Virginia 64, Florida State 51
The Cavaliers topped the Seminoles on Friday in Greensboro in a nice, solid win for the team. FSU's Okaro White was doing some yapping heading into this game but it ended up being pretty calm, even as the clock wound down (which is when a small tussle broke out at the end of the game in Charlottesville). White ended up with 17 points and was definitely trying hard the whole game, making a couple hustle plays down the stretch. Aaron Thomas added 13 points for FSU and Ian Miller had 10, but no other 'Nole scored more than five.
Despite White's best efforts, the Cavaliers were too much, led by Joe Harris' 20 and Anthony Gill's 16 off the bench. Harris made three 3s and tied his season-high in points (he also had 20 vs. Hampton in November). Gill got a number of offensive rebound dunks and was very aggressive going to the rim. He also made all four of his free throws. He seems to be a guy that always makes one of two so the fact he made all four is encouraging. Harris was also great at the line, making all three.
UVa didn't get a ton of contributions from anyone else, but didn't need much. Malcolm Brogdon had his first single-digit scoring effort vs. an ACC team with just six points. London Perrantes had six points on two 3-pointers. Darion Atkins also played 14 minutes off the bench and had six points. Akil Mitchell had just four points but made both of his two shots and finished with six boards.
FSU took a 9-5 lead about five minutes into the game but UVa got ahead 10-9 at 12:37 left in the first half on a Harris 3. After that, the Wahoos basically never looked back. The Seminoles tied the game one other time, at 21, with 4:35 left. UVa ended the half on an 11-6 run to take a 32-27 lead into the locker rooms.
Virginia opened up the second half with a 3 from Perrantes and kept the 'Noles at bay the rest of the way. FSU never got closer than six.
Now, Virginia face the winner of UNC-Pittsburgh. The Panthers led by 18 early but the Tar Heels closed their lead to 10 by halftime, 36-26. There are pros and cons to playing either team tomorrow. Pitt played Virginia tougher in the regular season (48-45 UVa win compared to 76-61 win over UNC) but that game was at Pitt whereas Virginia got North Carolina at JPJ. UNC is playing pretty well right now, probably better than Pitt and is probably the better team overall when playing to its potential. If the 'Hoos face UNC, the crowd will be on the side of the Heels tomorrow. If it is Pitt, Virginia will have the dominant fanbase. If it is the Panthers, they will be playing their third game in three days and could start sucking wind in the second half against Virginia's demanding style of play.
I will say this. UVa vs. UNC in the ACC tournament semifinals sounds like more of a classic ACC matchup than UVa vs. Pitt.
The Cavaliers topped the Seminoles on Friday in Greensboro in a nice, solid win for the team. FSU's Okaro White was doing some yapping heading into this game but it ended up being pretty calm, even as the clock wound down (which is when a small tussle broke out at the end of the game in Charlottesville). White ended up with 17 points and was definitely trying hard the whole game, making a couple hustle plays down the stretch. Aaron Thomas added 13 points for FSU and Ian Miller had 10, but no other 'Nole scored more than five.
Despite White's best efforts, the Cavaliers were too much, led by Joe Harris' 20 and Anthony Gill's 16 off the bench. Harris made three 3s and tied his season-high in points (he also had 20 vs. Hampton in November). Gill got a number of offensive rebound dunks and was very aggressive going to the rim. He also made all four of his free throws. He seems to be a guy that always makes one of two so the fact he made all four is encouraging. Harris was also great at the line, making all three.
UVa didn't get a ton of contributions from anyone else, but didn't need much. Malcolm Brogdon had his first single-digit scoring effort vs. an ACC team with just six points. London Perrantes had six points on two 3-pointers. Darion Atkins also played 14 minutes off the bench and had six points. Akil Mitchell had just four points but made both of his two shots and finished with six boards.
FSU took a 9-5 lead about five minutes into the game but UVa got ahead 10-9 at 12:37 left in the first half on a Harris 3. After that, the Wahoos basically never looked back. The Seminoles tied the game one other time, at 21, with 4:35 left. UVa ended the half on an 11-6 run to take a 32-27 lead into the locker rooms.
Virginia opened up the second half with a 3 from Perrantes and kept the 'Noles at bay the rest of the way. FSU never got closer than six.
Now, Virginia face the winner of UNC-Pittsburgh. The Panthers led by 18 early but the Tar Heels closed their lead to 10 by halftime, 36-26. There are pros and cons to playing either team tomorrow. Pitt played Virginia tougher in the regular season (48-45 UVa win compared to 76-61 win over UNC) but that game was at Pitt whereas Virginia got North Carolina at JPJ. UNC is playing pretty well right now, probably better than Pitt and is probably the better team overall when playing to its potential. If the 'Hoos face UNC, the crowd will be on the side of the Heels tomorrow. If it is Pitt, Virginia will have the dominant fanbase. If it is the Panthers, they will be playing their third game in three days and could start sucking wind in the second half against Virginia's demanding style of play.
I will say this. UVa vs. UNC in the ACC tournament semifinals sounds like more of a classic ACC matchup than UVa vs. Pitt.
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