After getting out to an early 11-3 lead, Virginia basketball fell apart against Cal and lost 75-61. It was the Golden Bears’ first ACC win. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Takeaway #1: Cal dominates in the paint
Entering Wednesday’s game, the Golden Bears were rebounding one-third of their missed shots. This is an offense that loves to crash the offensive glass and get second-chance opportunities. Against the Cavaliers, Cal got 11 offensive rebounds, resulting in 12 second-chance points.
In addition, the Golden Bears routinely got easy shots around the rim. Cal had 30 points in the paint and shot 10-20 on layups. The constant attack on the basket also caused the Cavaliers to commit lots of fouls; senior guard Taine Murray, junior guard Andrew Rohde and freshman forward Jacob Cofie all picked up four fouls. The Golden Bears shot 33 free throws and made 27 of them. Sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic scored 11 of his 23 points at the charity stripe.
On the other end, the Cavs struggled to convert in the paint. Virginia shot 4-14 (29%) on layups and the Golden Bears blocked five shots, four by senior center Mady Sissoko. Cal’s dominance around the rim allowed it to control the game and prevent Virginia from attempting any kind of comeback in the second half.
Takeaway #2: Isaac McKneely falls short again
Entering this season, junior guard Isaac McKneely was expected to be the focal point of the offense. However, the sharpshooter from Poca, West Virginia has taken a step back rather than the step forward the Cavaliers were hoping. He’s taken fewer shots than he did last year, and his scoring has dropped from 12.3 last season to 11.7 this season. Most concerningly is his free throw percentage. After leading the team at nearly 85% last season, it’s down to 68% this season.
This step back was apparent against Cal. McKneely shot just eight times, making only one, a three-pointer early in the game. It was his only points of the game. He also missed the front half of a one-and-one. When Cal sent pressure at him to prevent him from shooting, he struggled to find an open teammate, recording just one assist.
We’ve seen McKneely hit shots from the logo in John Paul Jones Arena on regularity. He should take those shots with confidence. That would force the defense to spread out more and open up driving lanes for Rohde and sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames. The Cavaliers need McKneely to be the lethal sharpshooter that he is for any chance in the ACC.
Takeaway #3: Anthony Robinson needs to play more
When the Cavaliers played Memphis, Tigers senior forward Dain Dainja was dominating in the paint. After both Cofie and sophomore forward Blake Buchanan picked up fouls in the first half, interim head coach Ron Sanchez turned to redshirt freshman forward Anthony Robinson. Robinson was physical with Dainja and played well. Despite the strong play, Robinson was only on the court for 10 minutes in the game, a season high. This season, he’s averaging just over four minutes per game.
It was the same thing against Cal. Robinson checked in for the first time with just under 15 minutes left, while the game was already starting to get out of control. Robinson converted an and-one and grabbed a rebound. However, he checked out less than four minutes later and didn’t see action again until the final minute.
With the exception of sophomore forward Elijah Saunders, UVA’s had issues with its big man play this season. Sophomore forward T.J. Power has been a disappointment after transferring from Duke in the offseason, Buchanan hasn’t developed like interim head coach Ron Sanchez and the Cavs hoped and, while clearly skilled, Cofie still needs to grow some before he can be a great player. So why not, in a season that’s in danger of getting away from Virginia, at least see what Robinson can do with like 10-15 minutes per game?
Unless the Cavaliers play Robinson more, he might go the Igor Milicic Jr. route. He’ll transfer to a mid-major school for a couple years, then play his senior season on a ranked team and be really good. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers will be asking themselves why they didn’t play him in a season that wasn’t going anywhere.
Next up for Virginia basketball (8-7): vs. Stanford (10-5, 2-2) – Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. EST
Next up for Cal (8-7): vs. Virginia Tech (6-9, 1-3) – Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. EST
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