Campbell Fighting Camels vs. Virginia Cavaliers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 6th 2024

Preview and Prediction

On Wednesday, a new and unexpected chapter will begin for Virginia as interim coach Ron Sanchez leads the Cavaliers in their season opener against Campbell in Charlottesville, Va.

Sanchez took over the head coaching position after Tony Bennett's surprising retirement on October 18th. Prior to this, Sanchez had served as an assistant coach (2009-2018) and associate head coach (2023-2024) at Virginia, and had also spent five seasons as the head coach at Charlotte.

During his time at Charlotte, Sanchez achieved a record of 72-78 and led the team to a 22-14 record and a College Basketball Invitational championship in 2022-2023 before returning to Bennett's staff.

Now, he inherits a program that has had great success under Bennett, with a record of 364-136, six Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles, and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national championship win in 2019.

Despite the change in leadership, Sanchez has stated that there will not be any major changes to the team's style of play. This includes their signature Pack Line defense.

According to Sanchez, "The players are committed to the Virginia way, and that is something that will not change. Our leadership may have changed, but the core principles of the institution remain the same."

However, there have been significant changes to the roster, with six new players joining the team and only four returning scholarship players. This includes leading scorer Isaac McKneely (12.3 points per game), big man Blake Buchanan, and guards Andrew Rohde and Taine Murray.

On the other side, Campbell is coming off a 14-18 season and has been predicted to finish 13th in the 14-team Coastal Athletic Association's preseason poll.

This will be the 12th season for coach Kevin McGeehan at Campbell, and their top returning scorer is guard Jasin Sinani (10.4 ppg). The team has also added transfers Terren Frank (from Idaho) and Cam Gregory (from St. Francis) to their roster. They will face tough competition in their non-conference schedule, including games against Ohio State on November 22nd and North Carolina on December 29th.

According to McGeehan, "This team will face some tough challenges in the non-conference slate, but we believe that will only make us stronger and better equipped to compete at a high level in CAA play."

PREDICTION

Campbell Fighting Camels

Virginia Cavaliers