No one saw that one coming. Definitely not anyone wearing a UNC uniform. A 15-point win in Chapel Hill goes a long way in helping rid the painful memories of Thursday's loss to Va Tech. Where the Hoos failed to finish against the Hokies, UVa always had an answer last night against North Carolina. Everyone knew, or at least felt, the Tarheels would make a run in the second half, yet the Cavs kept them at arms-length (and then some) after they built a big lead early in the second half. Sylven Landesburg played lights out, and Sammy Zeglinski shot extremely well from beyond the arc. Jerome Meyinsse posted another solid outing and played a big role in keeping UNC bigs Ed Davis and Deon Thompson in check. He and Mike Scott hounded the tandem all night long making it difficult for either of them to find any type of rhythm on offense. UVa's front court either blocked or altered their shots on numerous occasions and held Davis and Thompson to a combined 11 points on the evening.
Against Va Tech, Virginia struggled to hit big shots when the Cavs needed points the most, yet last night was a completely different story. UVa responded every time it looked as if UNC might mount a run and knocked down several key baskets to maintain control of the game. As Jeff White notes, Virginia's performance at Chapel Hill was impressive especially given what happened last Thursday night against the Hokies.
Speaking of winning at the Dean Dome, last night marked only the third time Virginia has ever won at the Smith Center and it was Virginia's first victory in the last six tries against the Tar Heels. For many UVa players, this marks one of the biggest victories of their college careers.
A surprising 4-2 in ACC play, tied for second in the league standings, has Virginia coach Tony Bennett starting to garner some attention for ACC Coach of the Year honors.
There's no question the Hoos caught UNC on an off shooting night, and even Bennett acknowledged as much in both his halftime and post-game tv interviews. Certainly some of that was due to UVa's defense (especially inside where seemingly almost every shot was contested) and some was due to the Tarheels having a tough outing. Couple that with a very strong offensive performance from the Cavs and it effectively created a near-perfect storm. Regardless, a win in Chapel Hill against the Tar Heels is huge and to finish the game so emphatically after blowing a 10-point lead against Va Tech makes the win that much more impressive. Without a doubt, Sunday's win was just what the doctor ordered and it showed this years' squad has the moxie to shake off a tough loss. This week the Hoos take on two more teams from North Carolina, and if Virginia can hold serve at home, the whispers of postseason play will certainly grow louder.
Beth Lillie Wins Donna Andrews Invitational
4 years ago
Simply put, Landesberg made enough plays to keep UNC at bay two nights after failing to do the same against the Hokies. He'll have to keep doing so, because when the chips are down, he's still the only guy that can get his own shot.
ReplyDeleteNice bounceback, but let's keep it in perspective. UNC is downright awful this year.
I thought Zeglinski also hit some big three pointers...again, no one was able to knock down those shots the other night. No doubt UNC is definitely down this year. Beating the Tarheels certainly wasn't earth shattering, but the way in which Virginia won was what stood out to me. Look at what Tech did down at Miami...winning on the road in the ACC isn't easy and it's certainly something that Virginia has not done well in recent years.
ReplyDeleteI was at the game last night. Obviously a great victory and made up for the 45 point loss I witnessed against UNC a few years back. Two things. First, our defense not only wore down the Tar Heels physically, it wrecked them mentally. You could see them on the court and off during that 18-3 run in the 2nd half... they just didn't have the will to put up the fight against UVA's tough D. Second, what a contrast between Ol' Roy and Tony B; the former ranting and raving on the sideline, while the latter was calmly talking to his kids, didn't break a sweat. Clearly this guy can coach. I hope we've locked him up for years to come.
ReplyDeleteI think this win will shut up the Bennett nay-sayers once and for all. I know that Zeglinski and Landesberg have one year behind them now, and newcomer Evans has played some decent minutes lately, but the difference in play between this year's team and the one last year can only be attributed to better coaching.
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