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Last season was a whirlwind for Virginia Basketball. Legendary head coach Tony Bennett retired right before the start of the season and interim head coach Ron Sanchez did the best he could with the situation he was given. The Cavaliers managed to get into the ACC Tournament before being beaten by Georgia Tech and then it was time to put the season behind them and start over. They hired VCU head coach Ryan Odom and they have brought in a talented class of transfers and freshmen in hopes of getting back towards the top of the ACC and making a run at an NCAA Tournament bid.
To start the season, ESPN's Bracketologist Joe Lunardi sees Virginia among the "Next four teams out". His last four in consisted of NC State, Ole Miss Marquette, and SMU while his first four out consisted of Texas A&M, Nebraska, Indiana, and Washington. SMU, Duke, Miami, NC State, Louisville, and North Carolina were the six teams from the ACC that are projected to get bids.
Is Virginia Basketball being underrated at this point in the year? It is just May and it might be a meaningless question, but Odom and the Cavaliers don't seem to be getting a lot of preseason love so far.
While they might not be a top 20 or a top 25 team heading into the season, the Cavaliers should at least be top 45 right? CBS Sports College Basketball expert Jon Rothstein released his "Rothstein 45" this week and UVA is nowhere to be found. The ACC teams to be ranked in the top 45 were Duke (No. 8 overall), Louisville (No. 15), North Carolina (No. 27), Miami (No. 29), Notre Dame (No. 44), and NC State (No. 45).
A few things to take away from here and the main one might be how weak the ACC is going to be perceived heading into the 2025-2026 season. That means there should be an opening for Virginia to be one of the top four teams in the conference if things break right. If the transfers mesh quickly, Virginia could certainly be a contender to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia Basketball made a huge (no pun intended) addition towards the end of April when international big man Johann Grunloh committed to the Cavaliers and is set to be a big part of Ryan Odom's first team in Charlottesville. Grunloh was a potential NBA prospect who could have entered the draft, but he instead is coming to play in the ACC and hopefully get UVA back in ACC contention.
He is already getting some hype as we head into the summer and 247Sports Adam Finkelstein labeled him as one of the top international impact players for the 2025-2026 season:
Johann Grunloh | Germany | 6-11, C/F | Virginia
Age: turns 20 in August
"While older than a typical incoming freshman, Grunloh is younger than some of the other players on this list projected to be most impactful. Standing just under 7-feet tall, he has a combination of size, mobility, shot-blocking, and the offensive skill to stretch the floor that should make him immediately versatile for new Virginia head coach Ryan Odom. He is also intriguing for NBA scouts. Grunloh was draft-eligible this year, but figured to command a higher rate in the NCAA and simultaneously have a chance to play his way into first-round consideration next year."
Our own Aidan Baller broke down his commitment a few weeks ago and described the kind of impact he could have for Virginia this season:
"ESPN lists Grünloh as a projected 2nd-round pick, a massive acquisition by Odom and his staff.
A native of Löningen, Germany, Grünloh is 19 years old and will turn 20 on August 14th. Despite his young age, he already has quite an impressive basketball resume at the professional club level and on the international stage. In 2023, Grünloh played for Germany in the U18 European Championships and helped his country win a bronze medal as the top shot blocker at the tournament, averaging 3.9 blocks per game.
In the 2023-2024 basketball season, while Grünloh was still finishing secondary school, he played for both the professional Rasta Vechta team and the second Rasta Vechta team that plays in the highest youth division of basketball. Grünloh was instrumental in helping Vechta have the sixth-best defense in the BBL and also helped lead the junior team to a championship. He then graduated and played full-time with the professional Rasta Vechta squad for the 2024-2025 season.
This season, Johann Grünloh has played in 33 games, starting in every game, and averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game. He shot 47.6% from the floor and 35.4% from three-point range. Grünloh had 13 games in double-figures, including a 20-point performance in his most recent game just last week, and posted two double-doubles this season."
Our own William Smythe projects that Grunloh is going to be starter for the Cavaliers this season:
"Grünloh is a legitimate NBA prospect who will considerably elevate this team’s ceiling. Also, presumed point guard Dallin Hall has thrived with rim-runners in his time at BYU, a mold which the German youngster can fill. The ‘Hoos now have size and another three-point shooting threat in their arsenal. Virginia still needs at least one more addition in the portal, but what a remarkable effort from Odom in landing Grünloh and Thomas, among others.
Also, strength and conditioning coach Mike Curtis’ strength regimen should be helpful for Grünloh. He’s not undersized, but Curtis’ magic never hurts."
There is no doubt that Virginia got one of the best international prospects to commit this cycle and he will have a chance to elevate this team back to ACC contention in 2025-2026.
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TODAY'S BEST
Will Josiah Johnson Take an Official Visit to UCLA?
The UCLA Bruins have been making a push for many different recruits in the recruiting cycle. This includes one of the better players in the nation at the point guard position. He has yet to set his official visits, but will the Bruins get him in for an official visit? Can The UCLA Bruins Get An Official Visit With Josiah Johnson? The UCLA Bruins have been looking to land many different prospects in many different classes and many different sports. They are always recruiting no matter the situation. One of the sports they have been recruiting heavily for is the sport of basketball. The Bruins have been doing a great job in the 2026 class when it comes to recruiting the 2026 recruiting class for basketball, as they have already started to pick out their top targets in the class. The Bruins have been looking to recruit the best of the best, as the Bruins have many top targets, including the extremely talented point guard who is one of the better players at his position and in the nation. That player being Josiah Johnson. He has received many different offers, including the UCLA Bruins and many different schools. Some of the other schools that has offered him at this time includes the California Golden Bears, the San Diego State Aztecs, the Colorado State Rams, and many more. Johnson is from inside the state line of California. He is from the city of Lakewood, California, and attends Mayfair High School. He is the 140th ranked prospect, the 13th ranked player at the position, and the 15thy best player in the state of California. The propsect has been rising up recruiting boards, but has yet to set any official visit date. That leaves a very big question. Will the Bruins receive an official visit with the talented prospect? All signs point to yes at this time, but it's recruiting... anything is possible. The Bruins have done a solid recruiting job thus far and will continue to do so. This recruitment would be huge for the Bruins, as if they get him it would almost feel like a steal. The Bruins have more talented prospects in the class that has set up official visits thus far, but one could argue that Johnson is the most important prospect that has yet to set up his official visits.
Report: Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee emerging as favorites for top-10 RB in 2027 class
NFL under fire for decision on Chiefs WR Rashee Rice
The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to receive an early gift from the NFL regarding wide receiver Rashee Rice's looming suspension. The third-year receiver is set to have a disciplinary hearing on Sept. 30 after he pleaded guilty to collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation. The timing of Rice's hearing is curious because he pleaded guilty to his charges on the same day Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge connected to his arrest for alleged DUI. The league has already suspended Addison for the first three games of the upcoming season. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a league source told him that the NFL doesn't typically delay hearings as it has in the case of Rice, preferring to finalize a punishment before Week 1. “Maybe I’m a conspiracy theorist, but this is odd," said the unnamed source, via Florio. “You hardly ever see players get suspended in season unless they did something in season like a drug test or something.” The suspicion from the source and Florio is that the league is keeping Rice available for marquee matchups in the early season. The Chiefs begin their season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, playing the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City then plays the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants ("Sunday Night Football") and Baltimore Ravens. Florio suggested that with a hearing date of Sept. 30, Rice would likely start any suspension the Chiefs' Week 5 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars on "Monday Night Football." "At a time when many think the league favors the Chiefs, situations like this will not become evidence to the contrary," Florio said. While the early slate of games is impressive for the Chiefs, their schedule is jam-packed with heavyweight matchups. The next four games after Week 5 include the Detroit Lions ("Sunday Night Football"), Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders ("Monday Night Football" and Buffalo Bills. While the league has some explaining to do as to why it chose Sept. 30 as the date, it's hard to see why the Chiefs would have an advantage by losing Rice for those games.
Green Bay Packers: Tucker Kraft Highlights Glaring Issue Amid Jordan Love’s Absence
The Green Bay Packers got to practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, with many players missing on Matt LaFleur’s side due to injuries. As such, several younger players got to see more action on the field, and while Green Bay had success here and there, the first-team offense, without Jordan Love, reportedly struggled finding its rhythm. For tight end Tucker Kraft, the issues can be attributed to “youth” and lack of experience as a whole. “Some of our youth showed a lot,” Kraft said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “When we’re out there, the importance is knowing what to do and doing it at a really fast speed at a very consistent level, so our youth showed a little bit in some instances with the injuries that we have on our depth chart.” Still, Kraft is looking forward to the “young guys” making better things happen in the next session with the Colts, whom they will also be facing in a preseason game on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. “You get these young guys in a situation where they might not be as confident in themselves as far as the textbook goes,” Kraft added (h/t Mike Spofford of Packers.com). “So they might not be surging off the rock, working edges, angles in the route game to the best of their ability. They got another shot with these guys, so we’ll just have to see how they do in Part 2.” Injuries have piled up for the Green Bay Packers amid NFL preseason Apart from Love, who went under the knife to repair what appears to be a minor finger issue, the Packers are also dealing with injuries to Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Xavier McKinney, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. The hope is that at least most of them will be ready to give it a go when the Packers kick off their 2025 NFL regular season against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on September 7.
Pete Alonso gets awesome gift from Mets after breaking HR record
Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets' all-time home run king, and the team has pulled out all the stops while crowning its slugger. Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career in the team's 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He surpassed previous franchise record-holder Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the Mets from 1983-1990. Prior to Thursday night's game against the Braves, the Mets presented Alonso with a custom painting that was made from 253 baseballs. The portrait shows Alonso in the home-run trot from his 253rd homer. That was not the only gift the Mets had for Alonso, either. They also gave him a new Ford F-150 truck. Alonso entered free agency last offseason but did not generate as much interest as he had hoped. He wound up returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54M deal. The second year is a player option, and Alonso is widely expected to opt out. One Mets player suggested that Alonso's new home run record could inspire the 30-year-old to re-sign with the team, but New York would have to pay up to make that happen. Alonso entered Thursday batting .272 with 28 home runs and an MLB-leading 98 RBI. His relationship with the Mets seems strong at the moment, and the gifts may have helped solidify it even further. That does not mean Alonso is going to offer any type of hometown discount.
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