Ugly would be a kind word to describe Virginia's overall play last night. The Cavaliers missed countless open jump shots and committed numerous careless turnovers. Their performance exemplified the term "sloppy." It wasn't winning ugly. It was winning horrendously.
No matter how much the adverb may have stood out last night, the most important part of the past sentence is the verb. Virginia won the game. You can put any adverb in front of this verb and the standings will still reflect the same thing: Winning loudly, winning legibly, even winning daintily. It all means the same thing.
Last night's game was tough to watch. Sitting only inches from the court, I thought there was a basketball game going on in front of me. But I couldn't be sure. There were large men throwing around a inflated spherical object, but beyond that, I couldn't really account for much.
When it finally dawned on me that this was not only a NCAA Division I basketball game, but a game that featured two teams from the legendary Atlantic Coast Conference, I felt like I wanted to throw up. The first half numbers were staggering. 40 total points. A combined 1-14 from three point range. 11 turnovers.
I thought one, if not both, teams would step up its play coming out of the gate in the second half, but I couldn't have been more wrong. With just under 12 minutes left in the game, both teams had still scored only 60 points. That's just over one point per minute for each team. I believe it was that point when I developed a raging headache.
It wasn't as if there was brilliant defense being played last night. Both teams had plenty of easy scoring opportunities they failed to capitalize on. The passes were sloppy. It was a new low for ACC basketball.
Play did improve down the stretch, but it was mainly on the Virginia side of the ball. Between J.R. Reynolds' 25-foot three-pointer under pressure, Donte Minter's control of the paint on the offensive end and the entire team's clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, the Cavaliers turned a tie game with 5:37 remaining into a double-digit victory.
They waited 35 minutes to do it, but Virginia eventually did take control of the game. They found a way to hit the big shot and get the defensive stop when they needed it most. The victory moved their ACC record to 2-3 and bumped Virginia up to fifth place in the conference. The Cavaliers did what they needed to do to win. More than anything else, this characteristic can take a team a long way.
Giving up 20 offensive rebounds for the second straight contest is not a good sign going into back-to-back road games against North Carolina and Wake Forest. Neither is the 19 turnovers. Or having two starters foul out. But if Virginia has one thing going for them, it is the fact that if the game is close down the stretch, they have what it takes to pull out a victory.
All in all, Virginia's play was nothing to brag about. It was ugly enough to be a punch line in a "yo mamma joke." Uglier than Don Rickles in spandex, even. But if that's what translates to wins, I say put on the tight pants, fat man.
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