:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45700390/usa-today-8383303.0.jpg)
This is the pinnacle of Virginia sports right now. Basketball is less than a month from Selection Sunday. Lacrosse is underway, and baseball just kicked off their season at ECU. Throw in golf, tennis, track and field, swimming and diving, rowing, and softball, and we're in business. Let's look at the last week in the world of Virginia sports:
Rapid Fire
- This. Just...this. I thought about just posting this as the article, but it's under the word limit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Impressive current <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UVa?src=hash">#UVa</a> rankings: MHoops–2 Baseball–2 MTennis–3 WTennis–7 WLax–7 WSwim–9 MLax–9 WGolf–11 MGolf–13 Wrestling–13 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHoos?src=hash">#GoHoos</a></p>— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirginiaSports/status/565920080643756032">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
- Women's Softball picked up two wins in the NC Central Tournament, defeating University of Nebraska-Omaha 2-1, and demolishing Delaware State 14-1. The Hoos travel to Orlando, FL to play in the Citrus Classic before heading back to Charlottesville February 28th for their first homestand of the season against ACC rival Pittsburgh.
- No.16 Women's Golf won the UCF Challenge, beating Tulane by one stroke and setting multiple school records at the same time. Second year Lauren Diaz-Yi shared first place overall with a nine under 207, and Virginia finished with four players in the top 20. The 850 was the lowest tournament scoring for a team in school history, and the Hoos also recorded the school's lowest team score over 18 holes with a 13 under 275. On top of THAT, Lauren Coughlin notched a seven under 65, the lowest 18 hole score in program history. Congrats, ladies. Also, those are some sharp uniforms. Winning, and looking slick while doing it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>UCF Challenge Champs Trophy shot! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHoos?src=hash">#GoHoos</a> # <a href="http://t.co/6FvyOSmPKc">pic.twitter.com/6FvyOSmPKc</a></p>— UVa Women's Golf (@UVaWomensGolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/UVaWomensGolf/status/565268009963753473">February 10, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
- In Men's Golf, this is awesome:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Denny Mac with his first Hole In One on 10 at Farmington CC. <a href="http://t.co/RHV1lXSPsU">pic.twitter.com/RHV1lXSPsU</a></p>— Virginia Golf (@UVaMensGolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/UVaMensGolf/status/566335369382469632">February 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
- Huge congratulations to Men's Basketball's Caid Kirven for his selection to live on the Lawn, keeping the tradition going years after Ralph Sampson himself lived on the lawn (along with a bunch of other Hoo ballers).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/Caid_Kirven24">@Caid_Kirven24</a> for his selection as a 2015-16 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UVa?src=hash">#UVa</a> Lawn resident (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanNolte">@EvanNolte</a>) <a href="http://t.co/TYj787I7QC">http://t.co/TYj787I7QC</a></p>— Paul Wiley (@PWiley87) <a href="https://twitter.com/PWiley87/status/565927261019590657">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
- No.3 Men's Tennis played in the ITA National Indoor Championships, beating No.17 TCU and No.7 UNC both with the score of 4-0. After the TCU victory, the Hoos dropped a heartbreaker to No.11 Baylor, but Virginia gets a shot at redemption when they travel to Waco for their next match on March 1st.
- The Football team is so sweeeet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Just left the hospital with some of my teammates. We handed out Valentine's Day gift to the little ones <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wahoowa?src=hash">#wahoowa</a> <a href="http://t.co/8STbj1ZrLH">pic.twitter.com/8STbj1ZrLH</a></p>— Quin Blanding (@_QKB_3) <a href="https://twitter.com/_QKB_3/status/566342784970670080">February 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
-
Cammy <3
- Finger injuries (#FixSimbasPaw!) can't keep Simba down as he made the top 20 list for the Wooden Award. Congrats, Justin! Also, Uncle Malcolm joined him on the Naismith Trophy midseason 30 list!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Junior <a href="https://twitter.com/JusAnderson1">@JusAnderson1</a> on the <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodenAward">@WoodenAward</a> late season top 20 list - <a href="http://t.co/LHjy2vz9uc">http://t.co/LHjy2vz9uc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHoos?src=hash">#GoHoos</a></p>— UVa Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/UVAMensHoops/status/565576135812321280">February 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/JusAnderson1">@JusAnderson1</a> and Uncle Malcolm for making the <a href="https://twitter.com/NaismithTrophy">@NaismithTrophy</a> Midseason 30! That's two Wahoos! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHoos?src=hash">#GoHoos</a> <a href="http://t.co/AsX2NNMmKF">http://t.co/AsX2NNMmKF</a></p>— Hoo Crew (@UVaHooCrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/UVaHooCrew/status/565949161921851392">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
- Speaking of Simba, this is one of the greatest analogies written about anything, possibly ever. From Mark Titus's Top 12 NCAA Power Rankings:
Think about it — Anderson’s nickname is Simba. SIMBA. The entire point of The Lion King is that life goes on and when the big dog goes down, the next guy in line must step up. Remember how we first met Simba? Remember how a little song called "Circle of Life" was playing?
Let me spell it out for you: Joe Harris was Mufasa. Scar (Coach K, I guess?) sent a stampede of wildebeests to kill Harris (and by that I mean that Harris graduated). Simba (Anderson) coped with Harris’s death by wandering around in the wilderness (otherwise known as visiting a shooting coach in Chicago during the offseason). Somewhere along the line, he met Timon and Pumbaa (Marial Shayok and Isaiah Wilkins), convinced himself he had to return to Pride Rock (John Paul Jones Arena), and brought his two new friends with him. He saved the kingdom when the elephants, giraffes, and zebras (Virginia fans) thought it was doomed. Simba then became the new king and ruled under the guidance of Zazu (Brogdon).
Now that Simba has gone down, should the elephants, giraffes, and zebras freak out again? Of course not! Not when Rafiki (Bennett) is about to continue the circle of life and anoint someone to step up in Simba’s place. And oh, would you look at that — Simba and Nala (Evan Nolte, I guess?) had their own little cub named London Perrantes this whole time. Go ahead and spread that grapefruit juice on London’s head and sprinkle a little sand on top, Rafiki. The elephants, giraffes, and zebras are ready to meet their new king.
- In "Hall of Fame Coaches Think We're Awesome" news, Rick Pitino thinks we're awesome.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Louisville head coach Rick Pitino on the atmosphere at JPJ: <a href="http://t.co/q6OvephpJt">pic.twitter.com/q6OvephpJt</a></p>— Hoo Crew (@UVaHooCrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/UVaHooCrew/status/566287289274626048">February 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
HOO-mongous Wins
No.2 Men's Basketball pulled in a couple of wins this week in their first games Post-Justin-Anderson (PJA). As expected, there were some growing pains, but wins are wins and that's all that matters. First up, a road trip to Raleigh and PNC Arena, a place that had been friendly to the Hoos the past few trips.
Well, the PJA era started slowly, and Virginia went into halftime down two, but came out in the second half playing more of their game. Malcolm Brogdon led the way with 15 points, and big boy Tobey made a welcome appearance with 11 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Gill balanced Tobey well with nine points and 11 rebounds, and the Hoos emerged with a 51-47 victory.
Tobey redeemed himself from his game-icing woes against Duke, aggressively grabbing a rebound in the fray and hitting both of the ensuing free throws with ease to ensure the four point win.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Cavaliers escape. No. 2 Virginia avoids upset, beats NC State, 51-47, in 1st game w/o leading scorer Justin Anderson. <a href="http://t.co/Sek72AMQkR">pic.twitter.com/Sek72AMQkR</a></p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/565708002716811265">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Great team win !! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadWarriors?src=hash">#RoadWarriors</a></p>— Justin Anderson (@JusAnderson1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JusAnderson1/status/565728830737113089">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Regardless of how we get it, I'll take a W. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadWarriors?src=hash">#RoadWarriors</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnToTheNextOne?src=hash">#OnToTheNextOne</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHoos?src=hash">#GoHoos</a></p>— London (@London_Tyus) <a href="https://twitter.com/London_Tyus/status/565722005883084802">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Road warriors, indeed. Virginia's win at NC State was their ninth consecutive road win, tied for first in the nation with Wisconsin.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hjljh_up5y4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Next up, the Hoos hosted Wake Forest in a game that on paper should not have been as close as it was. Three pointers continued to be a problem for the team, but Evan Nolte, a starter in PJA land, went 2-4 from beyond the arc and hit both of Virginia's shots from the bonusphere.
Anthony Gill went full on Gill-A-Monster, scoring 19 points and pulling in six rebounds and shooting 70% from the field. He came alive in the second half with strong moves to the basket. The best play of the day had to be the highway robbery when he took the ball from the Dinos "The Greek Deac That Literally Cannot Miss Despite Being 6-10 and No, Seriously, He Never Misses" Mitiglou and went coast to coast for the lay-in and one.
London Perrantes scored 11 points, as did Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon's best plays were on defense, especially creating the brick wall in front of Codi Miller-McIntyre on the game ending possession to ensure the win.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D-6efHLm9tw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
There were also some familiar faces in the crowd...
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Welcome back! <a href="https://twitter.com/joeharrisuva">@joeharrisuva</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ajmitchell25">@ajmitchell25</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wahoowa?src=hash">#Wahoowa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UVAMensHoops">@UVAMensHoops</a> <a href="http://t.co/KGRT5DilTZ">pic.twitter.com/KGRT5DilTZ</a></p>— Matt Riley - UVa (@uvasportsphotos) <a href="https://twitter.com/uvasportsphotos/status/566695952090951681">February 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
No.3 Virginia Baseball opened their season by sweeping ECU, including a doubleheader on Valentine's Day. The Hoos scored their first run of the 2015 season in a dramatic fashion on a double steal, something not many people would have predicted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Who had "Kenny Towns stealing home" as the first <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UVABase?src=hash">#UVABase</a> run of the season? Hoos lead East Carolina 1-0 through 3 1/2.</p>— Damon Dillman (@DamonDillman) <a href="https://twitter.com/DamonDillman/status/566342313627361280">February 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Oak's guys went on win 3-1, and Nathan Kirby dominated over seven innings with five strike outs while walking just two batters and giving up three hits. Kenny Towns went 3-4 at the plate, and first year Ernie Clement and third year Robbie Coman each contributed two knocks.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n0uxCa0xc40" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
On Saturday, the Hoos opened a big lead in the first game of the double header, and broke a 2-2 tie in the 8th inning of the second game to secure the three game sweep. A Coman groundout scored the winning run, and second year Matt Thaiss singled to add an insurance run in the 8th inning.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_CdqTmXkq8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Virginia opens their home schedule on Tuesday (depending on weather) against VCU.
No.9 Men's Lacrosse slayed No.16 Drexel in a snowy affair in their first home game of the season to improve to 2-0. The win is their second ranked victory in as many games, and the attack came alive in the second half to ensure the 14-10 victory.
Fifth year Owen Van Arsdale led all goal scorers with three, and fellow attackmen James Pannell and Ryan Lukacovic each added two goals and two assists. Midfielders Ryan Tucker and Tyler German also had two goals apiece, and Greg Coholan, Jeff Kratky and Zed Williams all contributed a goal to the affair.
On the defensive end, Davi Sacco, the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Week, dominated with four caused turnovers, three ground balls, and no penalties or turnovers. Long stick middie Michael Howard had himself a day with three caused turnovers and three groundballs. Matt Barrett started slowly, but finished the night with 12 saves, extra impressive considering the weather conditions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>This is happening. Second half about to start at UVA, Hoos leading 8-6. <a href="http://t.co/xuMgDrQwIq">pic.twitter.com/xuMgDrQwIq</a></p>— Caroline Darney (@cwdarney) <a href="https://twitter.com/cwdarney/status/566741915627171840">February 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b6VLxPIZ3-U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, and Go Hoos!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>"Girl, I just wanna take it nice and slow." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/accvalentines?src=hash">#accvalentines</a> <a href="http://t.co/NOLn5Lbesr">pic.twitter.com/NOLn5Lbesr</a></p>— UniversityBall.org (@universityball) <a href="https://twitter.com/universityball/status/566626050915172353">February 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>roses are red violets are blue aye shawty go hoos</p>— George Adeosun (@realwords) <a href="https://twitter.com/realwords/status/566633467661021184">February 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>