Virginia Tech 70, No. 4 Virginia 68
The Cavaliers were upended by the rival Hokies in Blacksburg on Monday. The loss revealed flaws for UVa, some of which also cropped up in the team's first loss of the season way back in November against George Washington.
Slow starts continue to plague the Wahoos. Virginia scored just 21 points in the first half and was down by five heading into the locker room. Normally, this isn't a huge problem because for the past few seasons, Virginia has been a second-half team under Tony Bennett. Whether teams crumple and self-destruct under the methodical strain of going against the Pack-Line defense possession after possession, or tire out guarding Virginia's efficient offense for most of the shot clock, Virginia usually takes control of games in the second half. This year has been no different. A consistent problem, however, has been slow starts. Even in some wins, Virginia has fallen behind early. UVa has trailed some teams more than just a few minutes into the game that it had no business trailing including Bradley, Cal, and Oakland, the latter two at home. Also, the Cavs led William & Mary by just six at one point in the second half, and trailed West Virginia by double digits in the first half. The Mountaineers are ranked, but UVa seemed on the verge of getting blown out before storming back (mostly in the second half, of course). I don't know the stats, but Virginia's record is probably very good the past three seasons when leading or tied at the half. Opponents usually must have a lead at the half to have a chance to win the game. As such, even though UVa can erase deficits, playing well in the first half can be valuable as well. Virginia probably beats Virginia Tech with a better first-half performance.
UVa's defense isn't up to its usual standard. That is tough to do. For two straight years, Virginia led the nation in scoring defense. The 'Hoos still sit tied for ninth in that category at 60.4 points per game. Three of 14 teams so far have scored 70 or more points -- GW and Villanova in addition to Tech. Last year, three did all year, and one of those was Miami when the Wahoos won in double overtime. In the second half against Tech, Virginia scored 47 points and shot 59.3 percent. The last two years, those offensive stats in the second half would mean a 10-15 point win. But Virginia's defense got porous, allowing the Hokies 44 points in the second 20 minutes when they shot 57.7 percent. The loss of Darion Atkins has hurt the team's interior defense. Teams have had more clean lanes to the basket, as the Cavs lack a very good defender in the lane. As such, Virginia needs to start doing a better job at not allowing penetration on the perimeter. And help defense is even more important without Atkins back there protecting the rim and without Justin Anderson able to get up
and block shots from behind off the backboard.
Just like against GW, the team did not look as fired up as its opponent. Leading up to the game, players said all the right things about the previous two years' games being close in Blacksburg, but I don't think the Cavs actually had a healthy respect for the Hokies. At the beginning of the year, I thought Tech was going to be greatly improved. I was actually surprised at how poorly they were playing in their non-conference schedule. Justin Bibbs (4 of 5 from 3, 16 points) is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country at 58.7 percent. Zach LeDay (22 points) is a versatile forward who is good on the boards and also showed in the game he can shoot from deep. His three 3s were definitely lucky for Tech -- he was just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc on the year -- but that's the way it goes sometimes. Seth Allen (13 points) is fearless and despite not shooting well, made two big 3s. Virginia should have been familiar with him, as he had played well against UVa when at Maryland. Point is, I think Tech is better than it had shown in the pre-ACC schedule. We will see how they do the rest of the year, but I don't think Virginia expected a tough game from the Hokies. On top of that, they have to know they are going to get every team's best shot every game, especially on the road, and especially when it's the Hokies. Looking low on energy is disappointing in a rivalry game.
Like other losses the past two seasons, hopefully this will be a blessing in disguise. Counting back to the road loss of two years ago against Green Bay, and even the blowout loss to Tennessee that season, Virginia has followed up all of eight of its defeats with double-digit victories -- except for of course the ones that ended seasons against Michigan State. A close win might have caused the team to relax. A loss should ring some bells, though, and get the team more focused. The ACC is better this year than last, and almost every road game is going to be a dogfight. And, like I said, being regular-season champs two years in a row puts a definite target on Virginia's back.
No. 4 Virginia at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. ACC Network
Virginia's first chance to get back in the left-hand column is Saturday at Georgia Tech, another team that seems to have made strides from 2014-15 to this season.
Here's more on the Yellow Jackets:
Record: 10-5, 0-2
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt (15.2), senior guard Adam Smith (14.7), senior forward Charles Mitchell (13.4)
Leading rebounders: Mitchell (11.6), senior forward Nick Jacobs (5.7), senior forward James White (5.2), sophomore center Ben Lammers (3.9), Georges-Hunt (3.5)
Assist leaders: Junior guard Josh Heath (4.1), sophomore guard Travis Jorgenson (2.9), Georges-Hunt (2.2)
Notable: Jacobs (9.7) is the only other player averaging close to 10 ppg. Ten players average at least 14 minutes per game. Four of those players average 4-5 ppg.
Best win: Probably VCU at home on Dec. 16, 77-65. VCU is now 10-5, 2-0 in the A-10.
Worst win: 76-68 road win over Tulane on Dec. 5. Tulane is now 7-9, 0-3 in the American Athletic Conference.
Other wins: Cornell, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arkansas, Wofford, Southeast Louisiana, Colgate, Duquesne
Best loss: At North Carolina, Jan. 2, 86-78
Worst loss: At home Nov. 22 against East Tennessee State, 69-67
Other losses: Villanova, Georgia, Pittsburgh
What Georgia Tech does well: The Yellow Jackets are in the top 100 in points per game (85th - 78.1), rebounds per game (43rd - 40.7; and 22nd in rebounding margin at +8.6), assists per game (98th - 15), field goal percentage (88th - 45.9), and 3-point shooting (61st - 37.7 percent).
What Georgia Tech doesn't do well: It allows 71.2 points per game (179th) and is tied for 187th in turnover margin, just a touch on the plus side of things. In case you are wondering, Virginia Tech is
119th, and only had eight turnovers to the Cavaliers' 16 on Monday. The Jackets are above 70 percent at the line (70.6), but that is 140th in the nation.
None of these rankings really matter -- yes, they give an idea of how the team has performed; otherwise, I wouldn't look them up -- but Virginia Tech's statistics and losses did not look pretty, yet it came out as the better-looking, more aggressive team Monday. Georgia Tech ranks better than Virginia Tech in several categories, but if the Yellow Jackets come out flat, Virginia will win. I expect UVa to be more focused coming into this game since it just lost. I don't expect the Jackets to look flat, either. They are 0-2 in the ACC and badly need a win. This is coach Brian Gregory's fifth season in Atlanta, and his best record is 16-15. Meaning, if his players like him, then they need to start giving their all, or a pretty good non-conference showing followed by another poor ACC record could be his undoing. They are at home, so the incentive is there to come out pumped up against a top-10 opponent.
I fully expect Virginia to be more ready than it looked Monday. The problem is, even at full energy, this team might cause problems for the 'Hoos. Smith, a Virginia Tech transfer, must be checked on offense. He makes 47.3 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and scored 30 points in the team's most recent game, an 89-84 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday when he sank eight 3-pointers. Georges-Hunt is a Malcolm Brogdon-type big guard that has steadily increased his scoring each season. Mitchell, a transfer from Maryland, leads the ACC in rebounding. As you might have already noted, this team has lots of seniors and lots of transfers. In addition to Mitchell and Smith, Heath (South Florida), Jacobs (Alabama), and White (Arkansas-Little Rock) are transfers as well. Tech seems like the type of team that could make a run, perhaps late in the season, if it jells.
Above all, as I referenced above, Virginia needs to take care of the ball. The 16 turnovers Monday were about twice as many as UVa has been committing per game this year. The Hokies scored 26 points off those turnovers. If Virginia can just be more careful with the ball today, that can go a long way toward getting back in the "W" column. I don't think you'll see a double-digit win for the 'Hoos today, and I think they'll struggle at times, but ultimately, I like UVa to pick up the ACC road victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
The Cavaliers were upended by the rival Hokies in Blacksburg on Monday. The loss revealed flaws for UVa, some of which also cropped up in the team's first loss of the season way back in November against George Washington.
Slow starts continue to plague the Wahoos. Virginia scored just 21 points in the first half and was down by five heading into the locker room. Normally, this isn't a huge problem because for the past few seasons, Virginia has been a second-half team under Tony Bennett. Whether teams crumple and self-destruct under the methodical strain of going against the Pack-Line defense possession after possession, or tire out guarding Virginia's efficient offense for most of the shot clock, Virginia usually takes control of games in the second half. This year has been no different. A consistent problem, however, has been slow starts. Even in some wins, Virginia has fallen behind early. UVa has trailed some teams more than just a few minutes into the game that it had no business trailing including Bradley, Cal, and Oakland, the latter two at home. Also, the Cavs led William & Mary by just six at one point in the second half, and trailed West Virginia by double digits in the first half. The Mountaineers are ranked, but UVa seemed on the verge of getting blown out before storming back (mostly in the second half, of course). I don't know the stats, but Virginia's record is probably very good the past three seasons when leading or tied at the half. Opponents usually must have a lead at the half to have a chance to win the game. As such, even though UVa can erase deficits, playing well in the first half can be valuable as well. Virginia probably beats Virginia Tech with a better first-half performance.
UVa's defense isn't up to its usual standard. That is tough to do. For two straight years, Virginia led the nation in scoring defense. The 'Hoos still sit tied for ninth in that category at 60.4 points per game. Three of 14 teams so far have scored 70 or more points -- GW and Villanova in addition to Tech. Last year, three did all year, and one of those was Miami when the Wahoos won in double overtime. In the second half against Tech, Virginia scored 47 points and shot 59.3 percent. The last two years, those offensive stats in the second half would mean a 10-15 point win. But Virginia's defense got porous, allowing the Hokies 44 points in the second 20 minutes when they shot 57.7 percent. The loss of Darion Atkins has hurt the team's interior defense. Teams have had more clean lanes to the basket, as the Cavs lack a very good defender in the lane. As such, Virginia needs to start doing a better job at not allowing penetration on the perimeter. And help defense is even more important without Atkins back there protecting the rim and without Justin Anderson able to get up
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| South Florida transfer Zach LeDay scored 22 points for the Hokies against the Cavaliers, making 3 of 4 3-pointers. |
Just like against GW, the team did not look as fired up as its opponent. Leading up to the game, players said all the right things about the previous two years' games being close in Blacksburg, but I don't think the Cavs actually had a healthy respect for the Hokies. At the beginning of the year, I thought Tech was going to be greatly improved. I was actually surprised at how poorly they were playing in their non-conference schedule. Justin Bibbs (4 of 5 from 3, 16 points) is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country at 58.7 percent. Zach LeDay (22 points) is a versatile forward who is good on the boards and also showed in the game he can shoot from deep. His three 3s were definitely lucky for Tech -- he was just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc on the year -- but that's the way it goes sometimes. Seth Allen (13 points) is fearless and despite not shooting well, made two big 3s. Virginia should have been familiar with him, as he had played well against UVa when at Maryland. Point is, I think Tech is better than it had shown in the pre-ACC schedule. We will see how they do the rest of the year, but I don't think Virginia expected a tough game from the Hokies. On top of that, they have to know they are going to get every team's best shot every game, especially on the road, and especially when it's the Hokies. Looking low on energy is disappointing in a rivalry game.
Like other losses the past two seasons, hopefully this will be a blessing in disguise. Counting back to the road loss of two years ago against Green Bay, and even the blowout loss to Tennessee that season, Virginia has followed up all of eight of its defeats with double-digit victories -- except for of course the ones that ended seasons against Michigan State. A close win might have caused the team to relax. A loss should ring some bells, though, and get the team more focused. The ACC is better this year than last, and almost every road game is going to be a dogfight. And, like I said, being regular-season champs two years in a row puts a definite target on Virginia's back.
No. 4 Virginia at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. ACC Network
Virginia's first chance to get back in the left-hand column is Saturday at Georgia Tech, another team that seems to have made strides from 2014-15 to this season.
Here's more on the Yellow Jackets:
Record: 10-5, 0-2
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt (15.2), senior guard Adam Smith (14.7), senior forward Charles Mitchell (13.4)
Leading rebounders: Mitchell (11.6), senior forward Nick Jacobs (5.7), senior forward James White (5.2), sophomore center Ben Lammers (3.9), Georges-Hunt (3.5)
Assist leaders: Junior guard Josh Heath (4.1), sophomore guard Travis Jorgenson (2.9), Georges-Hunt (2.2)
Notable: Jacobs (9.7) is the only other player averaging close to 10 ppg. Ten players average at least 14 minutes per game. Four of those players average 4-5 ppg.
Best win: Probably VCU at home on Dec. 16, 77-65. VCU is now 10-5, 2-0 in the A-10.
Worst win: 76-68 road win over Tulane on Dec. 5. Tulane is now 7-9, 0-3 in the American Athletic Conference.
Other wins: Cornell, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arkansas, Wofford, Southeast Louisiana, Colgate, Duquesne
Best loss: At North Carolina, Jan. 2, 86-78
Worst loss: At home Nov. 22 against East Tennessee State, 69-67
Other losses: Villanova, Georgia, Pittsburgh
What Georgia Tech does well: The Yellow Jackets are in the top 100 in points per game (85th - 78.1), rebounds per game (43rd - 40.7; and 22nd in rebounding margin at +8.6), assists per game (98th - 15), field goal percentage (88th - 45.9), and 3-point shooting (61st - 37.7 percent).
What Georgia Tech doesn't do well: It allows 71.2 points per game (179th) and is tied for 187th in turnover margin, just a touch on the plus side of things. In case you are wondering, Virginia Tech is
None of these rankings really matter -- yes, they give an idea of how the team has performed; otherwise, I wouldn't look them up -- but Virginia Tech's statistics and losses did not look pretty, yet it came out as the better-looking, more aggressive team Monday. Georgia Tech ranks better than Virginia Tech in several categories, but if the Yellow Jackets come out flat, Virginia will win. I expect UVa to be more focused coming into this game since it just lost. I don't expect the Jackets to look flat, either. They are 0-2 in the ACC and badly need a win. This is coach Brian Gregory's fifth season in Atlanta, and his best record is 16-15. Meaning, if his players like him, then they need to start giving their all, or a pretty good non-conference showing followed by another poor ACC record could be his undoing. They are at home, so the incentive is there to come out pumped up against a top-10 opponent.
I fully expect Virginia to be more ready than it looked Monday. The problem is, even at full energy, this team might cause problems for the 'Hoos. Smith, a Virginia Tech transfer, must be checked on offense. He makes 47.3 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and scored 30 points in the team's most recent game, an 89-84 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday when he sank eight 3-pointers. Georges-Hunt is a Malcolm Brogdon-type big guard that has steadily increased his scoring each season. Mitchell, a transfer from Maryland, leads the ACC in rebounding. As you might have already noted, this team has lots of seniors and lots of transfers. In addition to Mitchell and Smith, Heath (South Florida), Jacobs (Alabama), and White (Arkansas-Little Rock) are transfers as well. Tech seems like the type of team that could make a run, perhaps late in the season, if it jells.
Above all, as I referenced above, Virginia needs to take care of the ball. The 16 turnovers Monday were about twice as many as UVa has been committing per game this year. The Hokies scored 26 points off those turnovers. If Virginia can just be more careful with the ball today, that can go a long way toward getting back in the "W" column. I don't think you'll see a double-digit win for the 'Hoos today, and I think they'll struggle at times, but ultimately, I like UVa to pick up the ACC road victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
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