Virginia Basketball vs. Maryland Eastern Shore Game Preview, Score Prediction

Everything you need to know about the Cavaliers' Friday night bout with the Hawks at JPJ

Coming off of a big weekend in Las Vegas in which the Cavaliers earned two impressive wins over Baylor and Illinois to clinch the Continental Tire Main Event Championship, Virginia returns to Charlottesville now ranked No. 5 in the country. Before UVA heads back out on the road for a marquee matchup at Michigan next week, the Cavaliers get a tune-up game back at JPJ against Maryland Eastern Shore. 

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, including details on the game, an opponent scouting report, game notes, and a score prediction. 

Game Details

Who: Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (2-3) at Virginia Cavaliers (4-0)

When: Friday, November 25th at 6pm ET

Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia

How to watch: ACC Network

How to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

How to listen: SiriusXM 99 or 133, SXM App 955 | Virginia Sports Radio Network - click here for affiliates

All-time series: Virginia leads 2-0

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 69-42 in Charlottesville on December 27th, 2011. Mike Scott led UVA with 17 points. 

Opponent Scouting Report: Maryland Eastern Shore

2021-2022: 11-16, 5-11 MEAC

2022-2023: 2-3
Wins: vs. Bryn Athyn 90-43, vs. Marist 70-59
Losses: at Old Dominion 65-84, at Charlotte 47-80, at George Washington 64-69

Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is still in search of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Hawks' latest run at changing that has not gotten off to the best start. So far, they're 2-3, with both of their wins coming at home and all three of their losses coming on the road. We haven't gotten a good chance to see how they'd fare against top competition as this is the first of just two games the Hawks will play against a major conference opponent this season. UMES will also play at Duke on December 10th. 

The Hawks lost at Old Dominion by 19 and suffered a 33-point loss to former UVA assistant Ron Sanchez's Charlotte 49ers in a game in which Virginia transfer Igor Milicic Jr. had 13 points. UMES has played better in its last two games though, losing a tight 69-64 contest at George Washington last Friday and then defeating Marist 70-59 on Tuesday. 

The Hawks are aggressive on the defensive end, averaging 10.4 steals per game and scoring an average of 16.8 points off of turnovers. Perimeter defense is definitely a strength of the Hawks, given their steals numbers and the fact that their opponents are shooting just 26.7% from three so far this season. We'll see if that holds up against the hot-shooting Hoos, currently shooting 46.9% from beyond the arc. Maryland Eastern Shore's shooting numbers don't jump off the page - 34.5% from three and 40.1% from the floor - but there are a number of talented shot-makers on the UMES roster, which is loaded with veteran guards. 

UMES scores mostly by committee on the offensive end with five players who average between 7 and 13 points per game. 6'3" graduate guard Zion Styles leads the way with an average of 12.8 points per game and a blistering 57.1% three-point percentage. He should make another solid test for Reece Beekman on his campaign as the best defender in the nation. 

Another veteran guard, 6'5" senior Phillip Da'Shawn averages 11.0 points per game and is shooting 45.0% from three on 4.0 attempts per game. He has scored in double figures in three-straight games and will likely draw Armaan Franklin on defense. 

6'5" forward Nathaniel Pollard is the team's best rebounder, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game and 9.8 points per game. UMES does not have a single player on the roster taller than 6'8", so look for Kadin Shedrick to potentially have an opportunity to dominate on the interior and on the glass. With UMES likely going small for most of the game, expect to see Virginia use a lot of the Kihei Clark-Reece Beekman-Armaan Franklin-Jayden Gardner-Ben Vander Plas lineup that helped seal the win over Illinois on Sunday. 

Game Notes

• Virginia is 2-0 all-time against Maryland Eastern Shore, including a 104-63 win in 2006 and a 69-42 victory in 2011
• This is the second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponent Virginia has faced this season - UVA opened the season against NC Central
• UVA is 20-0 all-time against teams that are currently members of the MEAC, including a 14-0 record under Tony Bennett
• Virginia picked up back-to-back ranked wins (vs. Baylor and Illinois) last weekend for the first time since 2020
• Now ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, UVA is ranked in the top 5 for the first time since starting the 2020-2021 season No. 4
• Virginia's 4-0 start to the season is the program's best since starting the 2019-2020 season 7-0
• The Cavaliers rank No. 1 in all of college basketball in free throws attempted per game (30.5) and free throws made (22.5)
• UVA is fifth in the nation in three-point shooting with a percentage of 46.9%

Prediction

This matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore could be viewed as a trap game with notable games against Michigan, Florida State, JMU, and Houston ahead on Virginia's schedule. But, I don't see Tony Bennett letting his Cavaliers underestimate any team, much less a small basketball program from Maryland. Virginia takes care of business to move to 5-0 on the season.

Score prediction: Maryland Eastern Shore 55, Virginia 75

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