There is simply no reason the Virginia men's basketball team should have lost its game in regulation against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon. Up by three with 19.5 seconds left, it seemed as though the worst thing that could have happened for the Cavaliers was an overtime period. Coach Pete Gillen, however, didn't see it that way.
In what will go down as a controversial decision for years to come, Gillen decided to have freshman Jermaine Harper foul Tech point guard Tony Akins, one of the best foul shooters in the ACC, and hope that his team could make free throws the rest of the game, even though they had just missed two front ends of one-and-ones.
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After Akins made both of the free throws, Virginia was supposed to run a play to free up one of the best free throw shooters in the country in the form of junior guard Roger Mason Jr. The Cavaliers did not run the play that Gillen called correctly, where Mason was supposed to come off of two screens, and senior Chris Williams had to inbound the ball to junior Travis Watson, who had just missed the front end of a one-and-one situation. Watson proceeded to pull the string on the first free throw, while the ball rimmed out on the second try, setting the stage for Georgia Tech guard Marvin Lewis' game-winning three-pointer.
In a game that was eerily similar to the Maryland contest at the end of January, the Cavaliers couldn't do the one thing that good teams must accomplish to be great.
Execute.
Virginia was undone by a lack of execution not only by the players, but the coaching staff as well. I sat on press row with my mouth wide open as Harper put the foul on Akins. With 19.5 seconds left on the clock, I knew Virginia would lose the game. I had seen this situation all too often.
I can understand the argument that players play the game, and ultimately, they must hit their free throws in clutch situations, which they failed to do yet again Saturday. But after missing two straight free throws and not being able to get your best free throw shooter open on the inbounds play, I couldn't understand why Gillen would want to take a risk losing with free throws when the worst thing that could have happened was overtime.
In my own little hypothetical world, I would have seen how far Georgia Tech let the clock run down before fouling with anywhere from three to seven seconds left on the clock. In all likelihood, the Ramblin' Wreck would have shot a three before then, and if they would have hit the shot, like they had all night, Virginia would have had the ball with the chance to win. Nothing less. No chance to lose in regulation.
But I must give Gillen credit for sticking to his decision in the press room. It's a decision that he always has decided to go with, and probably will for the rest of his coaching days. This time, however, I think he was wrong. But I digress. I'm no coach, and I don't make $10 million over 10 years. But as Gillen stated, the end result is ultimately up to the execution of the Virginia players.
The coach can't make free throws. He can tell them how, but he can't make them. And once again, poor execution on the court by some of its headiest players hurt the Cavaliers. If the young man who has only missed 14 free throws in 128 tries this season hits the two free throws, or if Watson knocks down one of his two free throws, or if the Cavaliers run the inbounds play correctly, all of this discussion is moot.
But they are only college kids and sometimes it doesn't work out. No one can fault them for trying, because they certainly put their hearts in the game.
Now, I am sure everyone is wondering what is going on with the Cavaliers' postseason outlook right now. While most of the people I talk to see all doom and gloom, there still is hope for Virginia in my eyes. In my opinion, any two wins over the remainder of the season will get the Cavaliers in the NCAA tournament. Whether it is Duke and Maryland, Duke and one win in the ACC tournament, or just two wins in the ACC tournament, the Cavaliers still have a chance to go dancing.
So while chances may seem close to zero for the NCAA tourney, there still is hope. As I am sure Gillen is telling the team right now, it all starts with Duke. And believe me, they will need your help.
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