After an improbable 73-68 upset loss to George Washington in the nation’s capital, the Virginia men’s basketball team is slated to take on Bradley Thursday in the first round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.
The No. 6 Cavaliers (1-1) started the season off well, defeating Morgan State 86-48. While the team coasted, making roughly half of its shots and scoring its most points since January of last year, the game against George Washington was a different story. However, Virginia coach Tony Bennett refuses to believe the defeat was a fluke.
“We can't [say], 'We were just off, it wasn't our game.' It wasn't that,” Bennett said. “We got outplayed. We got out-executed.”
As well as George Washington played, with junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh and senior guard Patricio Garino scoring 18 points each, the Cavaliers shot themselves in the foot. Making only 40.3 percent of all shots and 25 percent of its three-point attempts, Virginia trailed George Washington 35-32 at the half and struggled to gain momentum throughout the rest of the game. Additionally, Virginia committed 24 personal fouls and sent George Washington to the charity stripe 28 times — awarding the Colonials 23 free points.
“We lacked the discipline required, and that was the message after,” Bennett said. “First comes discipline, and then comes freedom after that.”
Although the team performed poorly overall, there was one bright spot: a more aggressive senior guard Malcolm Brogdon. Taking 18 shots and making half of them, Brogdon scored 28 points — 20 of which came in the second half. Coming from someone who averaged 14.0 points per game last season, this could be a positive omen for a revitalized Cavalier offense.
“He was a little out of sorts early, and then certainly got aggressive,” Bennett said. “I liked how he responded in the second half when we really needed him to.”
With Tuesday’s loss behind them, the Cavaliers will take on Bradley (1-1) this Thursday. Finishing last season with a record of 9-24 (3-15 MVC) and getting blown out by No. 12 Arizona 90-60 Monday, Bradley is not one of Virginia’s stronger opponents this season. However, the team does have potential: it remained resilient in its 54-53 season-opening victory against Ball State. Also, London native freshman guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye put up 18 points in his Bradley debut and is currently leading the team in points per game with 12.
Complacency might be what caused Virginia to fall to George Washington, and if the Cavaliers aren’t careful, there is no guarantee an upset won’t happen against a Bradley team that has nothing to lose.
“In competition at this level, there’s so much parity and that margin of error is thin,” Bennett said.
If Virginia wants to beat Bradley and remain competitive this year, it must return to what has been the staple of the Bennett era: lockdown defense. Last year, the Cavalier defense held opponents to 51.5 points per game. That defense, which never allowed opposing teams to score more than 73 points in regulation, played with much more energy and stinginess than the defense that showed up against George Washington.
Additionally, it’s time for other players to step up and help Brogdon shoulder the scoring load. The departure of last year’s second-leading scorer, then-junior forward Justin Anderson, has forced the team to look to other players for offense. While Brogdan has been playing well, leading the team in points per game as he did last year, he needs some support for Virginia to score efficiently.
The loss against George Washington was surprising for the team and the Cavalier fan-base alike. However, against the Braves, Virginia will have the chance to find its footing before the level of competition increases in the coming months. Bennett recognized the importance of establishing an identity early.
“We have to keep finding ourselves,” he said. “Who are we, how do we need to play, how disciplined do we need to be?”
Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN2.
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