Wake Forest vs. Virginia Preview: Q&A with Streaking The Lawn

We preview tonight's game between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and #2 Virginia Cavaliers by talking to our friends at Streaking The Lawn. You can find our answers here.

BSD: A lot has happened with UVA recently. Anderson is still out, last I saw Perrantes is questionable, and Brogdon appears to be able to play. Any insight to hose injuries and how they will play into the game tonight. Seems like Perrantes is the big question mark at this point.

STL: I wish we had some insight, as it would settle a lot of nervous stomachs around Charlottesville. The only one we know for sure is that Anderson isn’t going to play tonight; we hope to have him back for the ACC Tournament, and expect he’ll be back for the NCAAs. Almost as certain is that Brogdon WILL play. He came back from The Collision and logged solid minutes, scoring a couple of times at key junctures that helped put the game away. Perrantes is the question mark. With a formal concussion diagnosis, he has to pass the protocol before he can play. Odds are we won’t know until warmups whether he’s definitely out, and we wont know until lineups are announced whether he’s starting.

BSD: Despite the injuries, UVA just keeps winning. Scoring outside of the paint has been problematic since the Anderson injury though. What can the Hoos do to alleviate this concern moving forward?

STL: If I had the answer, I would have applied for a coaching gig by now. My hope is that they’ve logged a ton of time with Noah to get the shooting issues worked out, but the FSU game certainly didn’t show it if they have. The good thing is that the guys seem to have realized their outside woes and have focused on getting inside and getting to the free throw line.

BSD: Name a guy who has stepped up in the absence of Anderson that Wake fans should look out for.

STL: Weirdly enough, the biggest one to step up has been Malcolm Brogdon. He’s shown much more of his power and athleticism in recent games, on top of the floor leadership that’s been a constant from him. On the defensive end, Darion Atkins has emerged as the defensive intimidator. Anderson always had the threat of chasing down your shot from behind and making you look like a fool. Darion is the best bet to do the same now (see: blocking Michael Ojo flat-footed).

BSD: In light of the recent Pokemon article for Blogger So Dear, who is your favorite Pokemon and why?!?

STL:… This was somehow a craze that even as a 90s kid, I missed. BUT FEAR NOT! I will not leave you hanging. Instead, I counter with UVa players as Disney songs.

BSD: Who ya got tonight?

STL: Depends on how UVa solves the problem named Dinos Mitoglou. Coach Bennett doesn’t usually let a player beat him twice (and often doesn’t let a star player beat him at all), so I imagine we’ll see some tweaks to the Pack Line designed to get an athletic big like Atkins or Wilkins out and challenge Mitoglou’s shot. KenPom says this is a 10-point UVa victory. I’ll give Wake more respect than that, especially with how they’ve played at home recently. Virginia 58, Wake 53.