If you thought Virginia had peaked for the time being late last season, you can be forgiven. The Cavaliers were still a pretty good defensive team, as has been the case under Tony Bennett, but they couldn’t score and it showed on the bottom line, most notably in their season-ending 65-39 loss to Florida. You might have wondered if a rebuild, or a bridge year or two, was in store.
We know the answer now: no rebuild, no bridge year. The Cavaliers are 6-0 in the ACC and have lost just once all season after a 68-51 win over NC State on Sunday.
And as is usually the case, their success isn’t being talked about much among ACC teams.
There’s no sugar coating it: the Cavaliers looked bad for most of February and March last year. After winning two of their first three games in the month, including an impressive win over Louisville, they lost four in a row. They did win three straight, including one over North Carolina, and their first ACC Tournament game, but after a loss to Notre Dame sent them home, they were clearly trending downward on their way into the NCAA Tournament. And the loss to Florida was almost predictable.
The Cavaliers have Isaiah Wilkins back, and he’s anchoring the defense as one of the best defenders in the country. They have two other seniors, one of who (Devon Hall) has made a nice leap in his final season, but from an individual talent standpoint, the difference is in sophomores Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy really growing up. Both showed promise last year, but have made big leaps this year with bigger roles. Guy is as competitive as they come and also an athletic wing, so he gives them a dual threat at the offensive end.
During the slump last year, Jerome went scoreless in three losses, including the loss to Florida, and had just one assist. Guy did him one better, going scoreless in those same three games as well as the loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament.
In many respects, this team is like the Cavalier teams of recent years. They are tops in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, force more turnovers than all but two teams and take great care of the ball offensively, which gives them the best turnover margin in the conference.
Virginia’s only loss thus far came at West Virginia in early December. With wins over the likes of VCU (road), Rhode Island (neutral), Virginia Tech (road) and North Carolina, the Cavaliers are in a great place right now. They don’t look primed for another slump at all. Instead, they looked very much revitalized.
Side Dishes
In the latest sign that the Big Ten is a mess, Indiana blew out Northwestern on Sunday 66-46. Pair that with Ohio State winning again, this time a 68-46 thumping of Rutgers in New Jersey, and you have Purdue and Ohio State leading the way, Michigan State right behind, and other than Michigan and maybe Maryland, a very unsettled picture. Northwestern has had a tough time building on their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago.
Ahead of the big showdown on Monday night, the Big 12 is investigating an incident that happened while fans stormed the court after Texas Tech’s win over West Virginia on Saturday. Multiple videos made their way through social media showing what appears to be a West Virginia player wearing number 21 – Wesley Harris, according to their roster – throw a punch at someone who stormed the court. West Virginia hosts Kansas in a big game on Monday night.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s a little busier than usual on a Monday, in part because of the holiday, and there’s also the last day of the Spalding Hoophall Classic and the nationally televised games it brings.
- There’s a good one late in the afternoon as Providence hosts Butler (4:30 p.m.)
- Michigan tries to ride the momentum of their big win on Saturday as they host Maryland (6:30 p.m.)
- ACC action gets going early in the evening as Miami hosts Duke and Boston College hosts Florida State (7 p.m.)
- A Big 12 showdown is on tap later as West Virginia hosts Kansas, while Baylor hosts Oklahoma State as well (9 p.m.)
