For the second game in a row coach Tony Bennett emptied his bench. No. 2 seed Virginia played its reserves Thursday night in a 72-52 quarterfinal victory No. 10 seed Georgia Tech.
For the Cavaliers (25-6, 13-5 ACC) the significance of getting walk-ons Caid Kirven, Jeff Jones and Justice Bartley cannot be overstated, and by taking care of business Virginia positioned itself to succeed on Friday.
Conference tournaments are a grind like none other. Teams accustomed to playing twice a week face the proposition of playing three, four or maybe five days in a row. All of the sudden, being well-rested becomes as important as having the hot hand.
By the time the Cavaliers and the Yellow Jackets (19-14, 8-10 ACC) tipped on Thursday, eight tournament games had been played. Of those eight, five were decided by five points or fewer. Two games went into overtime.
Georgia Tech was one of the teams to play an overtime game this tournament. They did so against Clemson on Wednesday night, and they needed a furious rally to do so. While it did not show early on, by the start of the second half the Yellow Jacket’s fatigue was clear for all to see.
Playing against a fresh team in Virginia, Georgia Tech trailed 30-28 going into the intermission. After the break, the Cavaliers outscored the weary Yellow Jackets 42-24.
“Sometimes we have a habit of starting slow, sort of feeling our way into the game,” senior guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “The couple days really helped us in terms of rest. I thought our bodies were fresh. We were able to make a run in the second half that we might not be able to do if we were playing back-to-back.”
Brogdon led his team again with a 26-point outing. The All-American shot 10-15 from the field and 3-6 from behind the arc.
After a so-so defensive performance in the first half, the Cavaliers played the final 20 minutes with a heightened commitment to getting stops — Georgia Tech shot 33.3 percent in the second half after shooting 48 percent in the first.
Within five minutes after intermission, Virginia pushed their lead to 10 points. At the 6:20 mark, the Cavaliers led by 20.
“They’re so good defensively, they’re consistent defensively, that all of a sudden they go on a stretch where they make some shots, then a four-, five-point game is a 13-, 15-point game,” Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said.
And although a Bennett-coached team would never ease off an opponent because of a score, Virginia was able to close out the Yellow Jackets with minimal stress — preserving their precious reserves of energy.
Which underscores the importance of taking care of business. The Cavaliers earned a high seed with their success in the regular season. In doing so they received the gift of playing a relative lightweight opponent on Wednesday. Virginia took full advantage and enter Friday night in prime position.
Already afforded a pseudo-home court advantage, the Cavaliers remain well-rested and are two games removed from the ACC Tournament title.
“It was an awesome crowd out there,” senior forward Anthony Gill said. “It was a lot of people out there for us, a lot of support.”
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