Roommates Sammy Zeglinski and Will Sherrill relate to each other well. The Virginia basketball players have both missed large portions of the season with injuries.
"It's been a rough year for us injury-wise," Zeglinski said in a bit of an understatement.
He's had two surgeries since the summer, most recently for a knee injury, and Sherrill has slowly been recovering from a fractured fibula.
"We both know what the other is going through," Sherrill said. "We live together, so we help each other out in that respect. We've been through adversity before."
Now they're slowly returning to the form that made them regular contributors last year, and in the process, helping revitalize Virginia at a crucial juncture of the season.
Sherrill even joked that after converting a free throw Saturday, he's now the national leader in free throw shooting — 1 for 1 this season.
"The last couple of days, my leg has really started feeling a lot better," the senior said. "It's not 100 percent, but getting close."
The Cavaliers (11-8, 2-3 ACC) play host to the Maryland Terrapins (12-7, 2-3) tonight, and Sherrill will find a tough matchup waiting inside against Jordan Williams.
Williams, a 6-10 forward, leads the team with 17.6 points per game, and has been equally proficient at rebounding.
"He can really change a game," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "He presents a problem with his size, his touches, and his ability to play on the glass."
Bennett said that he'd likely resist the temptation to throw a zone defense at the Terrapins, which was how Virginia Tech pulled off a road victory last Thursday.
Virginia's Pack-Line defense helps prevent the ball from getting inside by double-teaming forwards when they touch it, and Bennett added that he's concerned about getting his team focused for long stretches.
"We're still just trying to be as good as we can for the entirety of the game," he said. "Trying to put it together to play for a longer stretch."
Having two players like Sherrill and Zeglinski available should help. For Sherrill, it's a relief just to be able to take the court.
"Especially in the Boston College game, I just felt like I wasn't able to help the team, and that was the worst part of it," he said.
By getting the clearance to play, he's now looking to put those days behind him and help shut down Maryland's big man.
mphillips@timesdispatch.com
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