Johann Grünloh's Unique Skill Set on Display as Virginia Beats Miami

The NCAA Tournament is rapidly approaching.

Less than a month from now, March Madness will be underway as college basketball teams fight for a national title. The tournament is set to feature a number of NBA Draft prospects, and the battle for seeding and spots in the big dance have already creating a number of intriuging regular season matchups.

On Saturday, teams across the country sqaured off in big games, as No. 3 Duke defeated No. 1 Michigan, No. 4 Arizona took down No. 2 Houston and No. 23 BYU topped No. 6 Iowa State.

In the ACC, Miami and No. 14 Virginia met in a showdown that had conference, and potentially NCAA Tournament implications. The Cavaliers defeated the Hurricanes 86-83, and now hold a 24-3 record while the Hurricanes fell to 21-6.

A pair of freshman shined in the contest, as former five-star recruit Shelton Henderson tied for a game-high 18 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and just one turnover. Henderson's performance wasn't enough, though, as a handful of Cavaliers turned in strong showings.

While Jacari White led the way for Virginia with 17 points, first-year big man Johann Grünloh starred for the Cavaliers with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks and zero turnovers. The German center shot 4-of-5 from the field, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

Prior to his time at Virginia, Grünloh played professional basketball in Germany, where he averaged 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for RASTA Vechta. Grünloh's performance earned the big man a four-star rating from 247Sports.

As a freshman, the 20-year-old is averaging 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 52.3% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range in 22 minutes per game while starting all 27 games for Virginia.

Listed at 7-feet tall and 238 pounds, Grünloh's unique blend of size, shot-blocking ability and perimeter shooting potential make him an intriguing prospect. The young big man has obviously shown that he has upside as a shooter, but could become an extremely valuable piece with a more consistent outside shot.

While Grünloh may not have an eye-catching statistical output this season, there aren't many prospects his age with the same combination of interior defense and 3-point shooting.

Being just a freshman, the Loningen, Germany, product could return to school for another year if he doesn't elect to try his luck in the 2026 NBA Draft.

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