Virginia Basketball looks to stifle Jason Preston and Ohio

By Karl Heiser | Mar 20, 2021

Mar 11, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett talks to his team during a timeout as his team plays the Syracuse Orange during the second half in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. The Virginia Cavaliers won 72-69. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jason Preston Ohio Bobcats (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /

Limit Jason Preston

Ohio’s Jason Preston is a legitimate star and one of college basketball’s best stories this year. The 6’4″ junior guard is posting 16.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting extremely efficiently as well – 53.0% from the field and 40.8% from three.

Preston is truly a do-it-all point guard. He made headlines early in the season when the Bobcats came a defensive stop away from beating then-No. 8 Illinois. Jason Preston went for 31 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in that game – most agreed that he outplayed All-American Ayo Dosunmu.

Needless to say, if Virginia wants to beat Ohio, they need to limit Preston as much as possible. He’s the type of player that can take over a game, especially if he’s allowed to facilitate of screens and pick-and-roll looks.

The Hoos have a number of solid individual defenders they can switch onto Preston if necessary. They will likely give Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman the majority of the possessions guarding the Ohio point guard. Preston only has two games this season where he did not score in double-digits – UVA will look to make it a third.

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