ACC/SEC Challenge Preview: Hoos host No. 14 Aggies in toughest test yet

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia is set to host No. 14 Texas A&M tonight in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge (7:15 p.m., ESPN2), as the Cavaliers will be facing their toughest test of the season.

After hanging on by two against West Virginia last week, Tony Bennett’s team is off to a 5-1 start, including a 3-0 mark at JPJ so far this season. Wednesday’s game will obviously be the most important battle by far — at least on paper.

Virginia’s first and only loss came last Monday against Wisconsin in the opening tilt of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, a game in which the Cavaliers were outscored by 24 and outrebounded by 27, including a 20-3 deficit on the offensive glass.

Senior Reece Beekman (11.8 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.7 rpg, 2.8 spg) and sophomore Ryan Dunn (10.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.8 spg, 2.5 bpg) have been impressive on both ends of the floor through the first six games, and sophomore guard Isaac McKneely (9.8 ppg, 55 percent from 3-point territory) is back in the lineup after returning from an ankle injury that kept him out for the Texas Southern win on Nov. 16.

The Aggies (6-1) are a perfect 2-0 in true road games to start the season after picking up back-to-back victories at Ohio State and SMU earlier this month.

Former VT head coach Buzz Williams is now in his fifth year in College Station, and his Aggies’ first and only loss was against Final Four participant Florida Atlantic on Friday in the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla., which helped move the Owls up from 19th to 13th in the polls after also defeating Virginia Tech in the tournament’s championship game.

Talented junior guard Wade Taylor IV, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, leads A&M in scoring at exactly 20.0 points per contest. Taylor registered a career-high 35 points in the loss to FAU. Senior forward Henry Coleman III, a Richmond native who was offered a scholarship by the Cavaliers coming out of high school, leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game to go along with a scoring average of 14.2 points

Another familiar name, Hokie transfer Tyrece Radford (13.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg), spent his first two seasons in Blacksburg before following Williams to the Lone Star State. Neither Coleman (ankle) nor Radford (breathing problems) suited up for the Aggies’ bounceback win over Iowa State on Sunday night. A&M erased a 21-point deficit in the win over the Cyclones, marking the biggest comeback in program history.

Andersson Garcia, a 6-7 senior forward, doesn’t score a ton (3.6 ppg), but cleans up on the glass with 7.6 rebounds per night. In fact, Garcia leads the country in offensive boards per game with 4.0. A&M is averaging 43.4 rebounds per game, compared to 32.5 for the Hoos. UVA will need to step up its efforts on the boards or it could end up being another lopsided result on the scoreboard. UVA is currently a 2.5-point favorite to upset the Aggies.

2023 ACC/SEC Challenge
SEC leads, 4-3
Tuesday’s Games
Georgia Tech 67, No. 21 Mississippi State 59
South Carolina 65, Notre Dame 53
Syracuse 80, LSU 57
No. 12 Kentucky 95, No. 8 Miami 73
Missouri 71, Pitt 64
Ole Miss 72, NC State 52
Clemson 84, No. 23 Alabama 77

Today’s Games
No. 14 Texas A&M at Virginia, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 10 Tennessee at No. 17 North Carolina, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Florida at Wake Forest, 7:15 p.m. (ESPNU)
No. 7 Duke at Arkansas, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Boston College at Vanderbilt, 9:15 p.m. (SECN)
Georgia at Florida State, 9:15 p.m. (ACCN)
Virginia Tech at Auburn, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
Not participating: Louisville