Let the real season begin. The Virginia men's basketball team faces the first true test of its 2001-02 campaign as it faces No. 22 Michigan State. The game, which is part of nine matchups that make up the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, tips off tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum.
"We're stepping up now into a big kingdom, and we've got to be ready," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.
"It's going to be a big test," senior forward Chris Williams agreed. "We have to come out focused."
So far the Cavaliers (3-0) have taken care of business by making short work of their three out-matched opponents, cruising to victories over Wagner, East Tennessee State and Howard by a combined 103 points. For their success, Virginia has moved up two spots to become the No. 9 team in the nation.
Times have not been as good for Michigan State (2-2) of late. After opening the season with two home wins, the Spartans have not been able to come through against tougher competition.
In the preseason NIT, Michigan State fell to Syracuse in the semifinals and Fresno State in the third-place game. Behind a strong performance from Kueth Duany, the No. 10 Orangemen held off a Spartan rally to win, 69-58.
In the third-place game of the tournament, Michigan State couldn't muster a win as it fell to No. 24 Fresno State, 63-58. With the two losses, the Spartans fell nine spots from No. 13 to No. 22.
Michigan State has "been tested. We haven't really been tested," Gillen said.
However, don't let the .500 record fool you. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will have his troops ready to play. His track record speaks for itself.
In his seven years at the helm, Izzo has totaled a .736 winning percentage, which ranks eighth among active coaches. He has been named national coach of the year three times and has led the Spartans to three Final Four appearances and one national championship.
"Tom Izzo is a wonderful coach," Gillen said. "They have won four Big Ten championships in a row. It is a big, big game for our team to play a team of this stature this early."
"To play against a team like Michigan State will be our next challenge," junior guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "I think we are ready."
"We are going to be playing bigger, stronger players Wednesday night," Gillen said. "I think we are ready, but our eyes are going to get a bit bigger when we see the size of these guys."
'These guys' Gillen refers to are 6-foot-9 junior Adam Ballinger; 6-9, 235-pound sophomore Adam Wolfe; and 6-9, 255-pound junior Aloysius Anagonye. Even when all three big men aren't on the court, the Spartans still crash the boards with authority. Strong rebounding has been a staple of all of Izzo's teams.
"They send four guys to the offensive boards," Gillen said. "They are very physical, so we are gonna have a big challenge on the front line. This is going to be the test. We will learn a lot about our team Wednesday night."
"This isn't the same caliber game we've been in," Mason said. "This is what you come to Virginia for"
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