Virginia’s unexpected tumble on the road against George Washington Nov. 16 could have been a major hiccup for the Cavaliers (5-1). Instead, it served as a wake up call.
Now receiving votes in the AP Top 25, George Washington, much like Tennessee two years ago, exposed flaws in the coach Tony Bennett’s squad. Virginia, still adjusting to life without forward Darion Atkins and guard Justin Anderson, gave up 73 points against the Colonials. The Cavaliers surrendered more than 70 points in regulation just once a year ago.
But as the reigning national coach of the year, Bennett made adjustments, especially defensively. He inserted sophomore guard Marial Shayok in the starting lineup for fellow sophomore guard Darius Thompson, while also occasionally switching in freshman center Jack Salt for senior center Mike Tobey in the starting five.
And in the following three games, Virginia cruised past its competition en route to winning the Charleston Classic. The Cavaliers made short work of winless Lehigh, 80-54, last Wednesday as well.
"We just tried to get our identity back,” Shayok said. “We let one slip at George Washington. We didn't play our best, especially defensively. We just tried to get playing back to who we are and that started with our defense."
Virginia certainly might have rediscovered its defensive identity from a season ago, although due to the 30-second shot clock and the increase in fouls, the Cavaliers aren’t holding opponents to ridiculously low scoring totals anymore.
But just as notable has been Virginia’s offensive surge in 2015. The Cavaliers, which eclipsed 80 points just once in regulation last season, have now scored at least 80 in all five of this season’s wins.
Senior guard Malcolm Brogdon leads Virginia averaging 16.7 points per game. Senior forward Anthony Gill has scored 12.5 points per game while junior guard London Perrantes has added 10 per contest.
But just as important, Virginia has found contributors off the bench. After starting the past four games, Shayok has pushed Thompson out of the starting lineup, while Salt seems to play better with Gill on the floor, leaving Tobey to come off the bench as well the past two contests.
But players such as Tobey, Thompson, sophomore guard Devon Hall and sophomore forward Isaiah Wilkins have found roles in what will likely be a nine-man rotation for Bennett.
The foursome added 28 points off the bench during Wednesday’s win against Lehigh, sparked by Thompson’s 12, including an electric dunk after being fouled on a lob from Shayok.
Virginia started off slow against Lehigh, leading 35-28 at the half. But in the final 20 minutes, the Cavaliers’ relentless energy proved too much for the Mountain Hawks.
“It's just kind of a battle and eventually we're going to hopefully wear them down,” Bennett said.
Virginia will next test its depth in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against a reeling Ohio State team that has lost three consecutive contests against Texas Arlington, Louisiana Tech and Memphis, respectively. The Buckeyes (2-3), which have 11 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins during coach Thad Matta’s tenure, could be in danger of missing the NCAA tournament without a steep turnaround.
Ohio State lost seven players from last year’s team that fell against Arizona in the third round of the NCAA tournament. The most notable departure was freshman guard D’Angelo Russell – a first team All-American – who was drafted second overall by the Lakers.
“I think this team has to find itself,” Matta said after the Louisiana Tech loss. “I think that we have to look at our weaknesses, admit that we have them and find ways to correct them.”
Virginia will still face a talented squad Tuesday. Junior forward Marc Loving is averaging 16.6 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three, while freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle is coming off a career best 18 point and eight assist performance against Memphis Friday.
In a hostile environment on the road, Virginia’s depth will play a key role Tuesday. Whether it is energetic defense from Wilkins or fast break buckets from Thompson and Hall, the Cavalier bench has shown it has the ability to not only give the starters a break, but also to shift the momentum in games.
"I think our biggest strength this season besides our defense is our depth,” Brogdon said. “I think that we have multiple guards that can step in and play as well as starters, and I think that we have bigs in rotation that can really play and really contribute as well."
Tipoff in Columbus, Ohio is scheduled for 7:30pm on ESPN.
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