Everyone knew, from the moment that press release beamed into the universe Oct. 17, that this season would not be the same. Tony Bennett was retiring. Virginia basketball would be different.
Just not, maybe, quite like this.
This — a 10-12 record, a 3-8 conference record, a mountain of negative firsts that keeps piling higher — was impossible to predict. It has left the program in limbo, trying desperately just to make a conference tournament that always seemed like a birthright. The questions, of course, are plentiful. Our three men’s basketball beat writers tackle some of them.
Will Virginia make the ACC Tournament?
Emory Huffman, Senior Associate: This is a question that never would have been up for debate in any other year, but here we are. The good news for Virginia is that competition is not stiff at the bottom of the ACC. Solid wins over Miami and Boston College proved that the Cavaliers are still a step above the conference’s true basement-dwellers. Defeating Syracuse on the road and recording one other conference win should be enough for Virginia to sneak into the tournament. Maybe all the Cavaliers need is a chance. Most indications say they should get it.
Michael Liebermann, Sports Editor: The race to make the tournament feels like one of soccer’s relegation battles. Relegation is when, typically in a soccer league and typically outside this country, the last-place teams at the end of a season get demoted to a lesser league. This, of course, is not quite that. The bottom three teams in the ACC will merely miss the conference tournament, not get demoted. But the feeling — of gloomily calculating possibilities — is similar. Virginia will likely escape, simply because Miami and Boston College, and, to a lesser extent, NC State, are so bad. In the meantime, though, say hello to the fan feelings of every international soccer club that has ever dealt with a relegation battle.
Thomas Baxter, Staff Writer: There are nine games left on the schedule. Virginia arguably needs to win three to guarantee a spot in the ACC Tournament, though two might also be enough with a little bit of luck. Miami, Boston College and NC State all have at least one game left against another of those three, meaning that the Cavaliers’ spot on the rung above is not as secure as they might hope. Games against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Syracuse are all what one might call “winnable,” and all would have significant implications for a tournament bid. The Cavaliers will need to put together strong performances in at least two of those games to comfortably land themselves in the tournament, which is possible but not easy.
What went wrong against Virginia Tech?
EH: Virginia fans might not want to hear it, but defense is the issue for these Cavaliers. Virginia Tech shot 52 percent from behind the three-point line, a comically efficient rate. That placed a ton of pressure on the Cavalier defense, both to defend the three-pointer at all costs and to prevent second-chance three-pointers off rebounds. Virginia largely succeeded in the first department — allowing a few open three-pointers but generally closing out well. But they failed to grab defensive rebounds in the second half on several occasions. And despite basically matching the Hokies in rebounding, a few critical missed rebounds led to game-deciding three-pointers, sinking the Cavaliers’ Commonwealth Clash hopes.
ML: Defense, for sure, is the simple answer. This reporter noted in the postgame, in unfolding a longer question to Virginia Tech Coach Mike Young, that Virginia Tech’s 75 points once would have been a lot to score against Virginia. “You’re telling me, pal,” Young, still soaked from a victory shower, interjected. And surely that output felt enormous for his team. But the point is that it is simply par for the course this season — Virginia’s defense is historically bad. It did not help, of course, that Virginia Tech poured in over half of its three-pointers, making 11 of 21, with sophomore guard Jaden Schutt drilling four of eight attempts himself. The one susceptibility the packline defense is comfortable with is the three-point shot. But not like this, and certainly not the way it’s being played this season.
TB: Injuries. Looking at how much junior forward Elijah Saunders was missed, as well as how much the offense relied on junior guard Andrew Rohde to close that double-digit deficit in the second half, it seems like a miracle the Cavaliers won in Miami without both of them. Rohde did not start against the Hokies — Interim Coach Ron Sanchez said he had not practiced much leading into the game — and was running on a visibly agitated right leg. One has to imagine that, if he were feeling only marginally better, Virginia could have found another possession or made one extra shot, which would’ve tipped them over the line. Moreover, Saunders — the team’s second-leading scorer and a strong defender in his own right — would have given the roster a much-needed jolt defending the corners and would have put a lot of pressure on the Hokie defense in the midrange.
What’s the biggest remaining game on the schedule?
EH: What’s worse than one loss to Virginia Tech? Two losses. The Cavaliers have to brave Cassell Coliseum and beat the Hokies Feb. 15. Most would already argue that this season has been an unqualified failure, but it can always be worse, and any dominos that are yet to fall will be blown to oblivion by another loss to Virginia Tech. Saturday’s loss proved the Cavaliers can defeat the Hokies — perhaps even that they should, based on how well Virginia Tech had to shoot the three-pointers to prevail. With nary an easy win remaining on the schedule, a win over the Hokies would go a long way toward propelling the Cavaliers into the ACC Tournament.
ML: Duke, Feb. 17. Please allow for an explanation. This comes from a liberal interpretation of what constitutes the “biggest” game. Ordinarily, the biggest game is simply the most important, and this matchup, by any interpretation, is not important. It will be a blowout of epic proportions, barring some timely magic. In this way, it has little bearing on the outcome of the season. But in terms of excitement, of crowd engagement, of the “biggest” environment, this is the one. Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, media circus in tow, on the court at John Paul Jones Arena? It will be loud. There will be heckling. In a word — big.
TB: Virginia’s last home game — March 4 against Florida State. As difficult as it is to say, the Cavaliers’ chance to punch a ticket to the ACC Tournament might well come down to the final game or two. Realistically, after facing Duke, NC State, Wake Forest and Clemson, the Cavaliers will be on a four-game losing streak entering the matchup against the Seminoles. They are currently favored to lose that game, but a win against another below-average side would really help on the Cavaliers’ mission to Charlotte. Playing Syracuse away will be a daunting task, so making use of that last dance with the John Paul Jones Arena crowd will be a necessity.
Read More
Ten years after winning a national title, baseball has a real shot at glory again
By Ryan Weiner | 8 hours agoThe Cavaliers are well-positioned for massive success in 2025.
No. 5 men’s tennis comes from behind to stun No. 1 Texas
By Thomas Baxter | 21 hours agoVirginia missed an opportunity against No. 3 Ohio State the other day — this time it capitalized.
Women's basketball comes back from 14-point deficit to defeat Syracuse
By Victoria Blankenship | YesterdayVirginia left its fourth quarter woes in the rearview mirror en route to a clutch win.
