After surprising many ACC basketball followers with an overtime road victory against Georgia Tech Dec. 28, the Virginia men’s basketball team could not make it two-for-two in ACC road victories, falling to rival Virginia Tech 75-78 Saturday. Though the Cavaliers began the game playing solid basketball, they started losing their grip late in the first half, allowing Virginia Tech’s two best players to have outstanding games.
“The two guys that have led them most of the year — [senior guard/forward A.D.] Vassallo and [sophomore guard Malcolm] Delaney, especially — dictated the game offensively for them,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.
Vassallo was a difference-maker for the Hokies all game but he saved the best for last, hitting a clutch turnaround jump shot with 19 seconds left to put Virginia Tech up 74-70 and then providing the Hokies with four more free throws down the stretch.
“It was a big-time shot,” Leitao said regarding Vassallo’s jump shot. “[It was made] late in the shot clock, and ultimately it carried them over the top.”
Leitao also noted that the team’s inability to contain Vassallo — who scored a game-high 29 points — throughout the game allowed for him to be clutch down the stretch.
“I look at it more from the standpoint of that he came out of the gates at the beginning of the game,” Leitao said, “and we allowed him to feel comfortable. If we had done a better job of taking space away from him and making him more uncomfortable, then in the later stages of the game you’ll either wear him down a little bit or make him not make those kind of shots.”
A key difference in the game for the Cavaliers was that junior forward Mike Scott and freshman center Assane Sene, who both played well for Virginia, were in foul trouble throughout the game. While Leitao acknowledged the foul problems, he believed that Delaney’s playmaking, along with his 29 points, hurt the Cavaliers.
“I thought more than anything else when they were coming at us [when Scott and Sene were in foul trouble] that it was more about defensive penetration,” Leitao said. “That was when Delaney especially was coming at us and we weren’t doing a real good job.”
One positive from the game was sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan’s offensive performance down the stretch. Farrakhan scored 17 points, including making four of five 3-pointers during the closing minutes of the contest to keep the game in reach for the Cavaliers. With Virginia down 66-51 and 4:56 to go in the game, Farrakhan caught fire, scoring 15 of his 17 points and pulling the Cavaliers back in the game.
“I used to score quick like that in first halves [in high school],” Farrakhan said. “I would have like a quick 20 or 25 points just shooting the ball real well. I’m just a confident shooter.”
Though Farrakhan and others played well individually, Leitao made it clear that team accomplishments are the only way to improve.
“I think it’s critically important with a young team that they understand that you have to do certain things from an overall standpoint in order to win,” Leitao said. “Individually, if you start looking at it then you’ve made the ultimate mistake in any team sport.”
During Winter Break, Virginia played two quality opponents at home — Auburn and Xavier — and lost to both. The Cavaliers will have another chance to get their first signature home win of the year Thursday. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the contest will be against a highly talented North Carolina team that is sure to be angry after being upset in its first two ACC games. Leitao knows what his team needs as the Cavaliers move on following the Virginia Tech loss.
“We desperately need help on both ends, defensively and offensively,” Leitao said. “We’ve got to find it somewhere.”
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