The Hard Hedge

The one and only Isaiah Wilkins stops by the Hard Hedge studios to discuss a range of topics. This was a lot of fun, and may be our best interview yet. Don't miss this one. Interview starts at 30:40. Also in this episode, Danial O'Neill recaps the Blue and White scrimmage, and we crow a little about football's win over Miami.  

Heading into our final game of the regular season, we look at the recent stumbles and the even more recent recovery, then look ahead to the ACC Tournament and beyond. We also take time to say our thanks to London for his incredible contributions to the program.

The roundtable reconvenes to discuss the Notre Dame and Villanova games, individual players, and what's to come.

The roundtable crew sits down to cover each of the projected top 13 teams in the league (due to time constraints, Georgia Tech and Boston College are not covered). We also pick our superlatives for the season and talk about expectations for what's ahead. This is a long one, but worth it for Hoos fans.

Mike, Phony, Charlie and Daniel put a bow on the season and look ahead to the next. We give our first guess at starting lineups for next year, and review our preseason predictions from this past year. WARNING: The first 15 minutes deal with the Syracuse game. After that, we talk about what's to come, and review how close we were in predicting what would happen this season (pretty darn close, actually).

Mike, Phony, Daniel and Charlie get together to discuss the journey to the Sweet Sixteen, what to expect from the Iowa State game, and take a peek ahead to what the Elite Eight may hold. 

Seth Greenberg makes a repeat appearance on The Hard Hedge to discuss the Miami game and help us preview this weekend's game against UNC, when he and the rest of the ESPN College Gameday crew pay us a visit. The roundtable regular then join to break down the Miami game in more detail, talk players performances, and look ahead to UNC. Good stuff.

ESPN Insider John Gasaway (@johngasaway), author of the popular Tuesday Truths column and advanced stat aficionado, drops by the studio to talk about the Hoos. He shares some fantastic insight into how the Hoos got where they are, helps us preview the Duke game, and discusses the outlook for the rest of the season. Great listen.

UVa's own Jeff White joins Mike, Phony and Charlie to give the insight on the team that only he can. Good stuff on Isaiah, Devon and Evan.

MC and Phony are joined by Charlie to discuss the early struggles in conference. We talk about what happened and what we think needs to happen moving forward.  Later in the episode, Corey Evans stops by to talk about the 2016 class, particularly Jay Huff and Kyle Guy. We hear him call someone a top 5 shooter in the country, and we talk about swagger. Does anyone read these descriptions? Because this one isn't the best synopsis of the episode. So I'll say this: If you're down about the two ACC losses, I think this episode will make you feel better.

Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) joins once again to review Virginia's matchup versus Ohio st. in the ACC B1G Challenge. Then Daniel (@EmbracePaceUVa) and Charlie (@universityball) join us in the Hard Hedge studios to talk about the season so far and what we've learned.  Programming note: This is a long episode, and you might want to consume it in two parts. Mark's spot lasts the first 40 minutes, so make sure you listen to all of that prior to tonight's (12/1/15) game. Enjoy!

The final episode of the preseason features a roundtable discussion with Phony (@iftonytweeted), Mike (@wahoobasketball), Daniel (@EmbracePaceUVa) and Charlie (@universityball). We talk preseason accolades, lineups (again!), and expectations. An hour long episode to get you ready for the season to come. Get hype, Hoos. The new season is here.

Kris Wright of the TheSabre.com joins Mike and Phony to discuss the DeAndre Hunter commitment, Mamadi Diakite enrolling early, and take a look at the Hoos schedule. We predict records, talk Xs and Os, and take another stab at predicting lineups.

It's the very first Very Special Football Episode. The Hard Hedge takes a brief break from basketball to talk about UVa football with two UVa and NFL alums. Luke Bowanko (@lbow70) and Paul Freedman (@paulyfree88) join Phony (@iftonytweeted) to discuss the state of the UVa football program, what the transition from player to fan is like, and expectations for the coming year. We also discuss Jake McGee not once, but twice. Why is the icon for the episode a young Luke Bowanko? Listen and find out.

UVa's own Jeff White stops by the Hard Hedge studio to talk about summer player development and who stood out, both on the court and in the weight room, and what we might look forward to on the court this year. Yay basketball!

John Martin (@JohnMartin929) of ESPN Radio Memphis joins to give his insight on the Austin Nichols transfer, then Daniel O'Neill (@EmbracePaceUVA) and Houston Wilson (@Hou_Makeplayz) stop by to discuss Nichols, the 2016 commits, and Isaiah Wilkins, and everyone gives their projected lineups to start the season. Finally, Jerry Ratcliffe drops in for another edition of Stories With Hootie, this one involving Dickie V back in the Ralph Sampson days. 

Justin Anderson joins Phony (@iftonytweeted) and Mike (@wahoobasketball) to discuss the NBA draft process, how Virginia prepared him for the next level, and what surprises the Wahoos might have in store for the upcoming season. I mean, come on. It's Justin. You know you want to listen. And if that's not enough, scouting guru Corey Evans joins to discuss future UVa stars Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, and explain why UVa fans should be so hyped to see them in the orange and blue in 2016. If you listen to one episode of one podcast hosted by a superfan and a fake coach this year, make it this one.

Kyle Ellis (@KyleEllisWV) of Phenom Hoop Report stops by to talk to us about Sacha Killeya-Jones, Jay Huff and Mamadi Diakite. Then Daniel O'Neill (@EmbracePaceUVa) joins as we cover returning players London Perrantes and Anthony Gill. 

The legendary Jerry Ratcliffe (@JerryRatcliffe) joins Mike PIttman (@WahooBasketball) and Phony Bennett (@IfTonyTweeted) to discuss the departures of Justin Anderson and Coach Ritchie McKay, the arrival of Coach Brad Soderberg, what might happen with the open scholarships,B.J. Stith's transfer, Devon Hall, Malcolm Brogdon, we learn why we call Jerry "Hootie," and much much more. Well maybe not much much more. But definitely much more.

Brad Franklin (@Cavs_Corner) and Daniel O'Neill (@EmbracePaceUVA) join Mike Pittman (@WahooBasketball) and Phony Bennett (@IfTonyTweeted) to conduct a postmortem on the season and look ahead to next. We discuss the Michigan St. game as well the season as a whole, and how we view the results. We look ahead to likely lineups next season and how we see players developing next year.  Will this episode make you feel better about how the season ended? Maybe. Mostly. Who are we kidding, this will get you excited excited for next season. Wahoowa!