Life without Justin Anderson is not going great for the Cavaliers. Despite being 2-0 since Anderson went down Virginia is showing how vulnerable they can be without their leader. In their last two games Virginia has won by a combined 5 points, including a one point victory at home against 12-14 Wake Forest on Saturday.
If Virginia wants to regain their momentum, the Cavaliers need London Parrantes to play a more prominent role. The sophomore guard is averaging under 6 PPG this season. Virginia needs more scoring from him down the stretch if they want to continue their path to being the one seed in the East region.
Pittsburgh is playing better of late having won 4 of their last 5, including wins over Notre Dame and North Carolina. The Panthers, who are not quite in the NCAA picture yet, can take a huge step forward if they were to get a road victory in Charlottesville tonight. Pittsburgh has been getting steady production from Michael Young, Jamel Artis, and James Robinson. If they can continue to get good mileage out of Sophomore Sheldon Jeter, who had 22 points in their victory over North Carolina, Pittsburgh could be a dangerous team as we head towards March.
Tonight’s game in Charlottesville is a huge game for both teams but for different reasons. Virginia is looking to prove that they should be a one seed in the tournament with the injury to Justin Anderson looming over them. Pittsburgh is looking to get back in the NCAA picture with what would be consecutive wins over North Carolina and Virginia.