Virginia Basketball: Austin Nichols suspended for first game of season
Virginia basketball has suspended Austin Nichols for two exhibition games and the season opener.
The start of Austin Nichols’ career with the Virginia Cavaliers isn’t off to the best of starts.
Virginia announced that Nichols has been suspended for both exhibition games and the season opener due to a violation of team rules.
The good news is that Nichols is missing just one game that actually counts towards the standings. Virginia is playing UNC Greensboro on November 11, so they are certainly favored to win the game even without the services of their top big man.
However, on the other hand, Nichols is one more mistake away from being suspended for multiple regular season match-ups, which could really hurt the Cavaliers in the middle of the season.
Also, there is a reason why the exhibition games are played. It’s a time for the pieces to gell together in an actual game-like environment. Sure, they don’t count and the competition level isn’t all that high, but Nichols would’ve gotten his first opportunity to play in Tony Bennett’s system. Plus, Nichols hasn’t played in more than a year. He could’ve shaken off some rust in the two exhibition battles.
Virginia still has other “tune up” regular season buy-games against St. Francis Brooklyn and Grambling State before heading to Florida for the Emerald Coast Classic. But they also have to face Yale, a team that made the NCAA Tournament, on November 20.
Nichols is a 6’9″, 234 pound forward who is the perfect fit for Bennett’s system. He protects the rim, is solid offensively and is a powerful force on the glass. In his last season at Memphis (2014-15), Nichols averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game.
While London Perrantes will be the leader of Virginia’s roster, Nichols is likely to make an All-Conference team and should be one of the top newcomers in the ACC.
This suspension isn’t a big deal at this point, but Nichols better be careful in the future. Virginia is on a mission to make their first Final Four during the Bennett era and they cannot afford any distractions.
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