Virginia Basketball Falls To Memphis In Defensive Battle: 3 Takeaways

Fresh off a top 25 win on Saturday, #21 Memphis traveled to John Paul Jones Arena for a Wednesday night showdown with Virginia basketball.

Virginia basketball, sporting their newly debuted orange uniforms, got off to a hot start. Fourth-year guard, Taine Murray knocked down a three with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half to give the Cavaliers a 19-10 lead. 

While Memphis would have a short run, Virginia basketball would finish the first half strong, taking a comfortable 30-21 lead into the halftime break. 

But the comfort did not last for long as Penny Hardaway’s team would start the second half by attacking the basket, tying the game at 37, with 13 minutes to play. From there the Tigers would extend the lead and hold off a late charge from the Cavaliers on their way to a 64-62 win.

Takeaway #1: Memphis has plenty of weapons

Memphis basketball was led again by PJ Haggerty who put up 27 points in the win while playing all 40 minutes of the contest. The Tulsa transfer is averaging just over 22 points per game, which places him inside the top 10 in the country in this category. But Haggerty is not the only player that showed up for the Tigers. 

At multiple points in Wednesday’s game, Dain Dainja looked unstoppable in the paint for Memphis basketball. The 6-foot-9 redshirt senior had his second double-double of the season, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Seven of those were offensive rebounds, which deflated the Cavalier faithful.

Tyrese Hunter also put up 12 points in the win over Virginia. This is the eighth time this season that Hunter has scored in double figures for the Tigers. To this point in the season, these three players have led the Tigers in scoring in at least one game this season. This proves that even if one of the stars has an off night, Memphis basketball’s weapons can propel them to wins. 

Takeaway #2: Isaac McKneely

In Wednesday’s loss to Memphis, Isaac McKneely was held to just five points on seven attempts from the floor. While the fan favorite had a few flashes of his consistency, the third-year was only able to hit one outside jumper, which came in the final seconds of the first half. 

After scoring in double-figures in eight of his first nine games this season, the guard has been held under 10 points in the last two games with seven against Bethune-Cookman and five against Memphis. Virginia basketball fans may be wondering what has happened to the Cavalier star. 

Well, the Memphis guards stayed on McKneely’s hip for nearly the entire contest. The only opportunities he truly had to shoot from behind the arc came late in the shot clock, on desperation attempts. The Tigers also challenged McKneely to drive to the basket, knowing that the height advantage would hinder his ability to be effective in the paint. 

While the Tigers kept McKneely within arms-length, not allowing him to shoot, coming off of off-ball screens, Ron Sanchez and the Cavaliers will need to find a way to get the guard involved. If not, Virginia basketball could be in for a long season, with conference play looming in the new year. 

Takeaway #3: Virginia’s Rotation

This season Virginia basketball has seen its fair share of rotation and lineup changes. Overall, eight different players have started a game for Ron Sanchez’s team. The three players who had consistently been in the starting lineup all year were Isaac McKneely, Elijah Saunders, and Blake Buchanan.

However, in anticipation of the talented guard play of the Tigers, Sanchez made a slight change, pulling second-year forward Buchanan out of the starting five for the first time this year and instead, choosing to give the nod to first-year, Jacob Cofie. Earlier in the season, following a win over Villanova, Sanchez referenced that this year’s team would have to match up to the opposition. 

For example, in the first half against Memphis, Dain Dainja was playing a hard-nosed brand of basketball, almost bullying his way to the paint. In response to this, coach Sanchez decided to give Anthony Robinson a chance to match up with the 6-foot-9 forward. While Robinson played well, counteracting the strong Dainja, the real question for the Cavalier’s rotation is at the guard position.

With Dai Dai Ames, Andrew Rohde, and Isaac McKneely the Hoos seem to be deep at the guard position. But, with these players splitting the ball-handling opportunities, it seems to keep the Cavaliers from finding a rhythm. If Virginia basketball wants to spark momentum as they move into conference play, it will go hand-in-hand with rotation consistency. 

Next up for Virginia (6-5): vs. American (6-5) – Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. EST

Next up for #21 Memphis (9-2): vs. Mississippi State (10-1) – Dec. 21 at 11:30 a.m. EST