The Virginia Cavaliers (4-0) look to remain undefeated on Friday evening against Chris Collins and his Northwestern Wildcats (4-0). This contest follows the opening game of the Skechers Greenbrier Tip-off between South Carolina (4-0) and Butler (3-1) at 2 pm eastern. Virginia will then take on Butler to lead off the Sunday slate at 2 pm, while Northwestern will face the Gamecocks to wrap up the weekend at 5 PM.
The Virginia faithful will learn a lot about their team over the next three days, as Northwestern (#46 in KenPom) and Butler (#62 in KenPom) are both worthy opponents that will undoubtedly give the Cavaliers some stress. Virginia is coming off four solid performances against weaker competition, but nonetheless has been impressive so far this season. The unit has scored 80+ points in each contest with almost 10 made three-pointers per game, and six players are averaging 10+ points per game. A very different Virginia basketball team than the one the public is familiar with.
The test that is most intriguing for Virginia ahead of this weekend is whether they can keep this team effort, or if the opposition will force the Cavaliers to rely on one or two stars to lead them. So far this season, Thijs De Ridder has been Virginia’s best player, but not by the widest of margins. Nine players are averaging over ten minutes, and eight of them are averaging at least seven points. Everyone has been eating, and Ryan Odom has yet to rely on a “star” to lead them to victory.
Northwestern is a tough team, and all signs point to a potential nail-biter to start the weekend, nothing that Virginia fans aren’t used to. Their defense is strong, and they have a couple of veteran players who can light up the scoreboard.
In the Wildcats’ first three games, their opponents were averaging in the mid-50s, but that all ended when they traveled to Wintrust Arena to face DePaul, allowing the Blue Demons to score 79 points. Still, a Chris Collins-coached team is consistently near the top in defensive efficiency, and they will be solid and well-prepared defensively in this matchup.
On offense, Nick Martinelli, Arrinten Page, and Jayden Reid will all be players to watch, and Virginia will have to step up defensively to try and prevent these guys from taking over the game. Martinelli is averaging 20.5 points per game, is six for seven (85.7%) from behind the arc so far this year, and grabs nearly seven boards per contest. This will be an incredible matchup between the senior and Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder.
Virginia’s first test of the season is a tough one, but I think the Cavaliers have too many weapons on offense and are a solid enough defensive team to squeeze this one out and move to 4-0 against the Wildcats all-time.
Prediction: Virginia 82, Northwestern 75
