No. 2 Virginia at Wake Forest, 6 p.m. ESPNU
The Cavaliers mostly made it look easy again Thursday in defeating Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 64-48. In this one, Virginia took a 4-2 lead with 17:17 left in the first half and coasted. The lead ballooned to as many as 18 and never went below single digits after UVa made it 30-19 with 19:43 left. De'Andre Hunter had a very good game off the bench, leading the Wahoos with 17 points while adding seven
rebounds, a block, and a steal. He started the second half over Jack Salt. The redshirt freshman made 7 of his 9 shots, including a big four-point play right at the end of the first half that made the score at the break 28-19 instead of 24-19. He also did a good job of driving to the basket against the taller but slower Ben Lammers.
Three other players were in double figures for UVa: Ty Jerome with 12, and Kyle Guy and Devon Hall with 11 each. Isaiah Wilkins had nine points to go along with five boards, three steals, two blocks, and an assist. It was an off night from beyond the arc for the 'Hoos, who made only three 3s, one each for Guy, Hunter, and Hall. It didn't matter, though, because Georgia Tech committed 18 turnovers.
Next up for the Cavaliers is another road tilt, this one at Wake Forest, a team that surprisingly made the NCAA tournament last season as one of the last four in, but has been disappointing so far in 2017-18:
Record: 8-10, 1-5 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Junior guard Bryant Crawford (16.2), junior guard Keyshawn Woods (14.2)
Leading rebounders: Junior center Doral Moore (8.1), senior forward Terrence Thompson (5.2), freshman center Olivier Sarr (3.2), freshman guard Chaundee Brown (3.1)
Assist leaders: Crawford (4.7), sophomore guard Brandon Childress (3.7)
Notable: Four other players average more than six points: Moore (9.8), Childress (8.9), senior guard Mitchell Wilbekin (8.8), and Brown (6.7). Thompson averages 4.8 points, Sarr 3.9. Crawford averages almost two steals. Woods, Thompson, Childress, and Wilbekin average about one each. Moore blocks 2.3 shots per game.
Best win: vs. Syracuse, 73-67, on Jan. 3
Worst win: vs. Coastal Carolina, 84-80, on Dec. 18. The Chanticleers are 7-13.
Other wins: Quinnipiac, UNC Greensboro, Illinois, Richmond, Charlotte, Army
Best loss: at then-No. 13 North Carolina, 73-69, on Dec. 30.
Worst loss: Nov. 17, against Drake, 77-74, in Lynchburg
Other losses: Georgia Southern, Liberty, Houston, Tennessee, Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, N.C. State
What Wake Forest does well: The Demon Deacons shoot well from beyond the arc, 39.1 percent (39th in the country, right behind UVa) and on free throws, 73.5 percent (86th). They score pretty well, 75.9 ppg (139th). Defensively, they snag 6.6 steals (160th) and block 3.8 shots per game (126th). They are OK at rebounding, owning a +1.1 margin (140th).
What Wake Forest doesn't do well: The Deacons aren't great shooters overall, just 44.7 percent
from the field (184th). They also aren't great on defense, giving up 74 ppg (222nd), 43 percent shooting (149th), and 39.1 percent on 3-pointers (332nd). They commit 13.4 turnovers per game, the same average they force. A turnover margin of zero places Wake 200th in the nation.
Virginia is really on cruise control right now. It is making it look almost too easy. Except for portions of the UNC and Syracuse games, UVa hasn't been challenged at the end of a contest since facing Boston College and having to turn back at least two potential game-winning plays by the Eagles in the closing seconds. Virginia has only trailed for 74 seconds in the second halves of ACC play.
You of course never pull for your team to lose. Never. Never. Never. But, it would be good to see some team expose a flaw for the Cavaliers to work on. If UVa hit a couple bumps in the road before March, it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen so it has something to improve. And it will probably happen. The ACC is too good and too deep to not incur a few losses. UVa's ACC slate has been fairly easy so far. Four of the first five were at home, and the two road games were against Virginia Tech, which appears to be not as good as most people suspected, and Georgia Tech, which, despite the recent surge, will probably be stretching itself to get to 9-9 in the league. Bigger tests are coming, though. Clemson comes to JPJ as a ranked team Tuesday, and Virginia has to go to Duke next Saturday. Also coming up are road games at Florida State, Syracuse, Miami, and Louisville.
Wake Forest has a losing overall record, but can it be a challenge? I think the Demon Deacons have the potential to be more worrisome than the Yellow Jackets were. That's because Wake Forest is better on offense and can shoot 3-pointers better than Tech could. Crawford (35.2 percent), Woods (43.3), Childress (36.1), Wilbekin (43.4),and Brown (35.4) are all viable 3-point shooters. Thompson is at 50 percent, but he is just 6 of 12, and sophomore forward Donovan Mitchell is at 53.3 percent, but he's only made 8 of 15 and hasn't really been a factor in ACC play.
Wake's NCAA tournament repeat bid chances are quickly going down the tube, but if it is desperate for a win, it could be dangerous. The Deacons have lost four in a row after defeating Syracuse and taking UNC to the wire on the road. The nonconference slate started off with a thud, with losses to Georgia Southern, Liberty, and Drake right off the bat. For whatever reason, the season just didn't take off for the Demon Deacons. A lack of defense and a somewhat inefficient offense seem to be the main culprits. This is another one where I feel like if UVa controls the pace and feel of the game with its defense, and no one happens to have a great night from beyond the arc for Wake, Virginia should walk out of Winston-Salem with a victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
The Cavaliers mostly made it look easy again Thursday in defeating Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 64-48. In this one, Virginia took a 4-2 lead with 17:17 left in the first half and coasted. The lead ballooned to as many as 18 and never went below single digits after UVa made it 30-19 with 19:43 left. De'Andre Hunter had a very good game off the bench, leading the Wahoos with 17 points while adding seven
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| Against Georgia Tech, De'Andre Hunter had some nice drives to the basket when being guarded by the 6-foot-10 but slower Ben Lammers. |
Three other players were in double figures for UVa: Ty Jerome with 12, and Kyle Guy and Devon Hall with 11 each. Isaiah Wilkins had nine points to go along with five boards, three steals, two blocks, and an assist. It was an off night from beyond the arc for the 'Hoos, who made only three 3s, one each for Guy, Hunter, and Hall. It didn't matter, though, because Georgia Tech committed 18 turnovers.
Next up for the Cavaliers is another road tilt, this one at Wake Forest, a team that surprisingly made the NCAA tournament last season as one of the last four in, but has been disappointing so far in 2017-18:
Record: 8-10, 1-5 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Junior guard Bryant Crawford (16.2), junior guard Keyshawn Woods (14.2)
Leading rebounders: Junior center Doral Moore (8.1), senior forward Terrence Thompson (5.2), freshman center Olivier Sarr (3.2), freshman guard Chaundee Brown (3.1)
Assist leaders: Crawford (4.7), sophomore guard Brandon Childress (3.7)
Notable: Four other players average more than six points: Moore (9.8), Childress (8.9), senior guard Mitchell Wilbekin (8.8), and Brown (6.7). Thompson averages 4.8 points, Sarr 3.9. Crawford averages almost two steals. Woods, Thompson, Childress, and Wilbekin average about one each. Moore blocks 2.3 shots per game.
Best win: vs. Syracuse, 73-67, on Jan. 3
Worst win: vs. Coastal Carolina, 84-80, on Dec. 18. The Chanticleers are 7-13.
Other wins: Quinnipiac, UNC Greensboro, Illinois, Richmond, Charlotte, Army
Best loss: at then-No. 13 North Carolina, 73-69, on Dec. 30.
Worst loss: Nov. 17, against Drake, 77-74, in Lynchburg
Other losses: Georgia Southern, Liberty, Houston, Tennessee, Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, N.C. State
What Wake Forest does well: The Demon Deacons shoot well from beyond the arc, 39.1 percent (39th in the country, right behind UVa) and on free throws, 73.5 percent (86th). They score pretty well, 75.9 ppg (139th). Defensively, they snag 6.6 steals (160th) and block 3.8 shots per game (126th). They are OK at rebounding, owning a +1.1 margin (140th).
What Wake Forest doesn't do well: The Deacons aren't great shooters overall, just 44.7 percent
Virginia is really on cruise control right now. It is making it look almost too easy. Except for portions of the UNC and Syracuse games, UVa hasn't been challenged at the end of a contest since facing Boston College and having to turn back at least two potential game-winning plays by the Eagles in the closing seconds. Virginia has only trailed for 74 seconds in the second halves of ACC play.
You of course never pull for your team to lose. Never. Never. Never. But, it would be good to see some team expose a flaw for the Cavaliers to work on. If UVa hit a couple bumps in the road before March, it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen so it has something to improve. And it will probably happen. The ACC is too good and too deep to not incur a few losses. UVa's ACC slate has been fairly easy so far. Four of the first five were at home, and the two road games were against Virginia Tech, which appears to be not as good as most people suspected, and Georgia Tech, which, despite the recent surge, will probably be stretching itself to get to 9-9 in the league. Bigger tests are coming, though. Clemson comes to JPJ as a ranked team Tuesday, and Virginia has to go to Duke next Saturday. Also coming up are road games at Florida State, Syracuse, Miami, and Louisville.
Wake Forest has a losing overall record, but can it be a challenge? I think the Demon Deacons have the potential to be more worrisome than the Yellow Jackets were. That's because Wake Forest is better on offense and can shoot 3-pointers better than Tech could. Crawford (35.2 percent), Woods (43.3), Childress (36.1), Wilbekin (43.4),and Brown (35.4) are all viable 3-point shooters. Thompson is at 50 percent, but he is just 6 of 12, and sophomore forward Donovan Mitchell is at 53.3 percent, but he's only made 8 of 15 and hasn't really been a factor in ACC play.
Wake's NCAA tournament repeat bid chances are quickly going down the tube, but if it is desperate for a win, it could be dangerous. The Deacons have lost four in a row after defeating Syracuse and taking UNC to the wire on the road. The nonconference slate started off with a thud, with losses to Georgia Southern, Liberty, and Drake right off the bat. For whatever reason, the season just didn't take off for the Demon Deacons. A lack of defense and a somewhat inefficient offense seem to be the main culprits. This is another one where I feel like if UVa controls the pace and feel of the game with its defense, and no one happens to have a great night from beyond the arc for Wake, Virginia should walk out of Winston-Salem with a victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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