman Thijs de Ridder, a Belgian import, vs. Darrion Williams, who comes over from Texas Tech. It’s a fun thing to contemplate. They give State the edge.
Virginia has an intriguing freshman big man in Johann Grünloh who matches up with Ven-Allen Lubin (from UNC). They rightly say that Grünloh is promising but Lubin has been through some wars. That one will be interesting to watch.
The one thing they don’t get into is the coaching matchup, and that is at least as important as the player matchups, if not more so. Will Wade is a talented coach and Ryan Odom, while quieter, is a fierce competitor. These guys might end up not liking each other very much and that would be great news if so. Pump up the hatred!