The game had remained close for a while, Tennessee threatening to pull away from Virginia but never following through. But with six minutes left came a damning sequence. The Cavaliers (3-1, 0-0 ACC) missed a layup, allowed a three-point play, turned over the inbounds pass and then surrendered two free throws.
It represented just the beginning of an 18-0 run. But it spelled the end, an early sign of capitulation in the No. 11 Volunteers’ (5-0, 0-0 SEC) 64-42 victory over Virginia at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, Thursday night.
9:30 p.m. was the original tipoff time for the game, but that was pushed back by more than an hour after the preceding game between No. 22 St. John’s and No. 13 Baylor went into double overtime before the Bears emerged victorious. Baylor and Tennessee will play in the tournament final, Friday at 9:30 p.m. Virginia will play St. John’s at 7 p.m.
Thursday’s nightcap marked a reunion 11 years in the making. The Cavaliers and the Volunteers last played in 2013, Tennessee blowing out Virginia 87-52. Tony Bennett’s team won 21 of its next 24 games after that loss. 11 years and one seismic coaching change later, the Cavaliers are hoping desperately for some symmetry.
“We gotta put 40 minutes together,” Coach Ron Sanchez said. “Twenty is just not enough.”
The offensive problems abounded everywhere you looked against Tennessee, who boasts the top-rated defense in the country according to KenPom. Virginia shot 29 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep, turning the ball over 18 times.
Junior guard Isaac McKneely, the team’s offensive focal point, shot 1-for-6, and junior forward Elijah Saunders went 1-for-8. Only sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames, who finished with a team-high 12 points, seemed capable of manufacturing anything.
The Cavaliers submitted a more respectable performance defensively, allowing just 38 percent shooting and 36 percent on three-pointers. But they allowed 42 points in the second half. They looked helpless on the defensive glass as Tennessee swooped in from all angles for putbacks, totaling 18 offensive rebounds in all.
“Their physicality showed on the glass,” Sanchez said, “and we did not do a good job taking care of the basketball.”
That about covered it. Graduate guard Chaz Lanier torched the Cavaliers, scoring 26 points. He tallied 18 of those in the second half. Virginia as a team managed 21 second-half points.
Tennessee also received a huge boost from senior forward Igor Milicic Jr., who scored 14 points and paced the Volunteers with eight rebounds. Milicic Jr. started his career with Virginia in 2021-22 but appeared in only 16 games, transferring to Charlotte after one season. After a second transfer this year, Thursday marked his first game against the Cavaliers.
Though Milicic Jr. made his first two shots, the first half unfolded to overall sloppiness. Virginia and Tennessee build their identity on defense, and they certainly demonstrated it. Both teams have yet to allow 70 points in a game this season.
“Anybody who knows the two programs probably thought it would be that kind of a grind,” Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes said.
They employ philosophically similar defenses, Barnes noted. He thought that might have contributed to the lack of early offense. There were six missed field goals and four turnovers before either team scored a point Thursday night.
Tennessee held the lead for the final 10 minutes of the first period, but Virginia ended the half on a 7-0 run, capped by junior guard Andrew Rohde’s deep three with a few seconds remaining. The Volunteers led 22-21 at halftime.
“We had the game where we wanted it,” Sanchez said. “We played tough enough.”
Sanchez’s team hung around for a while in the second half. Every time the Cavaliers looked defeated, about to surrender, a missed Tennessee shot or a Virginia three-pointer drew the teams closer together. Senior guard Taine Murray came off the bench with just over 10 minutes remaining and drilled a shot from long range on his first touch, bringing the Cavaliers within five points.
But things, when they collapsed, soured quickly. Saunders cramped and exited. Then came the 18-0 run, which included an over six-minute Virginia scoring drought. The Volunteers scored on nine of their 10 possessions during the run, their lead ballooning from eight points to 26 points, just like that.
“We just feel, at some point in time, guys are gonna start making some shots,” Barnes said.
Luckily for Virginia, it can quickly put Thursday night’s disappointment in the rearview mirror. A matchup with St. John’s, another ranked opponent, approaches Friday. The Cavaliers’ trip to the Bahamas will still be a success if they beat the Red Storm. The game is set for tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted on CBS Sports.
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