Virginia Teammates Joe Harris, Mike Scott Facing Off in NBA Playoffs

What a time to be a Virginia basketball fan, amirite? They just completed one of the greatest college hoops stories ever, bouncing back from last season’s UMBC loss to win their first-ever national title, and put the final stamp on their run with an epic celebration at Scott Stadium in front of 20k-plus fans. Now, two former UVA teammates who started the program’s turnaround, Joe Harris and Mike Scott, are facing off in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Harris, who played four years in Charlottesville between 2010-14, is a starter for the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets while Scott, who played five seasons in Virginia (2007-12) after getting a medical redshirt in 2010-11, is a key reserve for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed.

Together, the pair played two seasons alongside one another, though one of them, 2010-11, saw Scott limited to 10 games due to injury. When both were healthy, the Hoos went to the NCAA Tournament in 2011-12, with Scott (18 PPG) and Harris (11.3 PPG) as the team’s two leading scorers.

Both guys have had previous NBA Playoff experience prior to 2018-19.

Brooklyn, a big underdog, stole Game 1 against Philadelphia 111-102 on the road. Joe Harris, the 2019 NBA Three-Point Contest winner, played 30 minutes for the Nets and wound up with his first-ever double-digit postseason scoring performance (13 points). Mike Scott also played major minutes for the 76ers, finishing the game with 32 minutes played, three points, and five rebounds.

The series will continue on Monday night at 8:00 P.M ET on TNT.

Philadelphia is a 7.5-point favorite in Game 2.

Scott, it should be noted, also played for the Washington Wizards during the 2017-18 season, averaging 8.8 points per game in 76 contests.