George Willis

George Willis

College Basketball

Virginia’s Tobey finally gets his chance to play at MSG

RALEIGH, N.C. — Mike Tobey didn’t hesitate when asked about the 3-pointer he splashed from the top of the arc that gave Virginia a 73-47 lead over Memphis and ignited the Cavaliers celebration for reaching the Sweet 16.

“I knew that was money,” Tobey said of the trey buried with 3:43 to play. “I knew it was in.”

It was his first trey of the season, a rare conversion for the 6-foot-11 sophomore from Monroe, N.Y., in Orange County, whose more important work is done when he’s banging bodies down low.

That’s what Tobey, the Cavaliers’ starting big man, will be counted on to do when top-seeded Virginia meets fourth-seeded Michigan State in an East Regional semifinal Friday night at Madison Square Garden. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Tobey, who played at Blair Academy in New Jersey and has played a key role in Virginia reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994-95.

Using his long arms and frame, Tobey had his way with the Tigers’ smaller front line. His 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks helped Virginia to an easier-than-expected 78-60 victory at the PNC Arena.

“When he’s grabbing rebounds with two hands and blocking shots, that’s import ant for us,” Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon said.

Tobey knew he was taking a few liberties by even attempting a three against Memphis. He was 0-for-2 this season and just 2-of-7 for his career before taking aim from deep on Sunday night.

“I haven’t hit a three all year,” Tobey said. “The opportunity presented itself and I took it. I knew if I missed it, that it would be bad news from the coaches. But I knew it was good.”

The opportunity to play in Madison Square Garden has also presented itself, allowing Tobey to fulfill a life-long dream. He visited the World’s Most Famous Arena several times as a fan, but has never played there.

Virginia nearly made it to New York twice last year, losing one game short of reaching MSG in the preseason NIT and postseason NIT.

“I’ve always been in certain situations where I was one game away from playing at the Garden,” Tobey said. “I’ll have a lot of family and friends asking for tickets. I’m sure a lot of people will come.”

Tobey averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game during the regular season and will be counted on to contain the Spartans strong front-line led by senior Adreian Payne. It figures to be a grind-it -out battle to establish dominance under the glass.

“Michigan State is a great team and they have a stellar program and [Coach] Tom Izzo does a great job,” Tobey said. “We’ve got our hands full. But we’ve got a whole week to prepare.”

From his teammates to his coach, nearly all of the Cavaliers praised how aggressive Tobey was against the Tigers. Having gained 35 pounds since arriving on campus, he is developing into the kind of player that can be special.

“He’s a young second-year player,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “Maturity is such an import factor for him, physically and certainly mentally. You see those flashes and glimpses and his size and length help. As he gets stronger it’s going to help him.”

He was highly recruited by several top schools, but Tobey settled on Virginia, confident Bennett could lead the program back to national prominence. The Cavaliers (30-6) are on the right path having equaled the school record for victories while capturing the ACC regular season and tournament championships.

“Every milestone we reach is a dream come true to me,” Tobey said. “This team has worked hard and we deserve it.”