The call has been made, over and over again, here and at other outlets around the web: We need more quality home-and-home series. We need more good, non-conference matchups played in college arenas in front of college crowds prior to the start of conference play.
The recent trend for marquee non-conference matchups is to play them in neutral sites. NBA arenas, NFL domes, exotic islands. Those are all well and good, but it’s not the same as having two top ten teams squaring off in front of a loud, rowdy and drunk student section, the kind of atmosphere that makes college basketball amazing.
Virginia and Villanova heeded our advice. According to a report from CBSSports.com, the Cavaliers and the Wildcats -- the reigning Big East and ACC champs and preseason top ten teams heading into 2015-16 -- will begin a two-year home-and-home series this season. The game this year is scheduled to be played in Charlottesville in December. Next year’s matchup will be held in Philadelphia.
A hearty round of applause for Jay Wright and Tony Bennett.