The Virginia men's basketball team will open exhibition play tonight when it faces off against the Nantucket Nectars, a semi-pro traveling team, at 7:30 p.m at University Hall. The game will mark the first time the Cavaliers have stepped onto the floor since last March's heartbreaking 86-85 loss to Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It will also give the team a chance to see how well its starters play together, especially with Roger Mason Jr. at the point rather than the injured Majestic Mapp.
The Cavaliers have been going up against each other in practice for the last two weeks, and both the players and Virginia coach Pete Gillen are looking forward to the opportunity to take their game up against another team.
"We've been beating each other up," Gillen said. "I am concerned about the way practice has gone so far, and I think a game will help us get through that. We have encountered a few bumps and bruises along the way as well."
Virginia returns four starters from a 2001 team that went 20-9 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. The Cavaliers had a 9-7 ACC record that included wins against Duke, Maryland and North Carolina.
For fans, tonight will be a chance to see Virginia for the first time since March and especially to get a glimpse into how the Cavaliers' point guard situation will shape up this season.
When the team confirmed that Mapp, who last played in 1999-2000, would not play this season because of a knee injury he suffered two summers ago, Gillen started looking for a new point guard.
It is likely that Mason, a junior, will start at point guard, with senior swingman Adam Hall as his backcourt mate. Virginia's other senior starter, Chris Williams, will start at small forward. Junior Travis Watson will finally get a chance to play at his natural position, as he moves to power forward to begin the season. That leaves the job of center to either sophomore J.C. Mathis or freshman Elton Brown.
The Virginia freshmen also will get a chance to impress the crowd, as they prepare to see a lot of playing time this season.
"We have an idea of how our lineup will look to start the season," Gillen said. "But after that, we will go with whatever group of guys plays the best together."
Hall said he and his teammates are ready to start a season in which expectations are high for the Cavaliers. According to ACC media voting at the ACC's Operation Basketball last weekend, the Cavaliers are the third-best team in the conference, behind Duke and Maryland, who both went to the Final Four last season.
"It will be good to get back on the court, playing someone other than ourselves," said Hall, whose team generally plays two exhibition games before the regular season. "We need to see what our team will look like on the floor. Even if it is only an exhibition game, one of these teams [the London Leopards] beat us last year."
The Cavaliers started their exhibition last season with an 89-88 loss to the Leopards. This year, Virginia will play the L.A. Stars in its second exhibition game Nov. 11.
Nantucket came to University Hall in the preseason last year and suffered a 95-80 loss to the Cavaliers. Virginia is looking to beat up on the Nectars again as it prepares for the regular season that begins only two weeks from today.
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