The Virginia basketball team returned to an electric John Paul Jones Arena Friday for the season opener of the most-anticipated season of coach Tony Bennett’s five-year tenure. Despite handling James Madison with ease, 61-41, the No. 24 Cavaliers’ performance Friday left plenty to be desired.
Virginia’s three most prolific offensive options — seniors guard Joe Harris and forward Akil Mitchell and sophomore guard Justin Anderson — combined for just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting. The Cavaliers made an abysmal 4-of-18 shots from beyond the arc and finished with 9 turnovers and just 9 assists.
At the end of the night, Virginia still secured a 20-point victory against an overmatched Colonial Athletic Association foe to give Bennett his fifth consecutive victory in home-openers at Virginia. But the sloppy on-court product showed that the Cavaliers are still a work in progress as they prepare to host No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday.
“We’re not as good as all of you guys are saying and all of the people are this and that,” Bennett said. “We got work to do. We have a chance collectively to be good and I believe that but all this hype and all this stuff — you can’t just show up and expect it to happen every time. We’ve got to get better.”
As Bennett enters his fifth season at the University with sky-high expectations, here are five takeaways from Virginia’s season-opening victory.
1. “Little 2” thrive
Entering the season, Harris, Mitchell and Anderson were all but assured of starting roles after leading the Cavaliers down the stretch and in the postseason NIT. The identities of Virginia’s other two starters was still somewhat of a mystery.
Redshirt sophomores Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill secured starting spots at point guard and forward, respectively, and both thrived against the Dukes. Brogdon, who missed all of 2012-13 with a foot injury, connected on 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc and added 6 rebounds in 26 minutes. Gill, who was forced to sit out last season per NCAA rules after transferring from South Carolina, led the Cavaliers in scoring with 13 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
With the Cavaliers “Big 3” not producing many points, Brogdon and Gill shouldered much of the offensive load. Gill bulldozed his way through the Dukes’ defense with his physicality and finesse around the rim, and even impressed on the defensive end, adding an emphatic block midway through the second half to set up transition offense.
“[Gill] is aggressive, he draws contact, he plays through contact and he had a nose for the basket and you saw stretches of that for sure,” Bennett said.
2. Joe Harris is no ball hog
Entering the season as the most accomplished, talked-about and fawned-over player on the Virginia roster — and quite possibly in all of college basketball — many expected Joe Harris to assert himself as the unquestioned alpha dog for the Cavaliers offensively. Instead, Harris attempted just six shots — three fewer than reserve forward sophomore Mike Tobey — and finished with five points.
Virginia’s strategy is predicated on patience and team play on offense, and Harris showed no desire to force the issue. Despite the quiet outing, Harris did grab seven rebounds and play rock-solid defense. While Harris may not contend for the ACC Player of the Year award if he continues to play this selflessly, his willingness to draw the defense and kick to an open teammate will probably benefit Virginia long-term.
“I have easy teammates to play with,” Brogdon said. “We’re really unselfish and play well together. I’m really excited for our future.”
3. Akil Mitchell and Justin Anderson struggle
Much of the optimism surrounding Virginia’ prospects for the 2013-14 season was centered not only on Harris’ offensive ability, but also on the development of a pair of talented sidekicks.
Mitchell emerged as a dominant post presence last year, earning All-ACC honors as an undersized but fearless force in the paint. Anderson elevated his play in the NIT after entering the season as a supremely talented but unfinished product, averaging a team-high 19 points per game in the postseason.
Neither played very well Friday.
The pair combined for just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Anderson committed 3 turnovers and missed all four of his 3-point attempts while Mitchell grabbed only 3 rebounds in 22 minutes and was outplayed by Gill throughout.
4. Point guard situation clears up
While Brogdon made the most of his minutes at point guard, another floor general saw significant playing time for the Cavaliers as well. Freshman London Perrantes played 25 minutes off the bench in his collegiate debut, registering two steals and no turnovers in an efficient performance. While he did not bring JPJ to its feet with his play, his steady showing demonstrated that he can be a perfectly competent backup to Brogdon this season.
“[Perrantes] certainly has a natural feel for that position and I though he did some nice things for his first outing,” Bennett said.
Perrantes extended trial by fire meant limited minutes for the Cavaliers’ two other point guards: sophomore Teven Jones and freshman Devon Hall. Jones, who started 9 games last year and was expected to be Brogdon’s stiffest competition for the starting spot, played just 6 minutes Friday. Hall, meanwhile, was not among the 15 players to see the court for Virginia Friday and Bennett now plans to redshirt him this season to preserve a season of eligibility.
“I think [Hall’s] future is bright, I do,” Bennett said. “…I think you got to think long-term. I just told Devon, ‘It’s your decision and I’m not saying you can’t work your way into the rotation but right now here’s where I see it and I want you to make that decision based on that.’”
5. Front court shows potential
Virginia outrebounded James Madison 45-27 and collected 14 offensive rebounds, leading to 10 second chance points. The Cavaliers also scored 34 points in the paint combined to 14 for the Dukes, dominating the inside matchups with their superior height, length and skill.
Forwards sophomore Mike Tobey and junior Darion Atkins supplemented Gill and Mitchell in the post with their complementary skill sets. Tobey attempted a team-high nine shots and joined Gill as the only two players in double-figures for Virginia. Atkins was very active on the glass, pulling in a game-high 11 rebounds in just 18 effective minutes.
“That is one of our strengths,” Bennett said of his post players. “You look at those four guys I’m playing in those frontcourt spots and they’re all different, but three of them are very lively and aggressive and then you’ve got [Tobey] who’s got the size and actually does go to the offensive glass.”
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