With only one more weekend on the calendar before the start of the season, Virginia basketball fans are excited to get things started next week. The UVA men’s team opens Monday at 7 p.m. against Tarleton State, while the Cavalier women’s team starts off Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Maryland Eastern Shore. Both games are at the John Paul Jones Arena.
Both teams expressed excitement at the local media day on Monday. Virginia coach Tony Bennett will try to guide his team back to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in the last 12 postseasons. The Cavaliers, of course, won the 2019 National Championship. Hoo coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will try to get her team into the field in just her second year at the helm. UVA has not made the tournament since 2018.
There are some familiar faces on both teams as well. Reece Beekman, Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Dunn all played significant roles last season and will be counted on again for the Hoos on the men’s team. Sam Brunelle and Camryn Taylor are among those that return for the Cavaliers too on the women’s side. Of course, there are new names on the rosters too with fans excited about players like Blake Buchanan, Kymora Johnson, and more.
Before tipoff arrives for the Virginia teams, check out this Best Seat in the House preview. Plus, here are some message board threads discussing different preseason thoughts:
- CTB has a bounce in his step that I haven’t seen in quite a few years. ~ alleyoop hoo
- Watched a bit of the Tarleton State exhibition game ~ HoonDog
- NBC 29 Newslink article predicts Bond to start 1st Game ~ rocket
- Not sure how plugged in the guy who runs this account is, but looks right
to me. … However, it’s the most athletic we’ve had in awhile IMO. ~ socaluva - Taine Murray. It will be interesting to see how significant a role he plays on both sides of the court and how many minutes Taine receives initially this season. ~ UVAbarry1
- Bennett on Blake ~ Charleston Cav
- This makes it sound like Eli will NOT redshirt. Hope that’s accurate. ~ plegard
- Weird ACC scheduling issue… from 12/30 to 2/10 we play 7 straight weekend
road games, certainly unusual. Does it matter? Probably not but … ~ RCWahoo24 - Any feedback from the exhibition game tonight? ~ RallyEagle
Finally, let’s check out the weekly fan picks.
Fan(s) Of The Week
Smile and yell “Go Hoos!”
Student Fan(s) Of The Week
Wahoowa from the hill!
Feature Photo Of The Week
The Virginia volleyball team hosted a fun afternoon in its first ever match at the John Paul Jones Arena.
