The Virginia men’s basketball team welcomes Seattle to the John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest that is available to watch on ESPN3.

This is the third meeting in three years with the Redhawks. If the first two contests are any indication, this will be a tough match-up for the Hoos. In 2010-2011, Seattle shocked the Cavaliers at the JPJ with a 59-53 victory. Last season, Virginia survived out west with a 83-77 win thanks to a Herculean effort from Mike Scott, who had 33 points (12-of-14 shooting) and 14 rebounds. In that contest, Seattle sped up UVa with constant fullcourt pressure. The Redhawks also tested the Pack-Line defense with an undersized team by spreading the floor and screening the D while driving and kicking to quick shots. Overall, Seattle coach Cameron Dollar has done as good of a job as any opponent in attacking the Pack-Line and game-planning for the Hoos.

So far this season, Seattle scored 117 in an exhibition game and 87 in a 15-point win against Montana State to open the season. Clarence Trent had 18 points in the opener to lead the Redhawks; he posted 12 against UVa last season.

“They’re talented. I know a lot of the guys that play on the team because I’m from the area,” Virginia’s Joe Harris said. “They’re a talented team. They’re looking to put points on the board. They like to just get out and go. If the game is in the 70′s and 80′s, that’s what they want. I guess it will be another test for our defense to see how well we can defend transition and being able to make them work.”

Here are some of the notable recruits TheSabre.com confirmed to have been in Scott Stadium for last night’s match-up between Virginia and North Carolina.

- Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell, RB, Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA), Class of 2013

Mizzell, Bayside’s dynamic 5-star running back, is one of 18 high school seniors that have committed to the Cavaliers.  Mizzell’s teammate, uncommitted senior quarterback Deion Stitt, was in attendance as well.  UVa has not offered Stitt.

- Jack English, TE/DT, St. Christopher’s (Richmond, VA), Class of 2013

English has also committed to UVa.  He could play defensive tackle or tight end next season.

- Mike Grimm, OT, Bethel Park (PA), Class of 2014

To our knowledge, UVa has not yet offered Grimm.  It wouldn’t be a surprise, though, to see him gain an offer down the road.  Grimm has been offered by Youngstown State and Pitt.  Read more on this talented junior by clicking here.

- CJ Reavis, S/WR, Thomas Dale (Chester, VA), Class of 2014

UVa is one of a handful of offers the Knights junior is considering.  Virginia Tech, which has also offered, is thought to be the early favorite.

- Cornell Urquhart, TE/DL, Benedictine (Richmond, VA), Class of 2014

The 6’4″, 240-pound Urquhart does not have any offers at this point but could be one to watch in the class of 2014.  He is a good athlete with good size.

In addition, a handful of players out of Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) were seen in attendance.  We’ll work to confirm these and any other recruits that may have been in Charlottesville last night.

Here are the injury reports released by the schools for the UVa-UNC game on Thursday night.

Virginia

Out for the season
Pablo Alvarez
Adam Caplinger
Marco Jones
David Marrs
Mario Nixon

Out

Buddy Ruff (lower extremity)

Doubtful

Maurice Canady (medical)
Nick Koutris (lower extremity)

Probable

Ian Frye (lower extremity)
Billy Schautz (lower extremity)
Anthony Harris (medical)

North Carolina

Out for the season
Casey Barth, PK
Kedrick Davis, WR
Sean Fitzpatrick, TE
Connor Gonet, RB
T.J. Leifheit, OT
Darius Lipford, LB
Travis Riley, RB
Sam Smiley, DB
Miller Snyder, PK
T.J. Thorpe, WR
Brennan Williams, OT
Phil Williamson, LB

Larry Rubama of the Virginian-Pilot reports that UVa-bound quarterback Corwin “Turtle” Cutler is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.  Cutler, a 6’3″, 190-pound senior out of Ocean Lakes High School (Virginia Beach, VA), suffered the injury early on in last week’s Eastern Region Division 6 quarterfinal win over Granby.

The article can be found here.

Cutler had a huge regular season, throwing for 2,214 yards and 31 touchdowns with four interceptions.  He guided the Dolphins to 10 wins with no losses and a Beach District title.  His replacement for this week’s regional semifinal against Western Branch will be Walter “Churchie” Harold, nephew of Virginia freshman defensive end Eli Harold.

Early in the second half of a 54-45 victory against Fairfield, the Virginia men’s basketball team broke out a 1-3-1 zone. For one possession. Cavalier coach Tony Bennett, of course, is known for the man-to-man Pack-Line defense and he very rarely uses zone defense even as a change of pace strategy. The one trip ended in a missed Fairfield basket.

Joe Harris laughed when asked about the 1-3-1 zone.

“Yeah, one possession,” Harris said with a grin throughout his answer. “You probably won’t see that too often. I think it was just kind of a way to change things up, spur of the moment maybe, but I don’t think that will happen too much more the rest of the season.”

The “Week In Review” is a weekly feature. It’s a look at how UVa’s recruits are performing throughout the 2012 season. In case you missed anything, be sure to check out the bottom of this report for links to previous weeks. In the meantime, here is how last week played out for the Cavs’ recruits…

- Zach Bradshaw, LB/WR, Damascus (MD)

Urbana upset previously unbeaten Damascus (10-1) in the Class 3A West semifinals, 24-23.  Damascus took a 7-point lead in overtime, but Urbana responded with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to gain the victory.  Bradshaw had three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown in what was his final game on the high school level. 

- Malcolm Cook, S/ATH, Fork Union Military Academy (VA)

Fork Union defeated Benedictine, 45-27, to advance to the VIS Division 1 state championship.  The title game takes place this Friday night and pits the Blue Devils against Liberty Christian Academy.  The two teams faced off in the regular season, with LCA taking down FUMA by three points.

- Hipolito Corporan, CB, Westside (Houston, TX)

The Wolves finished the 2012 regular season with a 30-23 loss to Bellaire.  Westside takes on Memorial in the Class 5A Division II Region III playoffs this Thursday.

- Corwin “Turtle” Cutler, QB, Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA)

What was an outstanding season may have come to an end for Cutler, who went down with a knee injury in last Friday night’s Division 6, Eastern Region playoff contest against Granby.  The severity of the injury is not known, but the Pilot Online speculated that it may be a torn ACL.  Ocean Lakes went to on defeat Granby, 34-3, and will face Western Branch this Friday night in the Division 6, Eastern Region semifinals.

- Jack English DT/TE, St. Christopher’s (Richmond, VA)

St. Christopher’s season is complete.  The Saints finished with a 5-5 record.

- Kirk Garner, CB/WR, Andre Levrone Jr., WR, Brendan Marshall, QB, Good Counsel (Olney, MD)

Good Counsel (10-1) defeated St. John’s, 21-7, in the WCAC semifinals.  Arch-rival DeMatha awaits in the championship game, which takes place this Sunday at 2 p.m.

Marshall completed all seven of his pass attempts for 102 yards in the win.  He also averaged 28 yards per punt in five tries.

- Tim Harris, CB, Varina (VA)

Varina closed out the regular sesaon in style with a 20-0 win over arch-rival Highland Springs.  The Blue Devils are 9-1 heading into the Division 6, Central Region playoffs, which begin this week.  Varina will host Meadowbrook on Friday night.

- Brad Henson Jr., OL, Monsignor Donovan (Toms River, N.J.)

Monsignor Donovan dropped to 5-3 after losing to Jackson Liberty, 21-0.

- Keeon Johnson, WR, A.L. Brown (Kannapolis, N.C.)

A.L. Brown won a big-time shootout over previously unbeaten Hickory Ridge, 69-55, in the second round of the Class 3AA state playoffs.  The Wonders (10-3) will meet Charlotte Catholic in the quarterfinals this week. 

- Zack Jones, WR, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA)

Jones was hampered once again by a high ankle sprain, but it didn’t matter as Oscar Smith (10-1) rolled to a 35-12 victory over Bayside in the Division 6, Eastern Region playoffs.  The Tigers now face a Salem (Va. Beach) squad that squeaked by Grassfield, 18-13.  Salem was without star quarterback Bucky Hodges last week and it’s not known if he will be ready to go this week.

- Micah Kiser, LB, Gilman (Baltimore, MD)

Gilman (8-2) defeated McDonogh, 20-8, in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Assocation A Conference semifinals.  The Greyhounds will meet a tough Calvert Hall team for the MIAA A Conference title.  Gilman won the regular season match-up between the two teams.

- Jack McDonald, OL, Boston College High (Boston, MA)

For the second straight week, BC High was on the losing end of a close game.  This time, the Eagles (3-6) fell to St. John’s Prep by a score of 21-16. 

BC High will close out its 2012 season with a Thanksgiving Day match-up against Catholic Memorial.

- Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell, RB, Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA)

Smoke rushed 20 times for 175 yards but Bayside fell to Oscar Smith in the Division 6, Eastern Region playoffs.  The Marlins conclude 2012 with an 8-3 record.

- Sadiq Olanrewaju, OL, Salisbury School (CT)

Salisbury remains undefeated after beating Avon Old Farms, 35-28.  Five of the Crimson’s eight wins have been by seven points or less.

Salisbury faces Phillips Exeter Academy on Saturday.

- LaChaston Smith, LB, South Iredell (Statesville, N.C.)

Smith had 13 carries for 84 yards as South Iredell defeated Pigsah, 47-8, in the second round of the Class 2AA state playoffs.  The Vikings (11-2) will host Bandys in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

- Donta Wilkins, DT/OL, Potomac (Dumfries, VA)

Potomac (7-3) was idle having earned earned a bye in the Division 5, Northwest Region first round.  It takes the field this week in a regional semifinal against DaeSean Hamilton-led Mountain View.

- Chris Nelson, DT, Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland, FL), Class of 2014 recruit

Winning last week’s 3-way tiebreaker for second place in Class 2A, District 4 would have earned Victory a playoff berth.  The Storm fell short, winning the opener against Agape Christian before losing to Foundation.  Nelson and company finish 2012 with a 5-6 overall record.   

Previous Columns…

Week In Review, August 28

Week In Review, September 3

Week In Review, September 10

Week In Review, September 17

Week In Review, September 24

Week In Review, October 1

Week In Review, October 8

Week In Review, October 15

Week In Review, October 22

Week In Review, October 29

Week In Review, November 5

Varina (VA) defensive back Tim Harris and Potomac (Dumfries, VA) senior defensive tackle/offensive lineman Donta Wilkins, two of the University of Virginia’s 18 verbal commitments in the class of 2013, watched the Hoos defeat Miami in Scott Stadium yesterday.

TheSabre.com also confirmed that Fork Union (VA) senior safety Malcolm Cook and Westside (Houston, TX) cornerback Hipolito Corporan were in attendance as well.  Friday night, Cook helped the Blue Devils defeat Benedectine in the VIS Division 1 state semifinals.  FUMA faces Liberty Christian Academy this Friday night in the championship game.

Corporan was in town on an official visit.  It was his first ever trip to Charlottesville.

The 6’1″, 200-pound Cook verbally committed to UVa  on July 21, the day of one of Mike London’s one-day camps.  Another top performer that day was  6’2″, 226-pound junior linebacker Troy Reeder.  The Salesianum (Wilmington, DE) product was offered by UVa shortly after, and in a July 27 article on the EDGE he stated he would like to take in a Virginia game this fall.  He followed through with that statement, as he was in Scott Stadium on Saturday as well.

Virginia’s lone class of 2014 commitment, Victory Christian (Lakeland, FL) defensive tackle Chris Nelson, was also in Charlottesville this past weekend.

The injury report for the Miami-Virginia game Saturday follows.

Virginia

Out for the season
Pablo Alvarez
Adam Caplinger
Marco Jones
David Marrs
Mario Nixon

Out
Diamonte Bailey (medical)
Eli Harold (medical)
Nick Koutris (lower extremity)

Doubtful
Sammy MacFarlane (lower extremity)
Brian Pomper (lower extremity)

Questionable
Ian Frye (lower extremity)
Billy Schautz (lower extremity)

Probable
Chris Brathwaite (medical)
Vince Croce (upper extremity)

Miami

Doubtful
Denzel Perryman (lower extremity)

Out
Deon Bush (upper extremity)

Surgery/Out for the season
Ramon Buchanan (lower extremity)
Eduardo Clements ­(upper extremity)
Ben Jones (lower extremity)
Malcolm Lewis (lower extremity)
Sean McNally (lower extremity)
Robert Lockhart Jr. (lower extremity)

The “Week In Review” is a weekly feature. It’s a look at how UVa’s recruits are performing throughout the 2012 season. In case you missed anything, be sure to check out the bottom of this report for links to previous weeks. In the meantime, here is how last week played out for the Cavs’ recruits…

- Zach Bradshaw, LB/WR, Damascus (MD)

Damascus cruised to victory over Northwood, putting the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season (10-0).  Bradshaw had three catches for 44 yards in the win.

The Hornets will now host Urbana in the Maryland 3A West playoffs this week.

- Malcolm Cook, S/ATH, Fork Union Military Academy (VA)

Fork Union (9-2) finished the regular season in style with a 42-14 blowout win over Woodberry Forest.  The VIS, Division 1 playoffs await the Blue Devils.

- Hipolito Corporan, CB, Westside (Houston, TX)

Westside appears playoff-bound after defeating Madison, 23-0, this past week.  The Wolves are 6-3 heading into the regular season finale against Bellaire.

- Corwin “Turtle” Cutler, QB, Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA)

Ocean Lakes capped off an outstanding regular season with a 60-14 win over Kellam.  The Dolphins went undefeated (10-0) in the regular season and are the no. 1 seed in the Division 6, Eastern Region playoffs.  They host Granby in the first round this Friday night.

Cutler turned in another big-time effort, completing 25 of 35 passes for 355 yards and six touchdowns.

- Jack English DT/TE, St. Christopher’s (Richmond, VA)

St. Christopher’s concludes the 2012 season with a 5-5 record after losing to rival Collegiate, 27-19.  English will spend the offseason preparing for UVa.  He expects to start out at defensive tackle for the Hoos, but don’t be surprised to see him ultimately lining up at tight end during his career in the orange and blue.

- Kirk Garner, CB/WR, Andre Levrone Jr., WR, Brendan Marshall, QB, Good Counsel (Olney, MD)

Good Counsel blew away Carroll, 48-0, in its regular season finale.  Marshall completed 5-of-7 passes for 77 yards.  Garner hauled in one catch for 20 yards while Levrone, who missed most of the season with a lower left leg fracture, had two catches for 20 yards for the Falcons (9-1).  The WCAC playoffs await.

- Tim Harris, CB, Varina (VA)

Varina rallied from a 14-0 3rd-quarter deficit to defeat Hanover, 21-20.  The Blue Devils are 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the Capital District.  Arch-rival Highland Springs is up next.

- Brad Henson Jr., OL, Monsignor Donovan (Toms River, N.J.)

Monsignor Donovan (5-2) was idle this past week.  It will take the field this Friday against Jackson Liberty.

- Keeon Johnson, WR, A.L. Brown (Kannapolis, N.C.)

A.L. Brown rallied from a 34-20 deficit to defeat North Forsyth, 41-34, in overtime in the first round of the Class 3AA state playoffs.  Brown takes on an undefeated Hickory Ridge squad in the second round, which takes place Friday night.

- Zack Jones, WR, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA)

Oscar Smith escaped with a 38-35 double overtime victory over King’s Fork, extending its Southeastern District consecutive win streak to 55 games.  The Tigers (9-1) host Bayside this Friday in the opening round of the Division 6, Eastern Region playoffs.

- Micah Kiser, LB, Gilman (Baltimore, MD)

Gilman (7-2) was idle last week.  The Greyhounds face McDonogh in playoff action this Saturday.  The two teams squared off on October 27, with the Greyhounds winning big.

- Jack McDonald, OL, Boston College High (Boston, MA)

Boston College High School lost a heartbreaker to Xaverian Brothers, 21-17.  The Eagles are 3-5 but still alive for a playoff berth according to McDonald, who will be featured in an EDGE article this week.

- Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell, RB, Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA)

Bayside (8-2) was idle last week.  As mentioned above, the Marlins will face Oscar Smith this Friday night in the first round of the Division 6, Eastern Region playoffs.

- Sadiq Olanrewaju, OL, Salisbury School (CT)

Salisbury School improved to 7-0 after last week’s 31-24 victory over Trinity-Pawling.

- LaChaston Smith, LB, South Iredell (Statesville, N.C.)

Statesville.com writes that, in Smith, UVa could be getting a quality running quarterback if linebacker doesn’t work out.  Last Friday night, Smith rushed 13 times for 191 yards and a single-game school record seven touchdowns in South Iredell’s 69-15 win over West Lincoln in the first round of the Class 2AA state playoffs.  The Vikings, who improved to 10-2 this season, face the winner of the Pisgah/Smoky Mountain match-up.

- Donta Wilkins, DT/OL, Potomac (Dumfries, VA)

Wilkins and his Potomac teammates shutout Forest Park, 19-0.  Potomac (7-3), which finished the 2012 regular season with five straight wins, has earned a no. 2 seed and a bye in the Division 5, Northwest Region playoffs.

- Chris Nelson, DT, Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland, FL), Class of 2014 recruit

Victory Christian is now 4-5 after last week’s 55-18 rout of Santa Fe Catholic.  The Storm will now be part of a 3-way tiebreaker to determine second place in the district.  The winner earns a playoff berth.

On the recruiting front, Nelson has now been offered by Purdue.  His commitment to UVa still appears solid, though.

Previous Columns…

Week In Review, August 28

Week In Review, September 3

Week In Review, September 10

Week In Review, September 17

Week In Review, September 24

Week In Review, October 1

Week In Review, October 8

Week In Review, October 15

Week In Review, October 22

Week In Review, October 29

A few recruiting notes this Friday afternoon…

- Bayside’s (Virginia Beach, VA) Quin Blanding, one of the most coveted safety prospects in the nation in the class of 2014, has narrowed his list to 10 schools.  The 6’1″, 195-pound junior had been offered by over 30 major FBS schools.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Mike Farrell tweeted the following earlier this week:

“2014 standout Quin Blanding down to 10 — #FSU, #UVA, #UNC, #OhioState, #ND, #WVU, #Miami, #Clemson, #NCState, #Michigan”

Assuming it can get things back on track on the field, UVa should be one of the top contenders throughout this race.  Blanding has visited the grounds numerous times and has developed a close relationship with Mike London and staff.  Plus, the Cavaliers have established a pipeline at Bayside High.  Sophomore starters Henry Coley (LB) and Tra Nicholson (CB) attended the school, as did freshman safety Anthony Cooper.  Additionally, the Hoos have a verbal commitment from 5-star Bayside senior tailback Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell.

- A pair of UVa class of 2013 recruits — wide receiver Keeon Johnson and linebacker LaChaston Smith – will be in playoff action tonight.  Smith and his South Iredell (Statesville, N.C.) teammates host West Lincoln in the first round of the Class 2AA state playoffs.  A.L. Brown (Kannapolis, N.C.), which saw Johnson return to the field last week after missing a chunk of the season with a toe injury, meets North Forsyth in the first round of the Class 3AA state playoffs.

- On the basketball front, Auburn, Duke, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia continue to wait for a decision from 6’9″ senior power forward Austin Nichols.  Briarcrest Christian’s (Eads, TN) 5-star prospect has completed all five of his official visits and is expected to decide soon.  (**Update:  Joseph Thompson, who covers SEC Basketball and writes for 247Sports.com, tweets that Nichols is down to Memphis and Tennessee.)

- Boone (Orlando, FL) power forward Schuyler Rimmer will make an official visit to Vanderbilt this weekend.  This will be the final official the senior takes before he chooses from four finalists:  Southern Cal, Stanford, UVa and Vandy.

- Rock School (Gainesville, FL) senior center Joel Embiid is expected to take an official to Marquette this weekend, and this will be his final official visit.  The 7’0″ standout previously visited Texas, Kansas, Virginia and Florida.