Virginia basketball outlasted Campbell, 65-56, in Ron Sanchez’s first game as head coach.
Virginia basketball defeated Campbell in the first matchup in the two programs histories by a score of 65-56. Although Wahoo fans might not want to necessarily remember this one for the gameplay, it was Ron Sanchez’s first win as head coach and the school’s first win post-Tony Bennett, which is historic.
Virginia did not play terribly per se, but the Camels held tough and made critical shots to keep the game close. Virginia did not trail after just past the halfway point of the first half, but Campbell made it interesting towards the end, cutting the Virginia lead to as little as five with just a few minutes left to play.
Crucial defensive stops and some nice unexpected production iced this contest for Virginia, who have one their opening game for the 11th time in 12 years. Although sloppy at times, there are reasons to be excited about this squad.
Takeaway #1: Exciting new faces led the charge
Isaac McKneely was relatively quiet in this contest, going for 11 points on just 4-6 shooting and 1-3 from beyond the arc. Virginia’s presumed top scorer was forced off the ball by Campbell, who paid special attention to the third year. With limited opportunity, though, he did have a decent game.
On the other hand, with McKneely held in check, the question for Virginia was who was going to add extra offensive threats. In the past, the Cavaliers have gotten into trouble when a leading scorer goes cold or is double-teamed. However, three new faces led the way for Virginia.
The big story of the night was Jacob Cofie. The first-year played a bit of a stretch four, hitting 2 of 3 shots from beyond the arc and going 7-8 from the field. He also added six boards, an assist, a block, and a steal to his team-high total of 16 points. He looked exceptional in his college debut, and his emergence is very encouraging.
Another first-year played a nice role in the game tonight despite a lot less volume than Cofie. Ishan Sharma poured in 6 points, knocking down both his three-point attempts. He has such a quick release and gets open often without the ball, it is easy to see with some more confidence that the young first-year has star potential.
Lastly, Elijah Saunders, a transfer from San Diego State, added great minutes despite fouling out later in the contest. Unlike the two first-years, Saunders did not light up beyond the arc but rather was a steady force on the block. The junior power forward is extremely tough down low and an excellent finisher. A lot of Anthony Gill in his game.
Takeaway #2: The three-point shot still haunts Virginia
Campbell nailed 11 three-pointers on 29 attempts, and a hotter performance could have led to a very different discussion of this game. However, the Camels were able to keep the game close by hitting 11 threes compared to their three made shots from beyond the arc in their 96-point outpour in their opening contest.
The packline defense is built on giving space beyond the arc, but teams who get hot from bonus land kill the ‘Hoos. This era of basketball relies on outside shooting, and a lot of teams know to beat Virginia they need to shoot at high volumes outside.
Virginia has a lot of capable one-on-one defenders. A lot of these open looks come from help defense and quick ball movement. If Virginia wants to limit damage from three, they need to play more on-ball defense a less help outside, giving them stronger contests on outside shots.
Takeaway #3: A slightly different offense
Virginia basketball’s offense looked really good on some possessions in this contest, and “same old” on others. They worked really well on ball screens and big-to-big passing. Blake Buchanan was a lot more involved in the offense, scoring 10 (missing five free throws, so very well could have been 15).
Especially if Sanchez wants to go small by having Saunders or Cofie at center, ball screens and paint touches make a lot of sense. These bigs are athletic and pose threats from the outside. The more touches they get, the more looks guards can get outside, and if defenses commit to guarding the arc, then the shot opportunities will be there.
On the other side, the guards were a bit more aggressive in attacking the lane. Isaac McKneely had a beautiful bucket later in the second half where he drove baseline and drew the defense who expected a pass which led to an easy layup. Taine Murray looked great attacking the rim, and although his touch was not at its best, it was definitely a nice sight for ‘Hoo fans.
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Next up for Virginia basketball (1-0): vs. Coppin State (0-2) – Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Next up for Campbell (1-1): vs. St Francis PA (0-1) – Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.