Nothing says “early season basketball” like two undefeated teams facing off at a neutral site somewhere very far away. Last November, Virginia took on Wisconsin and West Virginia in Fort Myers, Fla. This year, the Cavaliers (3-0, 0-0 ACC) are going even further from John Paul Jones Arena to take on No. 11 Tennessee in Nassau, Bahamas to open the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on CBS. The Volunteers (4-0, 0-0 SEC) will present a great challenge to a Virginia squad that has performed well but has yet to face elite competition.
Interim Coach Ron Sanchez’s tenure as head coach has started about as well as anyone had hoped — three convincing wins as the team begins to find its rhythm and identity. The Cavaliers are coming off of a less than dramatic 10-point win over Villanova, where junior guard Isaac McKneely led the game in scoring, going a perfect 6-6 from beyond the arc.
Notably, Sanchez’s offense is showing some signs of life. While the Cavaliers have yet to surpass the 70-point mark, this small sample size does show a marginal improvement from a previously slow and stagnant offense. There is a clear rise in points scored per game, as well as the team’s offensive rating. It is not groundbreaking nor something that merits significant discussion, but it is worth remembering entering Thursday’s game that this Virginia system has evolved.
McKneely’s hot hand will be accompanied by a handful of other players coming off of strong outings against the Wildcats. Freshman forward Jacob Cofie and junior guard Andrew Rohde both filled the stat sheet as the other two Cavaliers with double-digit points. So far, Rohde is averaging almost two more assists per game than last season, proving to be a connective piece on offense as well as a willing shooter.
While the offense is improving, Virginia’s defense is still its strongest weapon — having held opponents to the ninth-lowest scoring tallies and third-lowest field goal counts to start the season. Cofie is averaging two steals and almost as many blocks per game, and sophomore forward Blake Buchanan is also proving to be a competent rim protector. The defense has forced 32 turnovers on the season and will come into Thursday’s game hoping to keep its momentum and hold another team to under 60 points.
However, the Volunteers are a daunting opponent. Tennessee’s lowest scoring outing thus far was a 77-point tally over Louisville Nov. 9. Tennessee ranks ninth in the nation in offensive rating, and veteran coach Rick Barnes is vying to reach his seventh NCAA Tournament in eight years.
Leading the Volunteers are two names — one that has never played against Virginia and one who used to call Charlottesville home. The former, senior guard Zakai Zeigler, leads his team in points and assists and tallied 19 points and eight assists in Tennessee’s 103-68 win over Austin Peay Sunday.
It is the other name — who scored 23 in that same game — that makes Thursday’s game more interesting. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. was once a Cavalier and played 16 games for Virginia in the 2021-22 season. After that, he transferred to Charlotte and played two seasons for the team, the first of which was with Sanchez at the helm.
Miličić is an effective interior scorer, making over 67 percent of his field goal attempts this season. He is also a competent rebounder, passer and defender, and he is not one to make many mistakes. Standing at 6-foot-10, the Croatian is a physically imposing do-everything wing who will likely give Virginia trouble Thursday night.
Despite a host of new players, as well as a new head coach, the general description of the game is far from unheard of. Virginia’s rugged and disciplined defense will be tested by an offensive powerhouse that has little difficulty putting the ball through the hoop, and the Cavaliers will be hoping somebody — like McKneely against Villanova — gets hot early.
The Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship is a four-team tournament, with the other side of the bracket seeing No. 13 Baylor facing No. 22 St. John’s. The championship and consolation games will both be played Friday.
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