As the clock wound down, freshman T.J. Bannister did something he hasn't had the chance to do much this season.
Bannister casually strolled across halfcourt, finishing off an uncommonly decisive 79-66 Virginia victory over George Washington (18-12) in the first round of the NIT. Behind senior Todd Billet's game-high five three-point buckets, the Cavaliers (18-12) earned their second post-season win under head coach Pete Gillen.
Virginia jumped ahead quickly with possibly their most impressive offensive spurt of the season. The Cavaliers compiled 48 first-half points, including 32 in the game's initial 10 minutes. Leading by as many as 17, Virginia's field goal and three-point percentages topped 65 percent en route to a 15-point halftime advantage.
"I don't think anybody wanted the season to end tonight," junior Elton Brown said. "You can see how we started off the game. It was a must-win for us, one-and-done like coach said."
Despite their less than stellar first half performance, George Washington came out after halftime with a renewed sense of urgency. Behind head coach Karl Hobbs' simple advice to "play harder," the Colonials exploded into the second half with 10 consecutive points cutting the Cavaliers' lead to five. In addition, Virginia was held scoreless until the 14 minute mark of the second half.
"Our guys aren't used to being up by 15 at the half, and we stopped playing," Gillen said. "You have to keep playing; it's a 40 minute game. We didn't know how to handle that type of lead."
Luckily for the Cavaliers, Billet was not ready for his final season to end. The senior responded to the Colonial run with a trio of three-pointers, helping Virginia rebuild its lead to double-digits. Despite frequent attempts to diminish the Cavalier lead, George Washington was unable to stop the hot shooting of Virginia's perimeter players. Billet and freshman J.R. Reynolds combined for 36 points and nine three-point bombs.
In addition to their excellent shooting night, Virginia was able to step up at the defensive end of the court as well. Junior Jason Clark proved especially effective swatting three of the team's season-high 13 blocked shots.
"Clark was magnificent tonight," Hobbs said. "He is a player who fully understands his role on the team."
Understanding their respective roles seems to be a common theme with this year's Cavalier squad. Whereas in past years, performances have tended to tail off as the season wound down, this Cavalier team has been gaining steam over the last month with three victories over top-25 opponents.
"It is easy to start off the season well because when we are winning games everybody is happy," Brown said. "But if you get down a little bit, people had been jumping off the ship. With this team, we just keep playing. The end of our ACC schedule was a wonderful thing, and we are just continuing that into the postseason."
As the Cavaliers look forward to their second-round matchup against Big East foe Villanova, where and when the game will be played is up to the tournament coordinators.University Hall's above average attendance last night should help Virginia's chances of competing again in Charlottesville this season.
"The representative here thought it was a great atmosphere and the fans were great," Gillen said. "Of course we would love to play at home, but we'll play wherever we have to play."
If Virginia keeps playing further into the NIT, Bannister may have a few more opportunities to casually walk off the final seconds.
Read More
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 4 hours agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 10 hours agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
You cannot say money is the problem for Virginia football
By Peter Kriebel | 16 hours agoMoney, after all, is just one aspect of a winning program.
