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Virginia Basketball vs. Holy Cross Game Preview, Score Prediction

Matt Newton

Aaron Snyder
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Virginia will wrap up this week's two-game homestand by hosting Holy Cross on Friday evening at John Paul Jones Arena. As the Cavaliers look to pick up their second win in a row before hitting the road for a pair of tough road games, read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Holy Cross, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a prediction for Friday's matchup.

Virginia vs. Holy Cross Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (4-2) vs. Holy Cross Crusaders (4-3)

When: Friday, November 29th at 4pm ET

Where: John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) in Charlottesville, VA

How to watch: ACC Network Extra/ESPN+

How to listen: SXM App 983 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: first meeting

Virginia vs. Holy Cross Game Notes

  • This will be the first-ever meeting between Virginia and Holy Cross.
  • UVA will face two opponents from the Patriot League this season: Holy Cross (Friday) and American (December 22nd).
  • Virginia owns a 66-58 all-time record against current members of the Patriot League.
  • UVA is 101-10 in home games against non-conference opponents since 2009.

Scouting Report: Holy Cross

2023-2024: 10-23, 6-12 Patriot League (8th)
2024-2025: 4-3

Holy Cross opened the season with double-digit losses to Wisconsin and Rhode Island, then strung together four-consecutive wins against Sacred Heart, Brown, New Hampshire, and Mitchell before having that win streak snapped in an 80-55 loss at Maine on Sunday.

Like Manhattan, Holy Cross will face a significant size disadvantage against Virginia, but makes up for it with proficient three-point shooting. The Crusaders are converting on 37.8% on their triples so far this season and have three players shooting better than 41% from beyond the arc.

Holy Cross is led by a freshman, Max Green, a 6'6" guard who is averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game and shooting 41.2% from three on nearly five attempts per game. Joe Nugent is the other three-point sharpshooter in the starting lineup, knocking down 42.2% from deep on more than six three-point attempts per game. A 6'6" sophomore forward, Nugent is averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Joining Green and Nugent in double figures is 6'5" senior guard Caleb Kenney. 5'10" freshman guard Tyler Boston facilitates the offense, averaging 9.7 points and 41. assists per game and another freshman, 6'6" forward Aidan Richard, rounds out the projected Holy Cross starting lineup averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

6'8" forward Jaiden Feroah is the only player taller than 6'6" who gets regular rotation minutes. Look out for 6'3" sophomore guard Kahlil Singleton, another good shooter off the bench who hits on 44.4% of his three-point attempts.

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Holy Cross

Defending the three-point line
UVA had trouble with Manhattan on Tuesday because the Jaspers were able to consistently generate open looks from the perimeter, converting 42.3% of those shots for 11 three-pointers. If Virginia repeats that poor defensive showing on Friday, it could spell trouble for the Cavaliers as the Crusaders have the shooters to make this a game if they get hot from beyond the arc. UVA must improve its three-point defense and possibly consider rolling with some smaller lineups in order to better match up with Holy Cross.

Assert the size advantage
Virginia ultimately held off Manhattan by leaning on its size advantage, outscoring the Jaspers 42-22 in the paint. As the Cavaliers look to get more consistent scoring from their forwards like Blake Buchanan, Jacob Cofie, and Elijah Saunders, it's important that these players use these games as an opportunity to continue to develop their chemistry with those high-low big-to-big passes that have worked well for UVA so far this season. It would be good for the Hoos to dominate the glass and the paint in order to build some momentum before they face a couple of major conference opponents next week.

Final tune-up
The brutal losses in the Bahamas showed that Virginia had a lot to work on. Ron Sanchez specifically noted rebounding, transition defense, and taking care of the basketball, but UVA has plenty more to improve on before the Hoos leave Charlottesville again to face their next significant challenges on the road at Florida and SMU next week. Virginia would do well to win this game much more convincingly than the Manhattan game in order to boost confidence.

Virginia vs. Holy Cross Prediction

With their three-point shooting, the Crusaders have the weapons make this a game if they get hot from beyond the arc. But the Cavaliers should be on high alert in terms of three-point defense, hopefully improving enough in that area to earn a more comfortable win this time around.

Score prediction: Holy Cross 58, Virginia 75

More Virginia Basketball News & Content

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Virginia Basketball Holds Off Manhattan 74-65 | Key Takeaways

Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

UVA Basketball: Ten Things We Learned About Virginia in The Bahamas

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.