Virginia basketball trailed American by two points with less than four minutes to go. But thanks to some clutch performances and free throw shooting, the Cavaliers were able to pull out the 63-58 victory.
Takeaway #1: Virginia avoids a resume-tanking loss
While the Cavaliers’ five losses have been to good teams, a loss to American would’ve been disastrous. The Eagles are ranked 232 on KenPom and had lost to Siena (289), La Salle (157), and High Point (117), so losing to them at home would’ve almost certainly ended Virginia’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Beating them by five is hardly inspiring, though.
A loss to American would’ve also be demoralizing to the program. There was a time where UVa would beat down on lesser opponents, winning by double digits and holding the opposition to under 40 points. Losing to the Eagles would’ve signaled that times really are different and significant changes might be necessary for the Cavaliers to return to the top of the ACC.
Also, losing to American would’ve been a major letdown after Wednesday. Yes, the Cavaliers lost to No. 21 Memphis, but they were in it until the very end and showed some promise that Virginia could hang around with one of the best teams in the country. Had the Cavs lost to the Eagles, it could’ve meant that Wednesday’s performance was a fluke and that this is just what the Virginia program is now.
Takeaway #2: Elijah Saunders and Taine Murray
The Cavaliers were able to pull out the victory thanks to clutch performances from senior guard Taine Murray and junior forward Elijah Saunders. The duo combined for 34 points, including Virginia’s last 12 in the final three minutes to help regain momentum and put the game away.
Saunders was bigger and more skilled than any of American’s big men, and he was able to do his work in the paint. He converted two and-ones and caught an alley-oop dunk off a baseline out-of-bounds play. Saunders was the leading rebounder in the game with eight boards. But most importantly, he made his free throws, going 5-6 down the stretch from the charity stripe.
Murray has played sparingly during his four years in Charlottesville, but he’s seen an uptick in minutes over the past few weeks. This week, it’s resulted in more production. After scoring 14 points against the Tigers on Wednesday, he scored 13 against the Eagles, knocking down three 3-pointers, picking up a couple of assists, and playing some good defense. There’s no one skill he’s best at, but he’s a solid player and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him crack the starting lineup as interim head coach Ron Sanchez continues to try to find the five-man combination that works the best.
Takeaway #3: Turnovers better, but not better offense
Through the first 11 games of the season, the Cavaliers averaged over 12 turnovers a game. For a team that likes to play slowly and limit possessions, that’s a bad figure. Even with just eight turnovers against the Eagles, the Cavs are committing turnovers on 19% of their possessions. If Virginia wants to make the NCAA Tournament, they need to take better care of the ball.
Saunders aside, the Cavaliers really struggled to score inside against American. Virginia went 7-17 on layups, including multiple misses by sophomore forward Blake Buchanan. The 6-foot-11 inch Buchanan is the Cavaliers’ tallest player, and they’ll need him to produce against the physical ACC for the Cavs to succeed.
Virginia continues to struggle from the free-throw line. While Saunders and Murray made 7-8 down the stretch to win the game, the Cavaliers made only two of their first six, including two misses from junior sharpshooter guard Isaac McKneely. It’s a problem that’s dogged the Cavs in recent seasons, and in a year where there seems like there’s little room for error, they need to fix that issue quickly if they want to return to March Madness.