The No. 20 Virginia men’s basketball team hopes to return to their winning ways when they battle Wake Forest tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.
Saturday’s trip to Tallahassee proved to be unkind to the Cavaliers (18-4, 5-3 ACC), as they came up short in their comeback attempt against then-No. 21 Florida State (16-6, 7-1 ACC). Virginia’s 58-55 loss dropped the team to fifth in the conference standings while lifting the Seminoles into a tie for first with North Carolina.
The loss also snapped a three-game winning streak for Virginia and exposed a number of concerns which the Cavaliers must address as they enter the second half of conference play. Virginia committed a season-high 20 turnovers, including 12 in a first half in which they scored just 22 points.
“I told our guys in the locker room [at halftime], ‘You made a statement with the kind of heart you have and the fight in you and that was good,’” coach Tony Bennett said. “But we also made a statement that we need to clean up some of these turnovers and be more efficient to play against a team like this.”
Another concern has been the hot-and-cold play of senior guard Sammy Zeglinski. He has shown the ability to stretch out the defense with his outside touch, making a team-high 41 three-pointers this season.
He has been cold from deep in back-to-back games, however, making just 2-of-12 three-point attempts, including four airballs at Florida State. Zeglinski also missed all six of his attempts in the team’s loss to Virginia Tech.
Backup freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon, meanwhile, scored 10 points in 22 minutes against the Seminoles and drained a contested three-pointer with two seconds to play to bring Virginia within three of the Seminoles. Brogdon has carved out an important role off the bench for the Cavaliers, but Bennett does not plan to alter his starting five — at least not yet.
“That’s not out of the realm, but I don’t think that’s the answer,” Bennett said. “It’s just a matter of finding the right kind of looks [for Zeglinski] to impact the game … But, again, we’ll just keep looking at how things go.”
Wake Forest (11-12, 2-7 ACC) comes to Charlottesville looking to halt a four-game losing streak, which has left them in a three-way tie for last in the conference standings.
Virginia is still unsure how long they will be without senior center Assane Sene, but his absence may be costly against the physical Demon Deacons, who average more than five blocks per game. Despite their physicality, Wake Forest has been unable to slow down opposing offenses. They have allowed a conference-worst 70.7 points per game, nearly 20 points worse than the Cavaliers’ conference-best mark of 51.4 points allowed.
Virginia’s defensive success is a byproduct not only of their defensive tenacity, but also their slow-tempo offense, which has prompted fans to hold up signs such as, “Embrace the Pace.”
Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik knows the key to shutting down the Virginia half-court offense starts with slowing down senior forward Mike Scott. Scott’s 17 points per game is good for fourth in the ACC, while his 58.8 percent field goal shooting leads the conference. Scott was one of 20 players named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List Monday, making him eligible for national player of the year.
“He’s a real tough match-up,” Bzdelik said. “He’ll post up mid range. He can shoot over the top of you. You put length on him, and he scores in a variety of ways. He’s got great bulk, great size. He’s cagey. He understands even if you try to double him where the double team is coming from, and they’re prepared for that.”
A strong showing against the Demon Deacons is vital as the Cavaliers enter the final stretch of the season. With just eight games remaining before the ACC tournament, Virginia is looking to secure their second NCAA Tournament berth in the last decade.
“They’re playing certainly very competitive, good basketball,” Bennett said of Wake Forest. “So as every game is in the ACC, home or away, you have to be ready to play.”
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.