SURPRISE: Trey Murphy receives waiver from NCAA

There were questions and rumors swirling, but Virginia fans got confirmation on Wednesday afternoon that transfer Trey Murphy will be available this season. Murphy, who transferred from Rice and was expected to have to sit a year, got his waiver approved by the NCAA. The news was announced just 25 minutes before the Hoos tipped against Towson in their first game of the 2020-21 season.

It wasn’t widely known that the Cavaliers had even requested a waiver for Murphy, but the NCAA has been generous with approvals in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a huge plus for the Cavaliers as Murphy brings depth and length on the wing. At 6’9, 206 pounds, Murphy can bang in the paint, but has a 39% career average from beyond the arc.

The 2019-20 edition of the reigning champion Cavaliers struggled to score, so having Murphy available adds firepower. He averaged 13.7 points per game at Rice, and he will be a huge benefit to Virginia’s rebounding game with the losses of Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key.

The Hoos also announced the starting lineup for today’s game against Towson with Kihei Clark, Casey Morsell, Justin McKoy, Sam Hauser, and Jay Huff getting the nod.

Virginia vs. Towson tips off at 1:30pm and will be streamed by FloSports.