Who’s Playing
Virginia Cavaliers @ SMU Mustangs
Current Records: Virginia 5-3, SMU 7-2
How To Watch
What to Know
SMU is preparing for their first ACC matchup of the season on Saturday. They and the Virginia Cavaliers will face off at 2:15 p.m. ET at Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 88.3 points per game this season.
Virginia is hoping to do what Alabama State couldn’t on Tuesday: put an end to SMU’s winning streak, which now stands at three games. SMU took their game with ease, bagging a 101-72 victory over Alabama State. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 29 points or more this season.
SMU got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kario Oquendo out in front who went 7 for 8 en route to 20 points. Oquendo continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he’s played. The team also got some help courtesy of B.J. Edwards, who went 5 for 8 en route to 11 points plus five assists and two steals.
SMU smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Virginia has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 62.25 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They lost to Florida on the road by a decisive 87-69 margin.
Elijah Saunders put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 19 points along with five rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against Holy Cross on Friday, so this was a nice turnaround.
SMU has been performing well recently as they’ve won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. As for Virginia, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: SMU has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 43.3 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Virginia, though, as they’ve been averaging only 32.1. Given SMU’s sizable advantage in that area, Virginia will need to find a way to close that gap.
