No. 12 Arkansas is headed to Washington, D.C. for a first-of-its-kind trip in program history, and Sunday’s 1 p.m.
EST (12 p.m. CT) meeting with No.
9 Virginia in the Capital Showcase should give the Razorbacks an early read on themselves against a team that plays a similar brand of basketball - just not in the same way.
Both clubs opened the season with comfortable wins. Virginia rolled past Drexel, 89-60, while Arkansas handled UA-Pine Bluff, 106-61, on Tuesday. Now the challenge gets sharper, and the matchup comes down to how each team wants to create speed.
Arkansas tends to turn games into a track meet by forcing turnovers or grabbing rebounds and immediately pushing the ball ahead before the defense can get set. Virginia, meanwhile, prefers to work into the halfcourt, then build from there with early screens, driving lanes and ball movement designed to shift defenders and open space.
That contrast sets up several individual battles worth watching, starting with Virginia forward Johann De Ridder. The 23-year-old sophomore from Belgium is likely to see Arkansas’ Finnish standout Miikka Muurinen, and De Ridder brings a clear size edge of about 25 pounds. He can stretch the floor, but he also has the strength and skill to carve out position inside, use his footwork and finish through contact.
Arkansas does have answers it can try. The Razorbacks could switch Muurinen off of him or bring transfer center Cooper Bowser into the mix for a double-team. Bowser’s size and length give Arkansas another way to try to blunt De Ridder’s interior game.
Virginia’s Mallory is another problem entirely. One of the most electric small guards in the country, he does his best work in the halfcourt as a facilitator, though he can also function away from the ball. He has a knack for drawing defenders just enough to create a clean window for a big man or open up a perimeter three.
That’s where Arkansas’ pressure becomes a factor. The Razorbacks like to flash for steals, and that could give Mallory chances to attack a defender who’s out of balance and get to the rim. He’s expected to see Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas’ versatile two-way presence, who can use his length to crowd Mallory’s vision while still staying between him and the basket.
Mallory’s risk-reward style showed up Tuesday, when he committed six turnovers against Drexel. The mistakes didn’t swing that game, but they could become a much bigger issue if Arkansas forces him into the same kind of decisions.
Then there’s Lewis, the fourth-year guard from Chicago who can catch fire quickly, especially from deep. He’s a career 42.1% shooter from three-point range, and Arkansas cannot let him drift into open space.
If his defender loses him in transition or wanders into the paint, Lewis can punish that immediately. He can also put the ball on the floor off closeouts and create a cleaner look if the defense arrives late.
Billy Richmond III is the Arkansas defender most likely to spend time on him, and he carries the reputation of being the team’s lockdown option. For the Razorbacks, keeping Lewis in check is a must if they want to avoid giving Virginia an easy release valve when Mallory and De Ridder draw extra attention.
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Virginia Gets An Early Test Fans Will Want To Measure
No. 9 Virginia will get an early chance to see where it stands when Northeastern comes to John Paul Jones Arena on Nov. 6, a non-conference matchup that should give fans a first real measuring stick for Ryan Odoms group. The Cavaliers have some continuity with returning players in the mix, plus a fresh batch of newcomers, and the opener will arrive with the usual November questions about how quickly all the pieces fit together.
Virginia already owns a 2-0 edge in the all-time series, with the Huskies providing a familiar opponent in a building where the Cavaliers have handled them before. The game will also carry the added attention that comes with an early-season home date on the schedule, and it should offer an immediate look at how Odoms team is settling in after a recent stretch that has raised expectations around Charlottesville. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Needs A Sharper Showing Before The Arkansas Test
Virginia opened the season with a win over Drexel, and now the Cavaliers get a quick chance to clean up some early rough edges before the schedule stiffens. Ryan Odom liked the overall dominance he saw in the opener, but there was still enough slippage to leave room for a sharper performance, especially with Northeastern coming in off a loss to Boston University.
The Huskies bring a different look than Drexel, and Virginias frontcourt size should matter again if the Cavaliers can use it to control the paint and keep their offense efficient. The other key is perimeter defense, with Northeasterns Rashad King standing out as the main threat to track while Virginia tries to build momentum heading toward the Arkansas test. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias Bowl Hopes Now Hinge On A Brutal Final Stretch
Virginias path to a bowl game has narrowed to a simple but demanding formula: Tony Elliotts team is 4-5 and needs two wins in its final three games to stay in the postseason conversation. The Cavaliers still have California, North Carolina and Virginia Tech left on the schedule, and the margin for error has all but disappeared as the season enters its final stretch.
The challenge is not just the record, but the way Virginia has had to navigate this run, with questions lingering on offense, defense and the injury front. That has made the bowl picture feel fluid, with analysts projecting the Cavaliers into the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl for now, even as those matchups remain speculative and the team still has to earn its way there. [Read more 🡒]