Who’s Playing
Virginia Cavaliers @ Villanova Wildcats
Current Records: Virginia 1-0, Villanova 2-2
How To Watch
What to Know
The Villanova Wildcats will face off against the Virginia Cavaliers at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday at CFG Bank Arena. The Wildcats are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 80.5 points per game this season.
The experts predicted Villanova would be headed in after a victory, but Saint Joseph’s made sure that didn’t happen. Villanova took an 83-76 hit to the loss column at the hands of Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday.
Despite their loss, Villanova saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jhamir Brickus, who went 9 for 15 en route to 22 points plus five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Eric Dixon, who almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, Villanova smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That’s the most offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in December of 2023.
Meanwhile, Virginia didn’t have too much trouble with Coppin State on Monday as they won 62-45. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cavaliers.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Virginia to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jacob Cofie, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds. Isaac McKneely was another key player, scoring 14 points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Villanova’s defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Virginia, they now have a winning record of 1-0.
Friday’s game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Villanova just can’t miss this season, having nailed 48.3% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Virginia struggles in that department as they’ve made 47.9% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Villanova skirted past Virginia 61-59 in their previous matchup back in January of 2017. The rematch might be a little tougher for Villanova since the team won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Series History
Villanova and Virginia both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
- Jan 29, 2017 – Villanova 61 vs. Virginia 59
- Dec 19, 2015 – Virginia 86 vs. Villanova 75
