Scattershooting: A look at UVA-Wake and golden nuggets

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting that Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes wasn’t quite sure about the difference between bracketologists and proctologists during this week’s coaches teleconference …

Forbes, whose Demon Deacons host Virginia on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN2), was asked whether he thought the NCAA tournament selection committee should take into consideration that Wake played several games without 7-footer Efton Reid, including three of the team’s four losses. The personable Forbes, who has a good sense of humor, said that should be considered.

“Well, we didn’t have Damari Monsanto either, and he led the ACC in 3’s [last season], so I think you’ve got to look at it,” Forbes said. “You know we put all this emphasis on November, but it’s how you’re playing at the end. I mean, the tournament is not in November. It’s in March.

“I’m not saying we would have beaten Georgia, Utah and LSU, but we would have had a better chance. You’d have to ask the — what do you call them, proctologists, bracketologists?”

Choose your own description, but Forbes’ team has certainly taken a leap forward with Reid in the lineup, since he was declared eligible.

The Richmond native, who began his career at LSU, transferred from Gonzaga to Wake and practiced with the team, but couldn’t originally play. Now, he’s a difference-maker. Monsanto, by the way, who averaged 13 points per game last season, isn’t expected back in the lineup until later in the month.

Wake not only boasts Reid, but also 6-foot-10, 220-pounder Andew Carr, who averages 13 points and 7.5 rebounds. The Deacs, who rank No. 22 nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom’s ratings, have plenty of scorers, including sophomore guard Kevin “Boopie” Miller, who leads the team with 17.9 points per game.

Then there’s Hunter Sallis, another Gonzaga transfer, who is shooting 36 percent from the 3-point arc and averaging 17.8 points per game. Also, Cameron Hildreth, a 6-4 junior guard, is coming off a 25-point performance in a losing cause against Florida State, which ended Wake’s nine-game winning streak.

Virginia (11-4, 2-2 ACC) is looking for its first road win after dropping true-road contests at Memphis, Notre Dame and NC State. The Cavaliers have had a full week to stew over a blowout loss to the Wolfpack, but Wake (11-4, 3-1) is the typical team that has given UVA problems: big, physical frontcourt and guards who can light up the scoreboard, especially if the big men can kick the ball out to the perimeter to help stretch the floor.

Betting on Virginia teams?

Schuyler T. VanValkenburg has introduced a bill that would allow sports betting on Virginia college sports, which has been taboo since the state approved legal sports gambling a couple of years ago.

Under the current law, betting other than proposition betting is allowed on all college sports except Virginia college sports.

For those following this proposal, it is Senate Bill No. 124, offered Jan. 10.

It will be interesting to see how this goes. Logic tells us that it would greatly increase sports betting in the Commonwealth.

Hootie’s Golden Nuggets

• So Florida State has been hit with NCAA violations in regard to NIL issues. One FSU booster offered a former Georgia lineman, Amarius Mims, $15,000 a month to come play for the Seminoles (according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
• Meanwhile, getting mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Nick Saban — personally, I didn’t see it —  got FSU coach Mike Norvell a new contract with the Seminoles on Friday, more than $10 million per year for the next eight years.

• Remember former NC State basketball coach Herb Sendek? His Santa Clara team upset Gonzaga on Thursday, his first win over the Zags in eight years. Former Wahoo Francisco “Papi” Caffaro had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in 16 minutes off the bench for the Broncos in the victory.

• Even more news from Tallahassee, and it’s somewhat ironic that this week the ACC hired a team of five lawyers, all based in Tallahassee, to defend the conference in Florida State’s lawsuit in an attempt to break the Grant of Rights deal. The attorneys are from the Lawson Huck Gonzalez firm, and get this: three of the five lawyers graduated from FSU law school.
• Pro Football Focus has published its rankings of the highest-graded wide receivers in college football for the 2023 season, and Virginia’s Malik Washington was No. 2, with a grade of 91.1 — ahead of Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (89.9) — and behind only LSU’s Malik Nabers, who graded out at 93.0.
• Virginia is on the road Saturday, but when it comes home next week to host rival Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers will boast the nation’s longest active home winning streak of 19 straight.
• UVA will have five players on the active rosters in the NFL playoffs: Morgan Moses and Brent Urban on the Ravens, who have a first-round bye; Dontayvion Wicks with Green Bay; Juan Thornhill (Browns) and Olamide Zaccheaus (Eagles).
• Saban is one of the legendary coaches who have retired since spring of 2021, including Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Jim Boeheim and Roy Williams. I’m wondering how many of them would still be coaching if college sports hadn’t become such a ridiculous nightmare with NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment, etc? I’m betting at least four of the five would still be coaching. By the way, those five coaches own 18 national titles.
• Former UVA assistant football coaches Andre Powell (under George Welsh) and Dave Borbely (Al Groh and Mike London) have been let go at Pitt as the Panthers make over their staff.
• More than 2,000 FBS football players entered the transfer portal during this latest cycle. The next portal window is April 15-30.
• If you’re a Wahoo, we have two podcasts up, one produced Friday, a look back at what happened at NC State and looking ahead to Wake Forest, also looking at the football transfer portal, a recap of how Virginia did, plus more. The other is a podcast of our live “Jerry & Jerry Show” from last Tuesday morning, when we were visited by “Wonderful Wally” Walker, UVA’s new deputy AD. Walker left a great life behind in Seattle and moved to Charlottesville because he saw what happened to his other alma mater, Stanford, being orphaned by conference realignment until the ACC admitted the Cardinal. Walker is here to help UVA prepare for whatever is coming in the ever-changing world of college athletics, and to discover new revenue streams for the athletic program. You might be surprised by some of the possibilities. You can watch a replay on this site, under podcasts. Just click on the headline and click the arrow. It’s that simple.

• The “Jerry & Jerry Show” is live Tuesday mornings at 10:15 on all your podcast venues. Join the thousands of Wahoos and college sports fans who tune in for the show.