Looking back on the game, its hard to see how Virginia could have played the system any better. They only turned the ball over only nine times against a very tough Wake Forest defense. They fought inside against an opponent with superior size and strength inside. Jontel Evans ran himself ragged trying to keep Ish Smith out of the lane. But in the end, the Deamon Deacons, playing a similar style to Bennett-Ball, was just too big, too strong, too good for the Hoos.
A few observations from the Hoos' second OT loss at home:
- He struggled at times, but Sylven Landesberg was the best player on the court when he had to be, and single-handedly kept Virginia in the game late. With no one else scoring in the second half, Landesberg's tireless drives, runners, and clutch free throws were impressive, even in a losing effort.
- Evans made some key stops on Ishmael Smith in the second half as Virginia pulled even late, but looked gassed on the penultimate possession when Smith beat him left and got to the basket for a layup. He also seemed to have nothing left for the extra session. Don't worry, Jontel, the kid you were trying to stop is a senior. In three years, you're going to be him, maybe better.
- The Hoos fought on the glass, even getting some key minutes off the bench from the oft-forgotten Assane Sene, but Wake was just too big and too good on the offensive glass, an area Virginia has limited this season despite generally playing a smaller lineup. Aided by Smith's penetrating drives to the basket that broke down the Virginia defense, Aminu, McFarland, Williams, and Woods were relentless finishing around the basket and on the offensive glass.
- Mike Scott was good in the first half, utterly frustrated in the second. He's been a key second option for the Hoos, but Wake's bigger defenders made life miserable for him down the stretch.
- The Deacs also did a nice job closing out on shooters, holding Virginia to 5-19 from three. Sammy Zieglinski in particular struggled to get good looks while played by bigger defenders (while his more logical defender, Ish Smith, was used on Landesberg to try to keep him out of the lane). Get used to it Sammy. As a non-threat to get to the basket, you're going to start seeing face up defense by bigger players the rest of the way.
- Virginia's last possession left a bit to be desired, but was more the result of a tired and frustrated team. Landesberg's contested three was followed by a horrific hoist by Will Sherill, who looked like he was trying to be a hero instead of finding a better shooter with a few ticks left on the clock. But I'm not going to pick on Sherill too much. He played tough and smart despite being physically outmatched. And the fact that anyone's nitpicking on Sherill tells you how far he's come as a ball player.
Finally, a shout-out to the 11,972 that braved the reported 30 or so inches of snow in the Charlottesville area. Virginia sent out an e-mail a while back soliciting opinions how to fill the building like it had been in its inaugual season. Not surprisingly, the crowds have returned in lockstep with winning basketball. Still, Craig Littlepage was right to thank the crowd for coming out. The fact that Virginia had any homecourt advantage (which UNC notably did not have just a week ago under less dire weather conditions) speaks volumes about the health of the program, even on a day in which the program showed how far it still has to go to match the talent-level of a team it hopes to look a little more like in the near future.
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Tonight Virginia takes on Stanford in the third round of the Cancun Challenge, and on paper the Hoos match up well against the Cardinal (the nickname refers to one of their school colors and not the bird, but regardless, the singular is really annoying) . The two teams only share one common opponent, Oral Roberts, and Stanford dropped a heart breaker to the Golden Eagles last Wednesday night when Roderick Peterson hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer . UVa beat Oral Roberts by 21 this past Saturday. Both Virginia and Stanford hosted Oral Roberts on their home floors. In addition, Oral Roberts' head coach Scott Sutton (yes, son of famed basketball coach Eddie Sutton) left Charlottesville Saturday evening thinking the Hoos featured a stronger offense with more inside presence than Stanford. It's not everyday you hear someone suggest Virginia has an advantage inside. Lastly, Coach Bennett spent the previous six seasons coaching in the Pac-10 (three as a head coach), so he is pretty familiar with the Cardinal.
Despite the apparent advantage, all that goes out the window when it comes to games like these. Cavalier fans are well aware of Virginia's recent struggles in warm, sunny settings that often feature a beachfront nearby - most notably the entire state of Florida and Puerto Rico. Maybe the fact the contest is being played at the Moon Palace Resort might help the Hoos forget they are in the tropical paradise of Cancun. The gym will likely be near empty and the atmosphere will almost certainly be devoid of any energy. While either of these factors sets the stage for the Hoos to come out flat and listless, the prevailing thought is tonight's contest is as good a chance as any for UVa to kick the recent trend.
In addition to the loss against Oral Roberts, Stanford also fell to San Diego in their season opener. Head coach Johnny Dawkins (the former Duke player and long-time Duke assistant coach) boasts a relatively young squad, though senior guard/forward Landry Fields is the player to watch for the Cardinal. Fields nearly averages a double-double with 22.5 points and over 8 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Jeremy Green also knows how to put the ball in the basket averaging 14.5 points per contest.
Stanford player statistics aside, tonight's affair is really about Virginia and whether or not the Hoos can get off the snide when it comes to games like these - playing down south against a statistically inferior team in front of a sparse crowd in a stadium with little to no energy. Assane Sene scored a career high in his season debut against Oral Roberts, and Mike Scott has looked solid as of late, so the Hoos should be able to out man Stanford in the post. Virginia's guard play has been nicely balanced as of late, and with so many threats, UVa's front court should overpower the Cardinal. Again, the stats favor the Cavaliers, but the setting lends itself to a flat, uninspiring performance against a lesser opponent - one that is far too familiar for Hoo fans. If looking to get the monkey off their backs isn't enough motivation, a win gives the Cavaliers an opportunity to go against a Kentucky squad that ranks among the nation's elite. This game serves as an early chance for Bennett and his squad to show things might just be changing in C'ville. It's a game UVa should win, but recently, contests like these have been no day at the beach.
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