The value of rest could be put to the test when No. 9 Virginia meets No. 12 Arkansas on Sunday afternoon in the Capital Showcase in Washington, D.C.
While the Cavaliers (2-0) were in action Friday night against Northeastern, the Razorbacks (1-0) have been idle since Tuesday.
Virginia coach Ryan Odom didn’t seem too concerned since he has a deep bench and because both teams should still have fresh legs this early in the season.
“It’s going to be a great match-up and we’re looking forward to it,” Odom said. “They have a tremendous amount of talent. They share the ball really well. They can shoot it. They’ve got big guys by the rim. If you’re attacking them (on defense), they’ll throw it over your head and they’ll dunk it. So we’re going to have to be on our game to have a chance to win.”
The Cavaliers followed up Tuesday’s season-opening 89-60 win against Drexel with a 97-72 win over Northeastern on Friday in Charlottesville, Va. Virginia collected a total of 30 steals in the two games and shot 50.8% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point distance.
Preseason Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Thijs De Ridder and Sam Lewis are both averaging 20.0 points, followed by Chance Mallory (14.0) and 7-footer Johann Grunloh (12.0).
Head coach John Calipari’s Razorbacks kicked off the campaign with a 106-61 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas took control with a 25-0 run early in the first half and cemented the outcome with a 21-3 run in the second half of a dominant performance. The Razorbacks outrebounded the Golden Lions 43-27 and outscored them convincingly on fast breaks (45-6) and in points off turnovers (32-12).
Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 23 points while Jordan Smith Jr. added 20 points and fellow freshmen Abdou Torre (12) and Miikka Muurinen (10) also reached double figures for Arkansas.
The Arkansas defense held the Golden Lions to 38.9% shooting (21 of 54) from the field and 28.6% from 3-point distance (6 of 21) while racking up 16 steals and seven blocked shots.
“That’s something that we need to hang our hats on as a team, and just something we talk about in the locker room all the time,” said Wilkinson, who had five steals and a block. “Our defense will lead to our offense, and we have a team full of athletes, a team full of people who can guard.
“Our standard is high, and if we don’t have a game like that, if we don’t have a game where we’re forcing turnovers and playing great defense, we know that that’s not our standard, and we could be a lot better.”
Calipari is expecting a tough fight against a Virginia team that won 30 games last year and was picked No. 2 behind Duke in the ACC preseason poll.
“We’re going to be playing a veteran team that’s older, that’s established,” Calipari said. “They’re a top-10 team. We’ve got work to do. We do. If we’re not more physical, it’s hard to be in that game. You’re going to have to be physical. It means you’re going to have to hold your position.”