Virginia 59 Bethune-Cookman 41
No Dai Dai Ames: If you want to see what it is like when Virginia misses Ames, go back and watch the first half. The Cavaliers started the game 1-12 from the field and scored only 18 points in the first half. Virginia had more turnovers than made field goals in the first half. What was the issue? The Cavaliers played slow. The ball was being walked up the floor, and the offense’s movements needed to be crisp. Virginia somewhat got out of its funk when Ishan Sharma came in (more on that later).
Early Post Touches: One of the things I thought Virginia would establish from game one is a post presence. At the beginning of the season, there wasn’t a commitment to it in part because head coach Ron Sanchez had indicated that Blake Buchanan’s development wasn’t there yet. Tonight, the Cavaliers were trying to get the ball to the post via the pass, and though it wasn’t effective and probably contributed to the slow start, the commitment appeared to be there. A post-presence will be needed throughout the ACC season. It was the difference in Virginia’s loss to SMU.
It’s why Buchanan’s development is so important. Virginia can’t get into the habit of having Elijah Saunders as the undersized big because they could lead to serious foul trouble, and Saunders’ offense is too important to have him off the floor.
Ishan Sharma’s Three-Point Shooting: Sharma’s back-to-back threes broke Virginia out of the Cavaliers’ first-half slump. He would finish the game shooting 4-7 (all threes) for a career-high 12 points. With TJ Power struggling, Sharma’s three-point shooting will be important to the Cavaliers’ offense.
Leaders:
Points: Saunders – 15
Rebounds: Cofie – 10
Assists: McKneely – 4
Notes:
- Bethune-Cookman didn’t score in the last 5:49
- Virginia’s first lead didn’t come until there was 14:48 left in the game
- Jacob Cofie had his second double-double of the season. The other came against Coppin State.
