After a day of festivities in John Paul Jones Arena with the ESPN “College GameDay” crew in Charlottesville, Saturday night’s men’s basketball game proved to end in disappointment for No. 2 Virginia.
Coming into the match the Cavaliers (23-2, 12-1 ACC) had the hopes of moving to No.1 in the national rankings. However, in-state rival Virginia Tech (18-7, 7-5 ACC) showed it wasn’t going to let those hopes come to fruition, and beat Virginia 61-60 in overtime.
"I think it was just taking more pride in what we do,” Virginia senior forward Isaiah Wilkins said. “I think we got away from that, and we will definitely see that tomorrow in film ... we have had two slow starts in a row so we will probably try to adjust or do something to change that."
Virginia trailed for much of the game, greatly struggling offensively against the Hokies. Although senior guard Devon Hall found some success for the Cavaliers with his 16 points, he uncharacteristically missed two free throws in the final 31 seconds of play. Redshirt freshman guard De’Andre Hunter managed to put up 14 points, and while sophomore guard Kyle Guy had 13 points, it came from a shaky 5-21 shooting on the night. As a team, Virginia shot 34.4 percent overall and a mere 28.9 percent from three.
One player who didn’t struggle from beyond the arc was Virginia Tech freshman guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. All 12 of his points came from his four three-pointers. Guard Justin Robinson was also successful offensively for the Hokies as he finished the night leading both teams in scoring with his 20 points.
"[Virginia Tech] did a really good job,” Coach Tony Bennett said. “They really flooded and jammed the lane. We almost stole that game. But that is what it would have been — stealing that game. They outplayed us… I think there were too many breakdowns for us and miscues.
Although the loss was a tough one, Virginia now has a quick turn-around and has to hit the road to face No. 25 Miami Tuesday night.
“I think [Miami] is excellent and one of the most talented teams in our league in their building,” Bennett said. “Everybody is capable of beating everybody in this league and that is reality. If you are little off, it is not enough."
Read More
Virginia goes into the Commonwealth Clash with its season on the line
By Ryan Weiner | 4 hours agoA win gives the Cavaliers postseason eligibility, but a loss would mark the end of another frustrating campaign.
Ballet, Virginia football, and one wacky idea: the other side of NIL
By Michael Liebermann | 17 hours agoFive Cavalier football players joined local ballerinas for a session earlier this year.
Men’s basketball holds off Manhattan to snap losing streak
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayVirginia picked up its fourth win of the season, but did not do it convincingly.
