Guy does his thing and Salt does as an unusual thing as UVa pulls away from N.C. State; FSU lurks in ACC semifinals
No. 1 Virginia (29-2) vs. No. 12 Florida State (26-6), 7 p.m. ESPN/ACC Network
Thursday's ACC tournament quarterfinal win for Virginia included the typical things you expect in a Virginia victory: hot shooting from Kyle Guy and 29 points, a solid 16 points from De'Andre Hunter, 10 assists from Ty Jerome, 18 points from Jack Salt, and a close game at the half that Virginia blew open in the second for a 76-56 triumph over N.C. State.
Wait what?
Yes indeed, Salt's 18 points were more real than the leprechauns we will be hearing about Sunday, when Selection Sunday will coincide with St. Patrick's Day (record day for bars on tap?). It was the first time Salt had scored in six games, and they weren't all dunks, as he also had a nice putback in midair
after a shot clanged off the rim, and one incredible move when he faked a pass and dribbled down the baseline around Wyatt Walker for an up-and-under layup plus a foul. I did not know the big man could move like that. UVa fans had to feel so very good for the Big Kiwi, who did not score on senior day but made up for it in a big way Thursday.
The rest of the game mostly went according to plan, but Virginia did struggle in the first half. It looked like it was going to be an easy win, with UVa up 18-10, but the Cavaliers didn't score again until it was 24-18 State. UVa's defense kept the game close, as it only made 1 of 9 3s in the first half, but finished 10 of 21. State didn't make any treys in the first 20 minutes and finished 3 of 20. Guy was 7 of 9 from beyond the arc, Hunter 2 of 3, and Jay Huff 1 of 2 for his total of three points. Jerome was 1 of 11 from the field and 0 for 6 on 3-pointers for two points, a far cry from his performance in the regular-season finale, but the New York native did have five rebounds and five steals (two turnovers) to go along with his 10 assists. Kihei Clark started and had two points, three assists, one turnover, four boards, and a steal. Braxton Key only had one free throw but recorded seven boards. Mamadi Diakite got in some foul trouble, playing just seven minutes while scoring two points. The most surprising part of the game actually would've been true freshman Kody Stattmann flying in for a dunk on the baseline in the closing minutes were it not for Salt's shocking explosion. Virginia finished with just nine turnovers, only three in the second half.
So even though the Wolfpack certainly pushed the Cavaliers for a while, Virginia ended up cruising into the semifinals. The little bit of breather the Wahoos might have gotten could give them a valuable edge over their opponent, Florida State, which was pushed to the limit in its 65-63 victory over Virginia Tech. The Seminoles' Devin Vassell made a heavily guarded deep corner 3 to tie the game with four seconds left and send it to overtime, then Terance Mann made an incredibly tough runner down the right side of the lane for the winning basket with two seconds left.
UVa and FSU met once this season, way back on Jan. 5 in Charlottesville, the ACC opener for both teams. Virginia was headed for a 25- to 30-point win before the Seminoles "rallied" in the last few minutes to make the score a more palatable 65-52. But it was the first of two dominating top-10 victories for the Cavaliers near the beginning of the conference slate, with Virginia Tech being the other. Guy had
21 points and was 5 of 6 from beyond the arc vs. FSU. Key had his best offensive game as a Cavalier, scoring 20 points as he went 2 for 5 on 3s. Jerome, Diakite, and Hunter had six points each. Key and Hunter each had six boards, and Jerome had six assists. No Seminoles scored in double figures. Phil Cofer had nine points, PJ Savoy eight, and MJ Walker seven. FSU's top scorers this season, Mfiondu Kabengele (13.1 ppg), Mann (11.5), and Trent Forrest (9.1) finished with just five, zero, and one points, respectively.
Florida State has had a really good season, going 13-5 overall in the ACC after a 1-4 start. One of those early losses was to Duke, a team it had on the ropes in Tallahassee before Cam Reddish won the game at the buzzer on a 3-pointer. But two of FSU's defeats came to Pitt and Boston College, conference cellar dwellers. UNC was the last team to beat FSU, 77-59. The Seminoles, who have won 13 of their past 14 contests, had some close wins, too, eight with single-digit margins in ACC play, including their past five.
The Cavaliers might have a little more energy on a little more rest coming off an easier game, but it will definitely be a closer matchup than in early January. FSU shoots just 33 percent from beyond the arc, and that's not a good formula for knocking off UVa. The Seminoles are a very solid team, but they've had some close victories in their hot streak. If Jerome and Hunter can find their grooves, Virginia might be able to pull away at the end of the game.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
Thursday's ACC tournament quarterfinal win for Virginia included the typical things you expect in a Virginia victory: hot shooting from Kyle Guy and 29 points, a solid 16 points from De'Andre Hunter, 10 assists from Ty Jerome, 18 points from Jack Salt, and a close game at the half that Virginia blew open in the second for a 76-56 triumph over N.C. State.
Wait what?
Yes indeed, Salt's 18 points were more real than the leprechauns we will be hearing about Sunday, when Selection Sunday will coincide with St. Patrick's Day (record day for bars on tap?). It was the first time Salt had scored in six games, and they weren't all dunks, as he also had a nice putback in midair
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| Jack Salt was Virginia's second-leading scorer with 18 points Thursday in UVa's 76-56 ACC tournament quarterfinal win over N.C. State, just like Wahoos fans expected. |
The rest of the game mostly went according to plan, but Virginia did struggle in the first half. It looked like it was going to be an easy win, with UVa up 18-10, but the Cavaliers didn't score again until it was 24-18 State. UVa's defense kept the game close, as it only made 1 of 9 3s in the first half, but finished 10 of 21. State didn't make any treys in the first 20 minutes and finished 3 of 20. Guy was 7 of 9 from beyond the arc, Hunter 2 of 3, and Jay Huff 1 of 2 for his total of three points. Jerome was 1 of 11 from the field and 0 for 6 on 3-pointers for two points, a far cry from his performance in the regular-season finale, but the New York native did have five rebounds and five steals (two turnovers) to go along with his 10 assists. Kihei Clark started and had two points, three assists, one turnover, four boards, and a steal. Braxton Key only had one free throw but recorded seven boards. Mamadi Diakite got in some foul trouble, playing just seven minutes while scoring two points. The most surprising part of the game actually would've been true freshman Kody Stattmann flying in for a dunk on the baseline in the closing minutes were it not for Salt's shocking explosion. Virginia finished with just nine turnovers, only three in the second half.
So even though the Wolfpack certainly pushed the Cavaliers for a while, Virginia ended up cruising into the semifinals. The little bit of breather the Wahoos might have gotten could give them a valuable edge over their opponent, Florida State, which was pushed to the limit in its 65-63 victory over Virginia Tech. The Seminoles' Devin Vassell made a heavily guarded deep corner 3 to tie the game with four seconds left and send it to overtime, then Terance Mann made an incredibly tough runner down the right side of the lane for the winning basket with two seconds left.
UVa and FSU met once this season, way back on Jan. 5 in Charlottesville, the ACC opener for both teams. Virginia was headed for a 25- to 30-point win before the Seminoles "rallied" in the last few minutes to make the score a more palatable 65-52. But it was the first of two dominating top-10 victories for the Cavaliers near the beginning of the conference slate, with Virginia Tech being the other. Guy had
Florida State has had a really good season, going 13-5 overall in the ACC after a 1-4 start. One of those early losses was to Duke, a team it had on the ropes in Tallahassee before Cam Reddish won the game at the buzzer on a 3-pointer. But two of FSU's defeats came to Pitt and Boston College, conference cellar dwellers. UNC was the last team to beat FSU, 77-59. The Seminoles, who have won 13 of their past 14 contests, had some close wins, too, eight with single-digit margins in ACC play, including their past five.
The Cavaliers might have a little more energy on a little more rest coming off an easier game, but it will definitely be a closer matchup than in early January. FSU shoots just 33 percent from beyond the arc, and that's not a good formula for knocking off UVa. The Seminoles are a very solid team, but they've had some close victories in their hot streak. If Jerome and Hunter can find their grooves, Virginia might be able to pull away at the end of the game.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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