There was simply no stopping junior guard Isaac McKneely Friday evening. Villanova looked on helplessly as he buried three-pointer after three-pointer. Some of them came with yards of separation. Others came on running, contested, twisting attempts.
No matter how the three-pointers came, McKneely could not miss. Virginia’s star junior guard amassed 23 points and shot a perfect 6-for-6 from long range as the Cavaliers (3-0, 0-0 ACC) rode lights-out three-point shooting to a comfortable 70-60 victory over the Wildcats (2-3, 0-0 Big East) in Baltimore. The game was played at CFG Bank Arena, a neutral site, as part of the Hall of Fame Series.
“I think they played inspired basketball,” Coach Ron Sanchez said about his team postgame. “I think they’re playing for one another, and it’s great to see young men in this space just enjoying that, just being a college basketball player in that atmosphere.”
Virginia attempted 25 three-pointers Friday, constituting over half of its field goal attempts. The Cavaliers made 14 of them, good for an eye-popping 56 percent three-point clip that will leave the team, and especially McKneely, in high spirits during the trip back to Charlottesville.
“Today, just on the floor, I could see the smile on his face,” Sanchez said about McKneely. “But he’ll be the first one to tell you, he shot the ball well because his teammates passed him the ball at the right time and on target.”
McKneely’s six triples were the highlight, but junior guard Andrew Rohde and freshman forward Jacob Cofie both chipped in as well, good for three and two three-pointers respectively. Sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames and junior guard Elijah Saunders both added one, capping off a torrential downpour from deep for Virginia.
Rohde’s 13 points were good enough for second on the team behind McKneely — Cofie was the team’s third double-digit scorer, notching 12 points. Friday marked the third-straight game with at least three Cavaliers in double digits, suggesting that Virginia has several reliable scorers that can contribute in any given game.
Rohde’s night was particularly notable. The guard exited the warm-up line early before Monday night’s victory over Coppin State and did not dress for the game, citing a back injury. He was clearly not 100 percent Friday, as he appeared to clutch his back several times while on the court.
Perhaps as a result, Rohde spent the majority of his time on the court as a distributor, opening up scoring opportunities for McKneely and Cofie. He was successful in this role, leading the team with four assists. He still found opportunities to pull the trigger from beyond the arc as well, and his three three-pointers in the first half were the spark that lit Virginia’s three-point shooting on fire for the duration of the game.
A 13-point night for Rohde matches his career high with the Cavaliers, which should give Virginia fans hope that he can contribute both as a competent captain of the offense and as a shooting threat. Ames has started the last two games at point guard for the Cavaliers, but Rohde certainly made his best case to get back in the starting five, which is where he resided for Virginia’s opener against Campbell.
Similarly to their last game, the Cavaliers could have won this game by a wider margin. The lead, which dwindled to 10 by the time the buzzer sounded, was as large as 18 points in the second half. Villanova struggled to keep up and Virginia’s advantage never seemed to be in danger of vanishing, an encouraging sign in the Cavaliers’ first matchup of the season against an established program.
In a somewhat surprising shift, Virginia’s offense outpaced its defense. The Wildcats exploited several defensive lapses for easy baskets and consistently found open three-point looks, but were often unable to cash in. Some of the Cavaliers' new faces are evidently still adjusting to the defensive system.
The second half was more promising defensively. The Villanova offense occasionally appeared overwhelmed, a product of the swarming double-team that has become a hallmark of basketball in Charlottesville. Still, the newer Cavaliers appeared tentative, looking to avoid giving up the easy three-pointer and inadvertently allowing the Wildcats to find open shots in the process. The double-team and the subsequent rotational help defense became smoother in the second half, squashing three-point attempts that were often open before halftime.
All in all, Virginia outmatched Villanova in a game that the Wildcats were favored to win. The Cavaliers will need to learn from their defensive mistakes and carry every ounce of their newfound offensive momentum into Thursday night’s matchup against No. 11 Tennessee in Nassau, Bahamas. Virginia’s game will be the first of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship, and coverage begins on CBS Sports at 9:30 pm.
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