Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): Welcome to the first Wahoo Rundown of 2025!  We hope your holiday break was restful and fun!  Sports rolls on though, it’ll be a short rundown, but Basketball and Wrestling carried on into the New Year.  In case you missed it, let’s get you up to speed.   

We begin on the hardwood; Men’s Basketball started their holiday slate on December 18th against #21 Memphis.   For the first time in an age, the Hoos donned orange uniforms to take the court, and it proved successful, almost pulling off a staggering upset of the Tigers, but they came up short by a score of 64-62.  Our full report on the game is HERE.   Against American it was just as close, but the result was different.  The Eagles took it down to the wire, but the Hoos were victorious 63-58 on December 22nd, full report HERE. Next up was a noontime tip on New Years Eve against ACC rivals and spoilers of the 2023 season, the NC State Wolfpack.  This time, in front of the home crowd, the Hoos delivered as underdogs, winning out in a thriller 70-67, full report HERE. The optimism, however, did not last long.  Against a Louisville team they lead a lopsided series history against, the Hoos dropped their sixth game of the year to the Cardinals in blowout fashion, 70-50 this past Saturday.  Two huge games off the bench from Aboubacar Traore and Reyne Smith, who each notched 15 points, along with eight boards from Traore, sent an outclassed Hoos team back to the drawing board with the same problems they’ve faced all year.  They seem to be caught in two minds, preserve the Bennett system, or adapt and evolve.   Weather permitting, Ron Sanchez’s men will head for the West Coast tomorrow to tangle with the California Golden Bears on Wednesday.  The Bears fell to Clemson last time out, have posted a .500 record, and are yet to win the conference.  Tip-off is at 11:00 PM Wednesday night, and you can listen to the game on Newsradio WINA right here at Cvillerightnow.com.  

Meanwhile, the Cavalier Women had to tangle with Maryland Eastern Shore coming out of the exam break on December 17th.   Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s squad was unphased by the test, winning 80-64.  Coppin State was a little more nerve wracking despite the score on December 21st.  Full report HERE. The Eagles sawed down what was a 20-point lead down to just 1 before the Hoos pulled away and put the game out of reach 74-66.   Next up was the first road trip of the year on December 29th to tangle with a red-hot Notre Dame team that boasted some of the best players in the country.  Though the score lends itself quite well to forgetting, our full report on the 95-54 defeat is HERE. With the turn of the year, the Hoos got themselves back to winning ways with a 74-66 triumph over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, full report HERE.  This Sunday at noon, and with momentum on their side, the Cavalier will take to the JPJ court to battle Duke, who leads the conference with a perfect 3-0 record, and a 12-3 record overall.  Last time out they dispatched Pittsburgh handily, 69-31.   

Wrestling rounds out our holiday rundown, a select crew hit the road for invitational action over the break.  Before Christmas, at the Sheridan Invitational, Kyren Butler went 4-0 in the 141-pound weight class to claim a title.  Griffin Gammell had a respectable showing at 184, going 2-1, with his loss coming in the finals.  Kyle Montaperto wrapped up the podiums for the Hoos in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, finishing third at 133, going 3-1.  Then, after Christmas, Dylan Cedeno took the Hoos only title at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga.  He went undefeated at 141 for the only podium finish on the day for the Hoos.  Virginia finished ninth as a team.    

Finally, the vaunted Virginia Swim and Dive team gets a chance to score some points in the Commonwealth Clash this Saturday January 11th on grounds against the Virginia Tech Hokies.  You can watch the meet on ACCNX

 That brings the first Wahoo Rundown of 2025 to a close.  In light of the weather in the Charlotteville area at the time of writing, please do stay warm and please stay dry.