Syracuse at No. 3 Virginia, 8 p.m. ACC Network
Dunk City was Charlottesville on Saturday.
Virginia used its normally stifling defense, but also eight slams, to eventually pull away from No. 12 North Carolina and beat the Tar Heels, 61-49, at John Paul Jones Arena. It was a bit of a statement game for UVa, which followed up a dominating performance on the road against Virginia Tech with a very solid showing against the Tar Heels on national TV with Dick Vitale in the house. Virginia's recent play, coupled with several losses by top-10 teams the past week, vaulted the Wahoos up to No. 3 in the latest AP poll, which was released Monday.
Virginia was led by 16 points from Devon Hall, who made all four of his 3-point tries. In Malcolm Brogdon-esque fashion, he filled out his stat line nicely from there with seven assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block. De'Andre Hunter had another solid game with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench and provided the highlight of the game with a rebound and then baseline drive and dunk over Joel Berry, a monstrous slam that sent the crowd, Vitale, and Hunter's teammates into ecstasy. The dunk is below, because I don't think UVa fans will ever get tired of seeing it.
Down on the other end right after Hunter's display, Berry hit a 3, part of a mini-surge that got UNC to within 54-48. But then Hunter hit a turnaround shot in the paint, and the Cavaliers outscored the Heels the rest of the way, 7-1. It was another very positive sign for Hunter, who was not a factor in several nonconference games or in the Boston College contest. But now he's put together back-to-back strong outings in ACC play. You can really tell he is gaining confidence, and what better time for that to happen than against ACC foes?
Ty Jerome made 2 of his 6 3-pointers and contributed eight points, while Kyle Guy was a little cold, making just 1 of 6 3s and 2 of 10 from the field overall on his way to seven points. Isaiah Wilkins was his typical vital self, playing terrific defense on Luke Maye and finishing with six points, six rebounds, three blocks, and an assist. Nigel Johnson had six points, including five on back-to-back possessions when he answered a UNC 3-pointer with a 3 of his own, then stole a pass at half court and raced down for a somewhat surprising jam, since he is 6-foot-1. Mamadi Diakite had four points and a nice highlight himself when he, too, stole a pass at half court and took just three dribbles before taking off for a flying dunk. Virginia scored 61 points, but it felt like more, and all the jams were certainly a nice answer to those in the basketball world who call the Hoos' style boring.
UNC had no answers on the offensive end. Berry kept them in it by hitting 3 of 8 3-pointers and scoring 17 points, but Kenny Williams, a Richmond native who Virginia recruited, was the only other Tar Heel to score in double figures with 11 points, and he made three 3s as well. Maye, who came in averaging 18.1 points and 10.5 rebounds, was kept quiet, looking more like a walk-on (which he was) than one of the breakout stars during the Tar Heels' run to the national title last season. He finished with just six points on 2-of-10 shooting.
It was a 12-point win, but felt bigger than that as UNC struggled to get anything going in the second half. It was probably the most confident I've ever been with the team facing UNC, and the players performed that way, too. I wanted to predict more than a 1-5-point win, but I gave a team like the Tar Heels and a coach like Roy Williams the benefit of the doubt. But after the game, Williams got it right when he said, "It's a big ol' butt-kicking, is all it was. ... I mean, guys, you can't turn the ball over at the center line. ... You turn the sucker over at the center line, they're going to dunk the damn thing. So that's just silly. You're 25-3 on turnover points." Roy putting it as only Roy can.
As life in the ACC goes, though, UVa has a quick turnaround and another Hall of Fame coach to deal with in Jim Boeheim and Syracuse tonight. In their first three games as ACC opponents, Virginia dominated Syracuse, winning by an average score of 69-56, with the most memorable win coming at the end of the 2013-14 regular season when UVa won, 75-56, at home to clinch an outright ACC regular-season title, its first since 1981. But in the past two games, the Orange have prevailed after being down double digits, most painfully two seasons ago in the Elite Eight when it won, 68-62, and then 'Cuse did almost the same thing last year in the Carrier Dome when it won, 66-62. After the UNC game, Wilkins was asked if the way Syracuse has won the past two meetings will affect this matchup, and he of course said no and that the personnel is different. But those games were fairly recent, and there are plenty of players on Virginia's roster who were around for those losses, so you have to wonder if that is in the back of their heads a little bit.
Here's more on the Orange this season:
Record: 12-4, 1-2 ACC
Scorers in double figures: Sophomore guard Tyus Battle (19.5), junior guard Frank Howard (15.4), freshman Oshae Brissett (15.2)
Leading rebounders: Brissett (9.8), junior center Paschal Chukwu (5.7), freshman forward Marek Dolezaj (5.3), sophomore forward Matthew Moyer (5.1)
Assist leaders: Howard (5.8), Dolezaj (1.6), Battle (1.5)
Notable: No other player averages more than six points. Chukwu averages 5.5 points. Howard and Battle average about two steals each. Dolezaj, Chukwu, and Brissett average about a steal each. Chukwu averages 3.3 blocks, and Dolezaj about one. Moyer averages 4.4 points, and Dolezaj averages 4.3
Best win: 72-70 at home over Maryland on Nov. 27
Worst win: 72-64 at home over Toledo on Nov. 22. Battle didn't play in this game. Toledo is 9-6.
Other wins: Cornell, Iona, Texas Southern, Oakland, Connecticut, Colgate, Georgetown, Buffalo,
Eastern Michigan, Virginia Tech
Best loss: then-No. 2 Kansas, 76-60, in Miami
Worst loss: St. Bonaventure at home, 60-57, on Dec. 23
Other losses: Wake Forest, Notre Dame
What Syracuse does well: Like Virginia, Syracuse plays good defense. The Orange do it with a 2-3 zone. Syracuse is holding opponents to 62.2 ppg (17th in the nation), allowing them to make just 38.1 percent of their shots (11th), 33.2 percent on 3s (117th). Some teams do a good job of shooting over the zone. Sometimes, it can be tough to rebound out of a zone, but Syracuse has been solid and owns a margin on the boards of +7.8 per game. The Orange get 8.4 steals per game (26th) and 6.4 blocks per game (sixth).
What Syracuse doesn't do well: Offense has been a struggle at times for the Orange. It averages 70 points (tied-278th) and shoots 42.9 percent on field goals (269th), 31.6 percent on 3-pointers (303rd), and 70.9 percent on free throws (178th). Syracuse has had some trouble with ball security, turning it over 13.1 times per game (158th) with a +.91 assist-turnover ratio (266th).
I think it is safe to assume a fairly low-scoring game, obviously. Not only has Syracuse struggled on the offensive end somewhat this season, but it also plays at a slow pace similar to Virginia, a striking difference with UVa's two most recent foes. We might be in for Virginia-Wisconsin from earlier this season part II, but hopefully it is a little prettier than that. UVa hasn't had a ton of really good offensive games either, and it would be nice for the Hoos to gain even more confidence on that end of the floor.
Virginia's number of dunks against UNC bodes well for this game. Some were on breakaways off steals as Williams noted, but others came on nice ball movement, which the team will need to perform well against Syracuse's zone. Getting the ball into the middle of the zone and then deftly getting it to the baseline where bigs can finish is important, something Virginia didn't do a great job of last season. But Wilkins, Salt, and Diakite all seem more sure-handed this season, and they will probably have some opportunities for dunks tonight. Of concern, though, is Syracuse's ability to block shots, specifically Chukwu. So the guys need to go up strong. The other major way, of course, to beat the zone is to shoot over it, so hopefully Jerome, Guy, and/or Hall can knock a few 3s down to loosen things up.
Battle can really fill it up for Syracuse, but he isn't a great shooter at 42.6 percent on the year, 33.6 on 3s. But he hit 7 of his 11 shots and 3 of 6 3s on the way to 23 points in Syracuse's comeback win last season. The Orange actually doesn't have any player hitting at least 40 percent of his 3s. Howard is the closest at 38.2 percent.
Syracuse is coming off back-to-back close losses to Wake Forest (73-67 on the road) and at home against Notre Dame (51-49) after opening ACC play with a 68-56 victory over Virginia Tech at home. The Orange struggled mightily on offense in the loss to the Irish, shooting just 39.1 percent. Notre Dame actually shot worse at 30.4 percent, but got way more attempts and only made one fewer shot. Syracuse had 13 turnovers, and Battle and Howard both played all 40 minutes.
This is another game it is hard to not feel good about. Syracuse has been struggling, and UVa has been playing well. If Virginia can figure out the zone and take good shots and have a decent night from beyond the arc, the game should be the Wahoos' to lose. Battle and Howard's ability to go off on offense does worry me, as does the psychological edge the Orange might have over the Cavaliers right now, given the way the past two meetings have gone. But those two, plus Brissett, don't typically get a lot of help on offense, so one or both of them going off might not spell a loss for Virginia. And this game is back in JPJ, so if the team has put those losses in the past like Wilkins seems to think they have, and the team plays a solid game, UVa should come out with a victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
Dunk City was Charlottesville on Saturday.
Virginia used its normally stifling defense, but also eight slams, to eventually pull away from No. 12 North Carolina and beat the Tar Heels, 61-49, at John Paul Jones Arena. It was a bit of a statement game for UVa, which followed up a dominating performance on the road against Virginia Tech with a very solid showing against the Tar Heels on national TV with Dick Vitale in the house. Virginia's recent play, coupled with several losses by top-10 teams the past week, vaulted the Wahoos up to No. 3 in the latest AP poll, which was released Monday.
Virginia was led by 16 points from Devon Hall, who made all four of his 3-point tries. In Malcolm Brogdon-esque fashion, he filled out his stat line nicely from there with seven assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block. De'Andre Hunter had another solid game with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench and provided the highlight of the game with a rebound and then baseline drive and dunk over Joel Berry, a monstrous slam that sent the crowd, Vitale, and Hunter's teammates into ecstasy. The dunk is below, because I don't think UVa fans will ever get tired of seeing it.
Down on the other end right after Hunter's display, Berry hit a 3, part of a mini-surge that got UNC to within 54-48. But then Hunter hit a turnaround shot in the paint, and the Cavaliers outscored the Heels the rest of the way, 7-1. It was another very positive sign for Hunter, who was not a factor in several nonconference games or in the Boston College contest. But now he's put together back-to-back strong outings in ACC play. You can really tell he is gaining confidence, and what better time for that to happen than against ACC foes?
Ty Jerome made 2 of his 6 3-pointers and contributed eight points, while Kyle Guy was a little cold, making just 1 of 6 3s and 2 of 10 from the field overall on his way to seven points. Isaiah Wilkins was his typical vital self, playing terrific defense on Luke Maye and finishing with six points, six rebounds, three blocks, and an assist. Nigel Johnson had six points, including five on back-to-back possessions when he answered a UNC 3-pointer with a 3 of his own, then stole a pass at half court and raced down for a somewhat surprising jam, since he is 6-foot-1. Mamadi Diakite had four points and a nice highlight himself when he, too, stole a pass at half court and took just three dribbles before taking off for a flying dunk. Virginia scored 61 points, but it felt like more, and all the jams were certainly a nice answer to those in the basketball world who call the Hoos' style boring.
UNC had no answers on the offensive end. Berry kept them in it by hitting 3 of 8 3-pointers and scoring 17 points, but Kenny Williams, a Richmond native who Virginia recruited, was the only other Tar Heel to score in double figures with 11 points, and he made three 3s as well. Maye, who came in averaging 18.1 points and 10.5 rebounds, was kept quiet, looking more like a walk-on (which he was) than one of the breakout stars during the Tar Heels' run to the national title last season. He finished with just six points on 2-of-10 shooting.
It was a 12-point win, but felt bigger than that as UNC struggled to get anything going in the second half. It was probably the most confident I've ever been with the team facing UNC, and the players performed that way, too. I wanted to predict more than a 1-5-point win, but I gave a team like the Tar Heels and a coach like Roy Williams the benefit of the doubt. But after the game, Williams got it right when he said, "It's a big ol' butt-kicking, is all it was. ... I mean, guys, you can't turn the ball over at the center line. ... You turn the sucker over at the center line, they're going to dunk the damn thing. So that's just silly. You're 25-3 on turnover points." Roy putting it as only Roy can.
As life in the ACC goes, though, UVa has a quick turnaround and another Hall of Fame coach to deal with in Jim Boeheim and Syracuse tonight. In their first three games as ACC opponents, Virginia dominated Syracuse, winning by an average score of 69-56, with the most memorable win coming at the end of the 2013-14 regular season when UVa won, 75-56, at home to clinch an outright ACC regular-season title, its first since 1981. But in the past two games, the Orange have prevailed after being down double digits, most painfully two seasons ago in the Elite Eight when it won, 68-62, and then 'Cuse did almost the same thing last year in the Carrier Dome when it won, 66-62. After the UNC game, Wilkins was asked if the way Syracuse has won the past two meetings will affect this matchup, and he of course said no and that the personnel is different. But those games were fairly recent, and there are plenty of players on Virginia's roster who were around for those losses, so you have to wonder if that is in the back of their heads a little bit.
Here's more on the Orange this season:
Record: 12-4, 1-2 ACC
Scorers in double figures: Sophomore guard Tyus Battle (19.5), junior guard Frank Howard (15.4), freshman Oshae Brissett (15.2)
Leading rebounders: Brissett (9.8), junior center Paschal Chukwu (5.7), freshman forward Marek Dolezaj (5.3), sophomore forward Matthew Moyer (5.1)
Assist leaders: Howard (5.8), Dolezaj (1.6), Battle (1.5)
Notable: No other player averages more than six points. Chukwu averages 5.5 points. Howard and Battle average about two steals each. Dolezaj, Chukwu, and Brissett average about a steal each. Chukwu averages 3.3 blocks, and Dolezaj about one. Moyer averages 4.4 points, and Dolezaj averages 4.3
Best win: 72-70 at home over Maryland on Nov. 27
Worst win: 72-64 at home over Toledo on Nov. 22. Battle didn't play in this game. Toledo is 9-6.
Other wins: Cornell, Iona, Texas Southern, Oakland, Connecticut, Colgate, Georgetown, Buffalo,
Best loss: then-No. 2 Kansas, 76-60, in Miami
Worst loss: St. Bonaventure at home, 60-57, on Dec. 23
Other losses: Wake Forest, Notre Dame
What Syracuse does well: Like Virginia, Syracuse plays good defense. The Orange do it with a 2-3 zone. Syracuse is holding opponents to 62.2 ppg (17th in the nation), allowing them to make just 38.1 percent of their shots (11th), 33.2 percent on 3s (117th). Some teams do a good job of shooting over the zone. Sometimes, it can be tough to rebound out of a zone, but Syracuse has been solid and owns a margin on the boards of +7.8 per game. The Orange get 8.4 steals per game (26th) and 6.4 blocks per game (sixth).
What Syracuse doesn't do well: Offense has been a struggle at times for the Orange. It averages 70 points (tied-278th) and shoots 42.9 percent on field goals (269th), 31.6 percent on 3-pointers (303rd), and 70.9 percent on free throws (178th). Syracuse has had some trouble with ball security, turning it over 13.1 times per game (158th) with a +.91 assist-turnover ratio (266th).
I think it is safe to assume a fairly low-scoring game, obviously. Not only has Syracuse struggled on the offensive end somewhat this season, but it also plays at a slow pace similar to Virginia, a striking difference with UVa's two most recent foes. We might be in for Virginia-Wisconsin from earlier this season part II, but hopefully it is a little prettier than that. UVa hasn't had a ton of really good offensive games either, and it would be nice for the Hoos to gain even more confidence on that end of the floor.
Virginia's number of dunks against UNC bodes well for this game. Some were on breakaways off steals as Williams noted, but others came on nice ball movement, which the team will need to perform well against Syracuse's zone. Getting the ball into the middle of the zone and then deftly getting it to the baseline where bigs can finish is important, something Virginia didn't do a great job of last season. But Wilkins, Salt, and Diakite all seem more sure-handed this season, and they will probably have some opportunities for dunks tonight. Of concern, though, is Syracuse's ability to block shots, specifically Chukwu. So the guys need to go up strong. The other major way, of course, to beat the zone is to shoot over it, so hopefully Jerome, Guy, and/or Hall can knock a few 3s down to loosen things up.
Battle can really fill it up for Syracuse, but he isn't a great shooter at 42.6 percent on the year, 33.6 on 3s. But he hit 7 of his 11 shots and 3 of 6 3s on the way to 23 points in Syracuse's comeback win last season. The Orange actually doesn't have any player hitting at least 40 percent of his 3s. Howard is the closest at 38.2 percent.
Syracuse is coming off back-to-back close losses to Wake Forest (73-67 on the road) and at home against Notre Dame (51-49) after opening ACC play with a 68-56 victory over Virginia Tech at home. The Orange struggled mightily on offense in the loss to the Irish, shooting just 39.1 percent. Notre Dame actually shot worse at 30.4 percent, but got way more attempts and only made one fewer shot. Syracuse had 13 turnovers, and Battle and Howard both played all 40 minutes.
This is another game it is hard to not feel good about. Syracuse has been struggling, and UVa has been playing well. If Virginia can figure out the zone and take good shots and have a decent night from beyond the arc, the game should be the Wahoos' to lose. Battle and Howard's ability to go off on offense does worry me, as does the psychological edge the Orange might have over the Cavaliers right now, given the way the past two meetings have gone. But those two, plus Brissett, don't typically get a lot of help on offense, so one or both of them going off might not spell a loss for Virginia. And this game is back in JPJ, so if the team has put those losses in the past like Wilkins seems to think they have, and the team plays a solid game, UVa should come out with a victory.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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