After a high-scoring victory in its season opener, the Virginia men’s basketball team will attempt to keep the ball rolling tonight against South Florida.
The early games on the Cavaliers’ schedule, meant to help the team prepare for its tougher ACC matchups, provide an interesting look at player development and the team’s overall potential. While Sunday’s win against VMI was a coming-out party for freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, it also featured strong performances by fellow freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski and sophomore forward Mike Scott. The South Florida contest will show whether these players can sustain these impressive efforts and contribute throughout the rest of the season.
“Sylven is obviously a very talented player,” Leitao said. “I think the biggest thing with him, he showed some poise, some wherewithal to make big shots, big plays at big times.”
After posting 28 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds Sunday, Landesberg seems to have made a point.
“There is a little more attention towards me because I guess the McDonald’s All-American game, and the hype I had coming in, but I don’t really pay attention to that,” Landesberg said. “I just really look at myself like any other freshman — I’ve got to prove myself.”
Leitao, however, seemed to think Landesberg had silenced some critics.
“When you flirt with a triple-double right out of the box, that tells you something and answers maybe a question or two,” Leitao said.
Scott was also impressive Sunday for the Cavaliers, tying a Virginia record for the most offensive rebounds in a single game.
“Mike [Scott] just controlled the backboards, particularly on offense — 26 [points] and 18 [rebounds],” Leitao said. “Regardless of how many rebounds there are [in the game], that is a big number.”
Freshman center Assane Sene had to sit out Sunday’s game because of an eligibility issue. According to the Virginia press release, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said the issue revolves around his high school enrollment. Though Leitao stated in the press release that athletic officials are still assessing the situation, he seemed optimistic it would be sorted out quickly.
“When you are in-season, I think the NCAA is sensitive to that, and wants to make sure that whatever comes up, that we have some resolution as quickly as possible.”
Though the Cavaliers had a strong performance offensively against VMI, the contest proved the Cavaliers still have room for improvement on the defensive front.
“We should not have let [VMI] score that much,” Landesberg said.
Still, some players were satisfied with the team’s overall performance against the offense-oriented VMI.
“We want to be focused on defense this year, and a team like that, you know they’re going to get their points, but I think we got the stops when we needed them,” Zeglinski said.
South Florida does not feature an offense as dynamic as VMI’s, so the Cavaliers should expect to hold their upcoming opponent to a lower point total. Leitao has his team returning to its original defensive game plan.
“The [defensive] principles that we went over in practice kind of changed for today, just being the [changed] lineup and all,” senior guard/forward Mamadi Diane said. “I’m sure we’ll get back to what we’ve been practicing thus far with that defensive style.”
To step up defensively, the team needs to limit its turnovers, and Zeglinski impressed with his ball handling in the late stages of Sunday’s game; Virginia did not commit a turnover in the last 10 minutes. Nevertheless, Leitao stressed that there was still progress to be made.
“I thought there were some times in the first half where he would break a double-team and then kind of back up a little bit,” Leitao said. “My thing was, just take it as far as they let you ... and make some plays. I thought he managed that a whole lot better as the game was going on. Obviously — and I keep forgetting — this is really his first big experience in college. It’s not going to be perfect. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up with him and with everybody.”
Despite early season mistakes, the team remains optimistic about the season and is showing enthusiasm about its upcoming opponents.
“It’s just the first game; it’s just one win,” Landesberg said. “I want to get more wins under my belt.”
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