For all intents and purposes, Virginia’s 77-75 win against South Florida was its season debut.
Before I get to why it was a debut, let’s appreciate how fitting a matchup it was for coaches to try to gauge their teams at this point in the season. This game pitted the team picked to finish last in the ACC against the team picked to finish last in the Big East. It was the battle of the bottoms of two of the biggest barrels in the country.
Now, back to why it was a debut. Obviously, it was the Cavs’ second game of the season; indeed, you say, what about that game against VMI? The Keydets beat Kentucky to open their season, and the Cavs pulled out a 107-97 win two nights later — encouraging, right? After the Cavs put up triple digits on VMI, fans certainly had some hope that the offensive woes, at least, couldn’t be that bad this season.
What you optimists out there must remember, though, is that the Keydets don’t play D. They don’t care if you score 100 because they believe they can put up 110.
And, the biggest question facing this team is, at both ends of the floor, whether it can play in the half-court set. On offense, the Cavs had a hard enough time scoring when the game slowed down last year, and it would appear that they can’t get much better in this area with the graduation of number 44. The ability to improve on defense certainly appears more feasible; after suffering injuries to the frontcourt last season, Virginia has size that measures up with everyone. Add the focus on the defensive end that Leitao and his players have echoed, mix in some team cohesion and expose the returning nucleus of players to another year of Leitao earfuls, and the Cavs have every reason to pick it up at that end of the floor.
The VMI game, however, yielded zero information on these qualities. Leitao compared Sunday’s game to the NHL All-Star Game; that should serve as a reminder of how much half-court play there was in that contest.
So, how did Virginia fare in its first time playing a true game of basketball?
The Cavs won. That certainly comes first.
But, on the other hand, they didn’t look too good in the process. South Florida shot an all-too-familiar 49.2 percent from the floor. Sophomore guard Dominique Jones and senior guard Jesus Verdejo poured in a combined 45 points. Had the Bulls not shot 6-12 from the foul line, the game would have taken on a different tone.
Then, the offense wasn’t great either. Virginia shot 40.3 percent from the floor — borderline against an ACC opponent, poor against a South Florida team that won just three games in the Big East last season. A Virginia team that is supposed to be composed of shooters shot 5-19 from the 3-point line and 18-28 from the foul line.
On the other hand, there was more good news: Virginia has two freshmen who can really play. When point guard Sammy Zeglinski and shooting guard Sylven Landesberg have the ball in their hands, I feel comfortable that at least nothing bad is going to happen, and maybe even something good will come.
Landesberg ended with 21 points and four rebounds, including the biggest bucket of the night with 13 seconds remaining to put Virginia up 1, and the biggest rebound of the game on the ensuing stop at the defensive end.
“I live for those moments,” Landesberg said.
And it’s not just the points that impress; it’s the way he gets them. He snakes his way through defenders and finishes around the basket with contact the way a freshman isn’t supposed to do in his second game of the season.
“That’s from playing in the parks, man,” Landesberg said. “In the parks, you don’t call any fouls — you’ve just got to finish everything.”
Zeglinski’s numbers aren’t as gaudy, but he was solid at the point for the second straight night, committing just one turnover while adding four assists; there probably would have been more if foul trouble hadn’t limited him to just 22 minutes. Even though he stands a meager 6 feet, I am beginning to buy into Zeglinski’s ability to run the show both in the half-court and in transition, even against high-pressure, high-octane ACC opponents.
“I feel real comfortable out there,” Zeglinski said. “I always like to be the floor general and show my composure on the court.”
The best news of the night, however, was Virginia’s grit in the last five minutes. The Cavs have had Sean Singletary on the floor for four years in crunch time, and for most of that time he was getting the ball.
With Virginia in possession down 75-74 and 34 seconds to play, the fans may have been looking for Singletary, but the players weren’t. As junior guard Calvin Baker — on a night that certainly wasn’t his best — made a fantastic spin move into the lane and dished to Landesberg for an open lay-up on the baseline, Virginia proved it doesn’t need Mr. Big Shot to take — and make — a big shot.
The best part about the go-ahead bucket, however, was that it wasn’t by design.
“We had set up a play actually to get the ball in [Diane’s] hands and drive a little bit and draw some help,” Leitao said. “It broke down early, so we found ourselves just kind of improvising.”
That play was something that would make even Singletary, the king of improvisation himself, proud.
Of course, I’m a realist. This is South Florida. If Leitao can improvise a way for Virginia to win in the ACC, that would really be something.
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