UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos headed to Greenbrier, which for fans might as well be Brazil

First-year UVA Basketball coach Ryan Odom is of the mindset – and this is just adorable of him – that his team’s trip to The Greenbrier, just 125 miles west into West Virginia, is something that the average UVA fan is going to be able to make.

“We’re excited about the trip, to play in front of our fans. We’re excited that, you know, a lot of the fans are going to be able to make the trip, you know, to watch us play there,” Odom told reporters on a Zoom press availability on Wednesday.

Blissfully unaware is he.

For starters, the hotel has long since been booked up for the weekend – Virginia plays Northwestern on Friday at 5 p.m., and then Butler on Sunday at 2 p.m.

And even if it wasn’t, it’s not like you’d be booking a room – they were going for $425 a night, per the resort’s website – and tickets, still available on the Greenbrier website, start at $233, though you can get in the door through the resale websites for around $200, including fees.

The Greenbrier Tip-Off might as well be that football game UVA Athletics moved to Brazil next year, in the sense of it being inaccessible to the average fan.

The difference being, the 125-mile drive versus the 10-hour non-stop flight.

Good news: this weekend’s games are on TV; all you have to do is find CBS Sports Network on your cable or streaming service.

Quick weekend preview

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I like that Odom’s bunch will be getting its first real tests of the season, finally.

Northwestern (4-0) was picked 15th in the 18-team Big Ten in the media preseason poll there, so, you know, meh.

KenPom is a little kinder – 12th, with a projected 18-13 finish, and a #46 ranking nationally, so, in the vicinity of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The leading scorer for the Wildcats is 6’7” senior Nick Martinelli (20.5 ppg, 6.5 rebounds/g, 62.2% FG), who was also a 20.5-points-per-game scorer a year ago.

Arrinten Page, a 6’11” junior on his third school in three years (Southern Cal, Cincinnati), is putting up 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game through four games – after getting limited minutes at his previous two stops.

The other Northwestern guy to watch for is 5’10” point guard Jayden Reid, a junior who transferred in after two seasons at South Florida, where he averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 assists per game a year ago.

“They’re balanced on both sides of the ball,” Odom said. “Their defense is really good. They’re very urgent and on top of things. Offensively, they’re tough to guard, because they go to him, to Martinelli, that is, and Page. They get to the free throw line a ton. They play fast in transition, so they test you there. So it’s going to be a tough matchup, no doubt.”

Butler (3-1), which just lost to SMU over the weekend, was picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Big East in that conference’s preseason media poll, not even meh there.

KenPom is rosier – currently ranking the Bulldogs fifth in the Big East, and 62nd nationally, with a projected record at 18-13.

The leading scorer is 6’4” junior Finley Bizjack (15.0 ppg, 47.5% FG, 47.8% 3FG), with help from backcourt-mate Michael Ajayi (14.8 ppg, 11.8 rebounds/g), a big (6’7”) transfer from Gonzaga, who also played at Pepperdine and logged two seasons at the JUCO level.

Butler plays fast – averaging 72.9 possessions per game this season.

KenPom projects two close wins for the ‘Hoos this weekend – 75-74 over Northwestern, 80-77 over Butler.

So, tests.