University of Virginia Review

Final Score: UW-106 UVA-63


Just the Facts

So my prediction was wrong....I underestimated us and overestimated UVA. Even Hosley hit a three this game (his first career score). Only Sherrer was unable to score, sadly. In the first half UW went 8 for 9 from behind the arc. The only miss came off of a near half court shot taken near the end of the first by Isaiah Thomas. UW shot an amazing 17 for 26 from range. Ross, Wilcox, and Thomas all hit 4. Holiday lead the team in rebounding with 9. MBA only managed 8 points and 4 rebounds in limited minutes. Venoy Overton was also a nonfactor scoring 2 points with 4 assists. Speaking of assists, UW had 18 assists on 40 made shots. Holiday lead the team with 6 of the 8 steals UW snatched away. Aziz N'Diaye went perfect from the free throw line, shooting 4 for 4 (all swished by the way). 58% from the field tonight from the Dawgs and 65.4% from range. They also shot 69.2% from the charity line on a 9 for 13 night. Thomas lead the team in scoring with 18. Wilcox put up 17 in only 15 minutes. Ross and Gaddy added 12, Holiday dropped in 11. Suggs, Aziz, and MBA had 8. UW out rebounded UVA 37-32, not great, but better than losing the rebounding war.
Joe Harris had 19 for the Cavs with Harrell adding 14. UVA only made 4 three points the whole night.

The Spin


A completely dominant game for UW. The first few minutes of the game were close as expected, with Virginia taking the early lead. After that the skies opened and 3 pointers rained down from everyone and everywhere from all sorts of range. C.J. was the most impressive, shooting on the run, fading away, from behind the yellow line. He did it all. Holiday, I.T., and C.J. all deserve recognition for their excellence on defense and offense. Romar did well in resting I.T., MBA, and Holiday for what should be an intense game tomorrow against Kentucky (write up coming either later tonight or early tomorrow morning). MBA, while limited in minutes and scoring, was efficient as ever, scoring over opponents at will, banking shots in. Overton just wasn't himself out there. Low scoring, no steals, a good amount of assists. He may still be sore after taking a hard fall against Eastern. He may have been told to take it easy to conserve him for tomorrow. I don't know the reason. Holiday started hot, but had troubles with easy lay-ins throughout the game.

Lets look at the highs and lows of the game.

Needs Improvement


Rebounding


While we won the rebounding game tonight, we only managed 5 more than Virginia. We need to do better than that, especially tomorrow against Kentucky. A good, obtainable goal for the Dawgs should be 45 rebounds a game, with maybe 15 to 20 offensive boards. Holiday was great on the boards tonight, while the bigs again struggled to find consistency. On the plus side, nearly every player grabbed two or more boards. We are getting there, but we still have work to do.

Chaos


We began to get out of control about 6 minutes into the second half jacking up shots and playing slack defense. I partially blame this on Overton and Ross who both played a tad too fast and anxious during that period. It was soon brought back under control by Gaddy and Isaiah. When we get up we need to take control and not let our play get out of hand. This wasn't a common theme throughout the game, but it happened enough times that Romar should think to address it.

What Was Great


Three Point Shooting


Nearly 66% from behind the line is unstoppable, especially considering the 66% was on 17 makes. An 8 for 9 half with the only miss coming off a last second shot is ridiculous. Wilcox looks like he has found his groove and was nailing ridiculous shots I couldn't believe were dropping. Each make just made the night that much better. I think C.J. wants more minutes and he deserves it. He played a complete game (more on this in the player reviews).  Isaiah was absurd, Ross was lights out, Suggs even looked pretty good. Hell, even Gant and Hosley went 1 for 1 behind the line. It was impressive to say the least. I'm quite in awe of how well we shot tonight that I'm partially at a loss for words. If you didn't see the game, please watch the replay first chance you get, its well worth it.

Defense


UW did a good job of shutting down Scott, holding him to 11. Harris stepped up big for Virginia by getting 19. He drove really well and this was the one place were UW was sketchy on defense. There was some trouble with our bigs not stepping in to help. C.J. was looking fabulous out there on D. Holiday was ridiculous on steals, nabbing 6 officially, I counted 8 or 9 myself, either way it was just beautiful. Holding Virginia to 39% shooting and 25% from range is a great example of how vicious we can be defensively. Kentucky will be facing a huge test tomorrow against our defense.

Passing


Yet again the Huskies did a great job of sharing the ball. Nearly 50% of all made shots were assisted. Gaddy led the team with 5 assists and Venoy dished out 4. The excellent three point shooting was not only due to our pretty stroke, but our ability to move the ball and find the open man. We did a great job of forcing the middle and dishing back out to the perimeter. This will be a huge strength tomorrow when facing the lacking interior of Kentucky.

Inside Shooting


Gaddy highlighted the interior play, going 6 for 7 from short, 0-2 from long, though one made shot was a half step inside the arc. I.T. was excellent on the drive per usual and looked back in form after last game's subpar outing. He made some impressive shots driving from the baseline.


Player by Player Review


Matthew Bryan-Amaning

Not a bad performance for only 17 minutes of play. 8 points and 4 rebounds is a decent night, but not quite the 20 point, 10 rebound effort we were expecting from him. Chalk it up to good defense by Virginia and lack of overall opportunities for MBA. With almost half our makes coming from downtown, its not surprising that he only scored 8. His rebounding should have been better. Let's hope he shows up strong against Kentucky. Nothing fancy tonight, but nothing to really detract from his performance. His best shot was probably the short jumper over 4 defenders. Admittedly 2 of them were facing the wrong way.
Grade: B

Justin Holiday


11 points on 4 for 10 shooting. I don't know what happened, but Holiday struggled on the break and simple lay-ins. He made a somewhat greedy play opting to shoot on the fast break when I.T. was right by with a far better and much more open shot. He went 2 for 2 on threes. His 6 steals and 9 rebounds were the important contributions he brought to the team. He did a fabulous job on defense as we have come to expect. He did have 3 fouls, a bit unusual for him, but I don't think it'll become a trend. If Holiday can get his short shots down, he'll have a much better offensive night. He also needs to look for the open players on breaks if his shot is not going to be successful.
Grade: B+

Venoy Overton


A down night for Overton. He passed well and was a great team player, but did nothing outside of assists on offense or defense for that matter. He did well controlling his man, but didn't force turnovers like we are used to him doing. He had good speed and did well on his only scoring drive. Not sure the reason for the stat lacking night, but let's hope it clears up by tomorrow. He had a great pass to Gant for a monster dunk.
Grade: C+

Isaiah Thomas


18 points, 4 for 6 on range, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Great night for I.T. who came out fired up and shot like a demon had possessed him. He played 24 minutes on the night, coming out with about 10 minutes to go in the second if my memory serves me right. It may have been a bit later. All I know is he was enjoying watching UW rain down the points. Personally, I thought he played like the MVP of the game tonight. He was a leader through and through. Defensively, he executed well. Offensively, they had no answer for him. He was not to be stopped. Great night, great shot, great athlete.
Grade: A+

Darnell Gant


4 rebounds and 7 points on 3 for 7 shooting including 1 for 1 from the arc. Defensively, Darnell played very well in front of his man, but fouled too often trying to block shots. We need him to avoid foul trouble so our bigs can get some rest time. He still is developing his shot, but it looked better than it has in the past. Darnell is going to have to step up big tomorrow and play like a champ against Terrence Jones. His long arms were foul prone tonight. We need them to be more effective and straight up. Go for the D rather than the block. He also needs to continue to improve on his glass work. 4 rebounds is nice, but we need him to get 6 or 7. He played his role well overall and its good to see his shot confidence is rising. Once they start falling, we will have another offensive threat on the court.
Grade: B+

Scott Suggs


It looks as though Scott may once again be taking the back seat to more skilled players. While he had a decent performance tonight, shooting 50% on the tres, and grabbing 4 boards, C.J. and Ross definitely looked to be much better all around players on the court. Suggs is still not as strong defensively as I would like to see. He showed some driving ability, but turned the ball over a few times after losing his handle on it. If he can begin to pass out when under pressure and not force the drive to happen, he will be a much better player. We will most likely see his minutes drop the most. I am slightly surprised to see he garnered 23 minutes, while C.J. only played for 15 and Ross for 12. Romar must be seeing something out of him I am not, personally I think C.J. is a much better defender and has a sweet stroke. Whatever Romar sees I hope starts to show more. He isn't a bad player, but of the three shooting wings he seems the weakest.
Grade: B

Brendan Sherrer


No stats for the Cigar today, just 2-3 minutes of play time. Let's hope we keep the smoking chain going.
Grade: A for effort

Aziz N'Diaye


Free throws were out of this world tonight. Much, much better than the McNeese fiasco. As I wrote for that game, he has good form and nearly all of his misses were close. Tonight he aced them all with perfect swishes. Let's hope that kind of shooting stays. Two blocks, two assists, and three rebounds to go along with 8 points. A good night for 15 minutes of play. Like Darnell, we need to get more consistent rebounding out of him. This will allow our guards to get out in transition versus hanging in the back snatching up boards. I am still impressed with how much space he takes up on the court. He gets low on screens making a huge wall to go around. On defense he gets his arms out wide and clogs the lanes. His immense size is going to be very useful the entire season. His best play came on a wonderful hook shot over his opponent's head that banked in. His long arms keep his shot out of reach for most opponents. If he finds a grove against Kentucky we will be in a happy situation.
Grade: B

Abdul Gaddy


While his long ball didn't connect tonight, he shooting game was outstanding. He made 6 of 7 from short including two or three of those beautiful tear drops from the middle of the key. He drove well with fancy spin moves, passed as great as ever, and put up another fantastic performance. It looks like the new and improved Gaddy is here to stay and I'm in love with it. His great play was the missing key to last years team and he will be key in this season's success. His confidence goes up with every made shot and it gets our team going as well. He is a quiet leader on the court, but knows how to take charge and talk with his teammates when he needs to. He pulled Ross over after a sloppy, unnecessary foul and told him how to avoid it next time. He has a great calming effect, which will be huge in the emotional, physical games that tomorrow could turn out to be.
Grade: A

Antoine Hosley


Came in for 3 minutes. Knocked down a three almost immediately. As wonky as his shot is, it sank beautifully. He is on his way to Cigar stardom as well.
Grade: A for effort A+ for sinking that three like a boss.

Terrence Ross


Ross showed why he is a 5 star recruit, no matter what the polls say. 4 for 5 from range on beautiful shots. He showed why he pulls up and takes shots that might make you cringe at first glance. He was a bit rough on defense tonight, picking up some sloppy fouls. That is a freshman mistake that will be corrected with time and practice. I can promise we will be seeing more of him before long. He may not quite be a one and done, but it is not unforeseeable for him to leave after 2 years, though I hope he stays for 4. He did well at getting open and making his shots. Only 2 boards tonight. I'd like to see him with 4 to 5 per 15 to 20 minutes.
Grade: A-

C.J. Wilcox


Another MVP of the game candidate along with I.T. and Holiday, C.J. was absolutely filthy on the floor tonight. His shot was untouchable. He must have hit two near 30 feet out. He nailed fade aways, pull up jumpers, and just plain open shots on the perimeter. On top of his 17 points he put up 3 boards and 4 assists. Defensively he looked better than ever. He was extremely feisty on D, getting low and in the face of his opponent. He controlled their play and tempo and stepped up like a champ. He is looking to be a very promising player, one who should see 20+ minutes a game if he continues to play so efficiently. Play like that will get you more minutes guaranteed. I'm starting to love this kid more and more every game. I hope we get to keep him for 4 years.
Grade: A+

Concluding Thoughts


I thought we played even more dominantly than I thought we would. Our shooting was absurd and our defense was great. While not our best defensive game (allowing a player to get 19 points is not something we want), overall we were effective at holding their offense down. Keeping our percentage at 60% or more while keeping theirs to 40% or less will almost guarantee a win every time. So will 100+ points a game. I like the team effort and the all around scoring our team puts out each and every game. It allows us to be versatile, dangerous, and protects us when players have slump nights as we have others who can step up and perform as we need. If we continue to play as we did today, there isn't a team in the nation that can stop us. Our offense has been too potent, and too varied to be shut down. Our defense has played well, holding opponents to 76 points or less in all 4 games of the year, an average of 68.75 points a game. Kentucky will be much more potent on offense tomorrow so our defense will need to be at its best and our offense needs to maintain its pace. I'll have a full write up tomorrow morning on Kentucky.
Great job tonight boys, let's keep it rolling tomorrow and take the world by storm.

Links


http://www.montlakemadness.com/maui-virginia-game-recap/
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2013498958_you_want_kentuc.html
http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112310aaa.html
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/18574/huskies-dominate-big-blue-next