Last season was magical for the Wahoos. Don't forget, though, that it didn't start out that way. Virginia began the season with high expectations from media and fans, having only lost point guard Jontel Evans off the 2012-13 squad that won 23 games, narrowly missed the Big Dance, and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals.
As coach Tony Bennett tinkered with rotations early on, though, the team seemed ragged and just wasn't hitting on all cylinders. The year started mildly enough with an easy, 61-41 win over a not-very-good James Madison team at John Paul Jones Arena. The team didn't look great but I wasn't worried yet. The next game was a much tougher in-state rival, VCU, also at home. The contest was extremely hard fought and bitter as a rivalry was being born in front of our eyes (the teams play again this year and Bennett and VCU coach Shaka Smart have talked about making it an annual meeting). The game was tied at 56 late until a late 3-pointer by VCU put the game in the victory column for the Rams.
After that game, things started to look up a little bit. Virginia beat scrappy Davidson in Charlotte by 13, sailed past Navy, Liberty, and Hampton at home, and then easily won the Corpus Christi Challenge in Texas by beating SMU in a really close game and then blowing out Missouri State by 20.
At 7-1 with six straight wins, and a championship in a preseason tournament, it seemed like things were going smoothly for the Cavaliers. Up next was a home game against undefeated No 8 Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and I felt very good going into that game. However, it ended up being Virginia's worst offensive game of the year -- though not its worst overall. The Badgers battered the Cavs, 48-38, in a truly ugly affair. Things didn't get a lot better in the next game at a talented and under-the-radar Green Bay team that had only lost to Wisconsin by three points earlier in the year. The Phoenix built a big lead on Virginia before the Cavaliers fought back but eventually lost, 75-72.
Next was a bit of a reprieve at home against Northern Iowa and Norfolk State. Virginia didn't look great in 14- and 10-point wins, but it was a band-aid, covering a deeper problem for the Wahoos. They were exposed in an important game at Tennessee. The Volunteers absolutely crushed the Cavaliers, 87-52. It was an important game because both teams needed resume-building wins for March. It also ended up being a landmark game for UVa. The result was so bad that Joe Harris took a now-famous trip to Bennett's house the following day to talk about the season and why things weren't going as planned. At this point, I was thinking Virginia was headed for the NIT. An NCAA berth seemed like a dream. At the very best, UVa was headed toward another season on the bubble. The 'Hoos sat at 9-4 with a tough ACC schedule coming up. First up was a trip to Florida State. Virginia had not won a game in the state of Florida since 2001.
After that Tennessee game, though, and during the Florida State game, we saw the birth of #TennesseeTurnaround, as it became known in Twitter hashtag land. Virginia dispatched FSU, 62-50, beginning an incredible ACC run where the squad won 16 of 18 games, with the only losses coming by three points at Duke and at Maryland. Highlights during the run included beating N.C. State by 31 in Raleigh, downing UNC by 15 in Charlottesville, winning at Pittsburgh on Super Bowl Sunday on a Malcolm Brogdon last-second 3-pointer, topping Maryland in the last ACC game between the two rivals in Charlottesville, coming back from 11 down to thwart Virginia Tech's upset bid in Blacksburg, and, of course, clinching the ACC regular-season title at home by thumping Syracuse.
In the ACC tournament, Virginia beat FSU for a third time and then played in another classic against Pittsburgh, winning, 51-48. Then came the ACC championship game vs. Duke. UVa lost at Duke earlier in the season, 69-66, but flipped the script in the title game, controlling play throughout before pulling away with a late 12-3 run to win, 72-63. Harris scored 15 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining to put UVa up seven, but the Cavs got their main contribution from Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 23 points. Akil Mitchell scored only seven points but dogged Duke star Jabari Parker all game. He ended up with 23 points but needed 24 shots to get there.
Virginia snagged a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and was matched up with No. 16 seed Coastal Carolina in Raleigh. With the pressure to win as a No. 1 seed (they have never lost to a 16 seed), Virginia at first had a hard time with the Chanticleers. In fact, Coastal got up 31-21 with a mixture of a no-holds-barred game plan and some luck. UVa was back within five, 35-30, at halftime, though, and took control in the second half for a 70-59 win,
The Cavaliers followed up that close-ish call by blowing out Memphis, 78-60, in the next round. And then vs. Michigan State, UVa fell just short in a tough, tough matchup with the Spartans, 61-59.
Leading scorer: Malcolm Brogdon (12.7 ppg)
Leading rebounder: Akil Mitchell (7 rpg)
Assists leader: London Perrantes (3.8 apg)
Best field-goal percentage: Anthony Gill (58.7)
Best 3-point percentage: Perantes (43.7)
Best free-throw percentage: Brogdon (87.5)
Team PPG: 66.2
Allowed PPG: 55.7
As coach Tony Bennett tinkered with rotations early on, though, the team seemed ragged and just wasn't hitting on all cylinders. The year started mildly enough with an easy, 61-41 win over a not-very-good James Madison team at John Paul Jones Arena. The team didn't look great but I wasn't worried yet. The next game was a much tougher in-state rival, VCU, also at home. The contest was extremely hard fought and bitter as a rivalry was being born in front of our eyes (the teams play again this year and Bennett and VCU coach Shaka Smart have talked about making it an annual meeting). The game was tied at 56 late until a late 3-pointer by VCU put the game in the victory column for the Rams.
After that game, things started to look up a little bit. Virginia beat scrappy Davidson in Charlotte by 13, sailed past Navy, Liberty, and Hampton at home, and then easily won the Corpus Christi Challenge in Texas by beating SMU in a really close game and then blowing out Missouri State by 20.
At 7-1 with six straight wins, and a championship in a preseason tournament, it seemed like things were going smoothly for the Cavaliers. Up next was a home game against undefeated No 8 Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and I felt very good going into that game. However, it ended up being Virginia's worst offensive game of the year -- though not its worst overall. The Badgers battered the Cavs, 48-38, in a truly ugly affair. Things didn't get a lot better in the next game at a talented and under-the-radar Green Bay team that had only lost to Wisconsin by three points earlier in the year. The Phoenix built a big lead on Virginia before the Cavaliers fought back but eventually lost, 75-72.
Next was a bit of a reprieve at home against Northern Iowa and Norfolk State. Virginia didn't look great in 14- and 10-point wins, but it was a band-aid, covering a deeper problem for the Wahoos. They were exposed in an important game at Tennessee. The Volunteers absolutely crushed the Cavaliers, 87-52. It was an important game because both teams needed resume-building wins for March. It also ended up being a landmark game for UVa. The result was so bad that Joe Harris took a now-famous trip to Bennett's house the following day to talk about the season and why things weren't going as planned. At this point, I was thinking Virginia was headed for the NIT. An NCAA berth seemed like a dream. At the very best, UVa was headed toward another season on the bubble. The 'Hoos sat at 9-4 with a tough ACC schedule coming up. First up was a trip to Florida State. Virginia had not won a game in the state of Florida since 2001.
After that Tennessee game, though, and during the Florida State game, we saw the birth of #TennesseeTurnaround, as it became known in Twitter hashtag land. Virginia dispatched FSU, 62-50, beginning an incredible ACC run where the squad won 16 of 18 games, with the only losses coming by three points at Duke and at Maryland. Highlights during the run included beating N.C. State by 31 in Raleigh, downing UNC by 15 in Charlottesville, winning at Pittsburgh on Super Bowl Sunday on a Malcolm Brogdon last-second 3-pointer, topping Maryland in the last ACC game between the two rivals in Charlottesville, coming back from 11 down to thwart Virginia Tech's upset bid in Blacksburg, and, of course, clinching the ACC regular-season title at home by thumping Syracuse.
In the ACC tournament, Virginia beat FSU for a third time and then played in another classic against Pittsburgh, winning, 51-48. Then came the ACC championship game vs. Duke. UVa lost at Duke earlier in the season, 69-66, but flipped the script in the title game, controlling play throughout before pulling away with a late 12-3 run to win, 72-63. Harris scored 15 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining to put UVa up seven, but the Cavs got their main contribution from Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 23 points. Akil Mitchell scored only seven points but dogged Duke star Jabari Parker all game. He ended up with 23 points but needed 24 shots to get there.
Virginia snagged a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and was matched up with No. 16 seed Coastal Carolina in Raleigh. With the pressure to win as a No. 1 seed (they have never lost to a 16 seed), Virginia at first had a hard time with the Chanticleers. In fact, Coastal got up 31-21 with a mixture of a no-holds-barred game plan and some luck. UVa was back within five, 35-30, at halftime, though, and took control in the second half for a 70-59 win,
The Cavaliers followed up that close-ish call by blowing out Memphis, 78-60, in the next round. And then vs. Michigan State, UVa fell just short in a tough, tough matchup with the Spartans, 61-59.
Leading scorer: Malcolm Brogdon (12.7 ppg)
Leading rebounder: Akil Mitchell (7 rpg)
Assists leader: London Perrantes (3.8 apg)
Best field-goal percentage: Anthony Gill (58.7)
Best 3-point percentage: Perantes (43.7)
Best free-throw percentage: Brogdon (87.5)
Team PPG: 66.2
Allowed PPG: 55.7
Comments
Post a Comment