X (Twitter): @TreyKelleher3 (https://twitter.com/treykelleher3)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- UVA (+2.5) vs. NORTH CAROLINA
Somebody take the lid off of the basket, and do it now! Saturday marked the third straight game the Cavaliers fell short of the 50 point mark. It was just over two weeks ago Virginia scored 80 points against Florida State, 46 points in the second half alone. The past week and a half have been a completely different story as they scored 49 in their win over Wake Forest, 41 against Virginia Tech, and now 44 on Saturday against the Tar Heels. The Hoos are 1-3 during that stretch and now have a 2-game losing streak to their name.
John Paul Jones Arena was at full capacity and the students were as loud as they have been all year long. The stage was set for a much needed win for UVA, but in the end North Carolina improved to 21-6 (13-3 ACC) after a 54-44 victory and Virginia slipped to 20-8 (11-6, ACC).
UVA held RJ Davis and Armando Bacot to 5-21 shooting and 22 combined points, well below their season average of 35.4 combined points. Cormac Ryan was the hot hand for Hubert Davis' team as he led the way with 18 points, all coming from behind the arc. Despite the solid performance from Ryan, Virginia forced UNC to shoot 32% from the field, 31.8% percent from three point land, and were able to turn the ball over 10 times. We all know this, but after allowing 75 points to the Hokies it's nice to know that the defense isn't the issue here.
The offense is producing at an alarmingly low rate as Virginia needed 16 minutes and 59 seconds to get to the 10 point mark in the first half, and needed a Reece Beekman dunk to get them into a double digit field goal percentage going into the halftime break. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Hoos were 16-58 (27.6%) from the field and 2-14 (14.2%) from three.
Jordan Minor was solid as he posted a double-dobule with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Beekman added 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Many Virginia fans got their season long wish as Elijah Gertrude saw the floor for 19 minutes. Gertrude provided a nice spark, displayed his monster athleticism, and was very aggressive with the ball in his hands getting to the line 8 times. He was 1-7 from the floor and went 4-8 from the charity stripe.
There IS an answer to the offensive woes the Cavaliers are experiencing. Is it simply gaining confidence back? Is it changing up the starting lineup a bit? Is it forcing the ball to Minor down low to loosen up the defense for Isaac McKneely and Jacob Groves to get more open looks? It could several different things. Whatever it is, it isn't what we saw on Saturday but it CAN be fixed and I believe it will be.
Virginia faces Boston College on Wednesday night at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Eagles have the #143 ranked defense according to KenPom, if there was a game to experiment with some offensive schemes, try new plays, new lineups etc. to get out of this funk, it's this one. Tony Bennett must come up with a way to do this on offense without overlooking Earl Grant's feisty squad.
Don't give up on this team quite yet. You may look like a fool in a couple weeks. Go Hoos!
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