VCU at No. 4 Virginia, Sunday 1:30 p.m. NBC Sports Washington
The last time I discussed the Virginia basketball team, it was 3-0 and I was predicting a 26-4 regular season.
Since then, the Cavaliers have done nothing to suggest they aren't very strong this season. Now they are 8-0 with four more games to go before ACC play begins. Here's a quick look at each game that's been played, what I've noticed, and what's ahead.
Nov. 21: 74-52 over Middle Tennessee in the Bahamas
Leading scorers: De'Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy with 15 points each.
Trends and notes: Virginia took a 9-0 lead, but the team sort of looked sloppy the rest of the way. That should tell you everything you need to know about the state of UVa basketball when a 22-point victory is so normal that fans nitpick and find flaws. Flaws that no doubt Tony Bennett sees too, and he probably sees even more, but still, times are good when we can complain about a blowout win.
Nov. 22: 66-59 over Dayton in the Bahamas
Leading scorer: Hunter with 23.
Trends and notes: The Wahoos had the opposite start in this one. The Flyers were up 7-0, and Virginia didn't score its first basket until 15:04 was left in the first half and Guy made a 3-pointer. But after the slow start, the Cavaliers outscored the Flyers 27-15 the rest of the first half. Dayton was a physical team and kept it close in the second half. UVa never took a double-digit lead, but made 17 of 22 free throws to keep Dayton at arm's length.
Nov. 23: 53-46 over No. 25 Wisconsin in the Bahamas
Leading scorer: Hunter with 20.
Trends and notes: Back to a fast start -- UVa led 33-18 at the half over a Wisconsin team that is looking much better and healthier than a season ago when the Cavaliers beat the Badgers, 49-37, in Charlottesville. But the second half got rough. Wisconsin pulled to within five a few times, but that was as close as it got. Virginia shot just 37 percent, Wisconsin 43.8. UVa made 9 of 12 free throws, while the Badgers only went 2 of 3.
Nov. 28: 76-71 at No. 24 Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Leading scorer: Guy with 18.
Trends and notes: I believe this was the first time Virginia won back-to-back games against ranked
teams away from home since the 1980s. In front of a fired up crowd, UVa played well, taking a 39-30 lead into the half and eventually building it to 48-31 early in the second. But then the Terrapins began chipping away. Still, the Cavaliers never let Maryland's momentum totally overcome them, and they maintained a cushion of at least four the rest of the way. The Terps made a series of 3s at the end of the game that made the final score seem a little closer than how comfortable it actually felt as a fan. Virginia made 10 3-pointers and had five players in double figures. In addition to Guy, Ty Jerome had 17 points (and a big 3-pointer with time winding down on the shot clock, not unlike his deep make at Duke last season), Hunter 15, Braxton Key 10, and Jack Salt, of all people, ended up with career-high 12 points, mostly on dunks. He also finished with seven rebounds, one steal, and a block.
Monday: 83-45 vs. Morgan State
Leading scorer: Hunter and Guy with 15 each.
Trends and notes: UVa had 18 points by the first under-16 timeout, meaning it was well on pace to score 100 points for the first time in the Tony Bennett era. At one point, the Cavaliers were shooting 85 percent. But then Bennett started playing with different combos and the rotation, and Virginia cooled off significantly, especially early in the second half. In fact, the early part of the second 20 minutes was pretty boring. I believe at one point, with about 10 minutes left, the second half was 11-6
in favor of the 'Hoos. But they finished with a flurry. Kody Stattmann had nine points, and the walk-ons had a good time, too: Austin Katstra had a dunk, and Grant Kersey had five points, including a 3-point play. UVa ended up with 36 second-half points, only a little off the 47 they had in the first.
Observations
Bennett has mixed up the starters a lot. The first lineup of the year was Jerome, Guy, Hunter, Key, and Salt. Salt did not play against Coppin State (the 97-40 blowout before the Bahamas tournament) because of an injured back and did not start against Middle Tennessee or Dayton. Mamadi Diakite started for Salt in each of those games, but Salt ended up playing more than Diakite against Dayton. Starting against Wisconsin, Kihei Clark started for Key. The lineup for Wisconsin, Maryland, and Morgan State was Clark, Jerome, Guy, Hunter, and Salt.
Key hasn't been as productive recently as he was early. In the first four games, Key averaged 8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game. In the past four, he's averaged 4.8 points and 4 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. I'm not sure why, but he did play 33 minutes against Dayton but only scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting. He's still a key cog off the bench, and I think he will be a big contributor a few times this season.
Diakite has been disappointing. His averages are slightly up over a season ago, which actually surprises me, and he's playing about the same amount (only slightly more), so maybe I am being too
harsh. What do you guys think? He just doesn't impress me when he's on the floor. I do recall him making an and-1 late against Morgan State. Hopefully he busts out some more this season and proves me wrong.
Clark has been a revelation. Who would have thought that the little 5-foot-9 Californian would have started the past three games? Had the two choices at the beginning of the season been starter or redshirt, I'm sure almost everyone would have chosen redshirt. He's brought a defensive intensity you don't often see from freshmen, and that's probably even harder to do under Bennett. He's often found right in the grill of whoever he is guarding. And he's not a bad scorer, either, at 5.4 points per game. He's also averaging 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Clark has played point guard, allowing Jerome to free himself up more as a scorer. It looks like Bennett found himself a gem.
Jerome (13.6 ppg), Guy (13.3 ppg), and Hunter (16.4 ppg) stir the drink. Jerome controls everything. Hunter is such a versatile scorer, and Guy can go off at any time, but Jerome is so heady and is the brain of the operation. Jerome is shooting 45.2 percent beyond the arc, the best average of his three years. Guy has improved from last season and seems like he's taking better shots at 42.9 percent, but he's still not close to his freshman mark of 49.5, but that would be a lot to ask. Hunter is everything we were hoping for, and pro scouts have to be salivating. He can shoot midrange shots, 3s, and can explode to the rim. He leads the team shooting 47.6 percent beyond the arc, and he is also a strong rebounder at 5.5 per game. On his drives and on the boards, his athleticism, relentlessness, and length are huge attributes. Just please stay healthy. Knock on wood.
Upcoming schedule
Sunday: vs. VCU (7-2), 1:30 p.m. NBC Sports Washington
Dec. 19: at South Carolina (4-4), 7 p.m. SEC Network
Dec. 22: vs. William & Mary (2-7), 2 p.m. ESPN3.com
Dec. 31: vs. Marshall (5-3), 1 p.m. on regional sports networks
Jan. 5 (first ACC game): vs. No. 11 Florida State (7-1), 3 p.m. ESPN2
The last time I discussed the Virginia basketball team, it was 3-0 and I was predicting a 26-4 regular season.
Since then, the Cavaliers have done nothing to suggest they aren't very strong this season. Now they are 8-0 with four more games to go before ACC play begins. Here's a quick look at each game that's been played, what I've noticed, and what's ahead.
Nov. 21: 74-52 over Middle Tennessee in the Bahamas
Leading scorers: De'Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy with 15 points each.
Trends and notes: Virginia took a 9-0 lead, but the team sort of looked sloppy the rest of the way. That should tell you everything you need to know about the state of UVa basketball when a 22-point victory is so normal that fans nitpick and find flaws. Flaws that no doubt Tony Bennett sees too, and he probably sees even more, but still, times are good when we can complain about a blowout win.
Nov. 22: 66-59 over Dayton in the Bahamas
Leading scorer: Hunter with 23.
Trends and notes: The Wahoos had the opposite start in this one. The Flyers were up 7-0, and Virginia didn't score its first basket until 15:04 was left in the first half and Guy made a 3-pointer. But after the slow start, the Cavaliers outscored the Flyers 27-15 the rest of the first half. Dayton was a physical team and kept it close in the second half. UVa never took a double-digit lead, but made 17 of 22 free throws to keep Dayton at arm's length.
Nov. 23: 53-46 over No. 25 Wisconsin in the Bahamas
Leading scorer: Hunter with 20.
Trends and notes: Back to a fast start -- UVa led 33-18 at the half over a Wisconsin team that is looking much better and healthier than a season ago when the Cavaliers beat the Badgers, 49-37, in Charlottesville. But the second half got rough. Wisconsin pulled to within five a few times, but that was as close as it got. Virginia shot just 37 percent, Wisconsin 43.8. UVa made 9 of 12 free throws, while the Badgers only went 2 of 3.
Nov. 28: 76-71 at No. 24 Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Leading scorer: Guy with 18.
Trends and notes: I believe this was the first time Virginia won back-to-back games against ranked
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| Jack Salt did this a lot against Maryland. |
Monday: 83-45 vs. Morgan State
Leading scorer: Hunter and Guy with 15 each.
Trends and notes: UVa had 18 points by the first under-16 timeout, meaning it was well on pace to score 100 points for the first time in the Tony Bennett era. At one point, the Cavaliers were shooting 85 percent. But then Bennett started playing with different combos and the rotation, and Virginia cooled off significantly, especially early in the second half. In fact, the early part of the second 20 minutes was pretty boring. I believe at one point, with about 10 minutes left, the second half was 11-6
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| De'Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy are giving opponents a lot to worry about. |
Observations
Bennett has mixed up the starters a lot. The first lineup of the year was Jerome, Guy, Hunter, Key, and Salt. Salt did not play against Coppin State (the 97-40 blowout before the Bahamas tournament) because of an injured back and did not start against Middle Tennessee or Dayton. Mamadi Diakite started for Salt in each of those games, but Salt ended up playing more than Diakite against Dayton. Starting against Wisconsin, Kihei Clark started for Key. The lineup for Wisconsin, Maryland, and Morgan State was Clark, Jerome, Guy, Hunter, and Salt.
Key hasn't been as productive recently as he was early. In the first four games, Key averaged 8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game. In the past four, he's averaged 4.8 points and 4 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. I'm not sure why, but he did play 33 minutes against Dayton but only scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting. He's still a key cog off the bench, and I think he will be a big contributor a few times this season.
Diakite has been disappointing. His averages are slightly up over a season ago, which actually surprises me, and he's playing about the same amount (only slightly more), so maybe I am being too
 |
| Ty Jerome is having fun playing off the ball some, but he's still controlling the pace of the game. |
Clark has been a revelation. Who would have thought that the little 5-foot-9 Californian would have started the past three games? Had the two choices at the beginning of the season been starter or redshirt, I'm sure almost everyone would have chosen redshirt. He's brought a defensive intensity you don't often see from freshmen, and that's probably even harder to do under Bennett. He's often found right in the grill of whoever he is guarding. And he's not a bad scorer, either, at 5.4 points per game. He's also averaging 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Clark has played point guard, allowing Jerome to free himself up more as a scorer. It looks like Bennett found himself a gem.
Jerome (13.6 ppg), Guy (13.3 ppg), and Hunter (16.4 ppg) stir the drink. Jerome controls everything. Hunter is such a versatile scorer, and Guy can go off at any time, but Jerome is so heady and is the brain of the operation. Jerome is shooting 45.2 percent beyond the arc, the best average of his three years. Guy has improved from last season and seems like he's taking better shots at 42.9 percent, but he's still not close to his freshman mark of 49.5, but that would be a lot to ask. Hunter is everything we were hoping for, and pro scouts have to be salivating. He can shoot midrange shots, 3s, and can explode to the rim. He leads the team shooting 47.6 percent beyond the arc, and he is also a strong rebounder at 5.5 per game. On his drives and on the boards, his athleticism, relentlessness, and length are huge attributes. Just please stay healthy. Knock on wood.
Upcoming schedule
Sunday: vs. VCU (7-2), 1:30 p.m. NBC Sports Washington
Dec. 19: at South Carolina (4-4), 7 p.m. SEC Network
Dec. 22: vs. William & Mary (2-7), 2 p.m. ESPN3.com
Dec. 31: vs. Marshall (5-3), 1 p.m. on regional sports networks
Jan. 5 (first ACC game): vs. No. 11 Florida State (7-1), 3 p.m. ESPN2
I'm with you on Diakite. I don't know that he's regressed, but I haven't seen him take any steps forward or make any especially big plays.
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