The Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team opened its Greenbrier Tip-Off with a win over a solid Northwestern team. It took them most of the first half to get settled in against a veteran Northwestern team, and the ‘Hoos had to survive an early second-half punch from the Wildcats.
But Virginia pulled out the victory in the end, 83-78, to move to 5-0 on the year. Virginia was led by 26 points from Thijs De Ridder, 16 points off the bench from Chance Mallory, 14 points from Malik Thomas, and 11 timely points from veteran guard Dallin Hall.
Next up is the Butler Bulldogs, who were also victorious in their first game at the Greenbrier, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 79-72 on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs were led by solid guard play from Finley Bizjack, Jamie Kaiser Jr., and Jalen Jackson, who accounted for 42 of their points and four of the team’s three pointers.
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The Cavaliers’ biggest test on Sunday will be containing senior Michael Ajayi. Ajayi is built like a fullback, standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 235 pounds. He is a beast on the boards, strong and effective around the rim, and can draw fouls and convert at the charity stripe. Last time out, the transfer from Gonzaga had a season-high 14 rebounds and added 15 points, his fifth double-double in as many games. He was a thorn in the side of South Carolina and opened up a lot of opportunities for Thad Matta’s offense to work.
More than likely, Thijs De Ridder will be tasked to guard the big man and will have his hands full for the entirety of the game. De Ridder fouled out of Friday’s game with 5:46 left and will have to be more disciplined on Sunday, as Ajayi tends to be able to get the opposition to foul him around the basket.
It will be a team effort for the Cavaliers on Sunday, but the matchup between De Ridder and Ajayi will be essential for both teams.
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In the end, I believe this game will come down to Virginia’s ability to limit Butler to one shot per possession while maintaining their own dominance on the offensive glass. Butler, along with Virginia, excels on the offensive boards.
The Bulldogs rank sixth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 44.6% of their misses, resulting in 14.2 offensive rebounds per game. Ryan Odom will be sure to emphasize this point before the game, but it will come down to the guys on the floor being aggressive and going after the basketball on a Butler miss.
Virginia 84, Butler 79
