No. 17 Virginia vs. No. 7 Villanova is on for Saturday at Madison Square Garden

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia’s showdown with Villanova is on for Saturday at Madison Square Garden, assuming the Cavaliers don’t have any more Covid-19 issues the rest of the week.

UVA associate head coach Jason Williford said during his spot with Mark Jerome at Locker Room Access this week that the Cavaliers hope to be cleared to practice on Wednesday, which would give them some preparation to take on the nation’s No. 7 ranked team.

Virginia, which hasn’t played since an overtime win over Kent State on Dec. 4, was ranked No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, which came out Monday. The Cavaliers basketball program was shutdown after one person tested positive for Covid-19.

It is against school policy to reveal names of any student’s medical issues. Williford said that one person tested positive.

So, the Wahoos, 3-1 on the season, will have limited practice before going up against the 5-1 Wildcats, whose only loss came in an 81-73 upset by Virginia Tech during the Mohegan Sun’s “Bubbleville” event to open the season.

“We’ll get a couple of days to prepare,” Williford told Jerome. “We haven’t been been able to play some of the big boys from the scheduling standpoint. We’d like to see where we stand.”

The Cavaliers had to postpone games against fourth-ranked and unbeaten Michigan State and versus William & Mary last week. Their game at Wake Forest, scheduled for this Wednesday, was postponed due to virus issues within the Demon Deacons program.

“If we can get this game in, we’re going to be ready the best we can under the circumstances,” Williford said. “I envision this is how the 2020-2021 basketball season is going to be until the vaccine is distributed.”

Having been under quarantine for a seven-day period, Williford said he has watched some film on Villanova, while fellow assistants Brad Soderberg and Kyle Getter have been scouting the Wildcats even more via video tape.

“[Villanova’s] system doesn’t really change much,” Williford said. “We’ve played or scrimmaged them five of the last seven years.”

Williford watched Villanova’s comeback win over Georgetown over the weekend.

“Georgetown was up like 22 (actually 18 in the first half) and [Villanova] came back to win (76-63),” Williford said. “You’ve gotta be ready to play. They defend like crazy. Guys are going to have to make plays. We’ll see how we stack up.”

The Wildcats came back from 18 to cut Georgetown’s lead to 13 (46-33) by halftime. Caleb Daniels led Villanova’s rally during a 15-0 run, finishing the game with a game-high 18 points.

Asked if he felt the ACC/Big Ten Challenge game with now fourth-ranked Michigan State would be made up, Williford wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know where we could fit it in. Hopefully we play Villanova on the 19th, and we’ve got to make up William & Mary, hopefully,” the UVA coach said. “Then you’re into Notre Dame at the end of the month (in South Bend on Dec. 30) and getting ready for ACC play (Virginia Tech comes to Charlottesville on Jan. 2). I know Tony would love to play [Michigan State].”

Most observers don’t believe the Michigan State game will be made up. The Spartans play Sunday against Northwestern, then have games on Christmas Day, Dec. 28, and January 2.