Just more than five minutes into the second half of the Virginia men’s basketball game Saturday against Liberty, Flames senior guard John Caleb Sanders hit a 3-pointer to bring his team within nine points at 40-31. The Flames had hung close with the Cavaliers all day, and looked much more impressive than their 1-3 record implied.
Seven and half minutes later, the score was 60-31. Using a 20-0 second-half barrage, the Cavaliers quickly dispelled any possibility of an embarrassing early-season upset and put the game away, cruising to a 75-53 win.
“We started off a little impatient and did not communicate well,” coach Tony Bennett said. “We came out in the second half and got on the offensive glass, rotated the ball and made them earn it a little more. We didn’t give them as many shots at the rim.”
Virginia (4-1) led the entire first half — save a 3-3 tie — but the edge never seemed that safe, even when the Cavaliers pulled in front by as much as 12 points. Liberty (1-4) consistently fought back, narrowing the game to 30-26 with just more than a minute left in the first half. The Cavaliers would go into the break leading 32-26, and the team was mindful of not overlooking an opponent that was supposed to be overmatched.
“If you just watch college basketball, whenever you’re expected to win handily, you can’t [assume],” Bennett said. “We’ve learned that lesson so many times. I just keep talking about quality — quality possessions, playing the game the right way. On paper, you’re supposed to beat them, but all you have to do is look around the country and see these upsets, and it’s a good reminder.”
Halftime gave Bennett an opportunity to rouse his players, and he made sure to remind them not to play down to their opponent.
“He kind of got into us in the locker room,” junior forward Darion Atkins said. “We came out [in the second half] and we did what we had to do defensively.”
The halftime changes certainly seemed to work. Virginia gave up just five points in the first 14 minutes of the second half and outscored Liberty by 23 points during that stretch. The Cavaliers quickly wore down the Flames and were able to play much more comfortably than in the first half.
“We moved the ball really well in the second,” Atkins said. “I felt like we were a little more unselfish. We were more aggressive, we played inside out better and we picked it up, obviously, defensively, and I felt like that gave the other team a lot of turnovers and us a lot of chances offensively.”
Virginia’s shooting was markedly better Saturday than it had been in recent contests, as the team went 9-for-21 from 3-point range. Six different Cavaliers hit long-range shots in the game, and Liberty seemed willing to allow Virginia to shoot from beyond the arc.
“I think we all feed off of each other hitting shots,” sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “When one person gets in rhythm, the next person, then the next person, and then before you know it, you have four or five guys hitting shots and playing well.”
Brogdon had 12 points, his third straight double-digit performance since moving to shooting guard. He was second on the team in scoring Saturday behind sophomore forward Anthony Gill, who had 13 points off the bench. Gill has recently moved to the bench in place of sophomore center Mike Tobey, but has performed consistently well since the move.
“Whatever coach Bennett wants, I’ll do it for him,” Gill said. “If that means he wants me to come off the bench, I’ll come off the bench.”
Brogdon said that Gill’s unselfishness in accepting his role is important for the team.
“I think he’s that spark off the bench for us right now,” Brogdon said. “I feel like he’s a starter whether he’s on or not on the starting lineup. He’s an impact player.”
He was joined in the frontcourt rotation by Atkins, who tallied nine rebounds — including six offensive boards — in 20 minutes on the court. Bennett has been happy with his big men so far this season, and likes to utilize all four of them if he can.
“I think we have a lot of strengths and our frontcourt is one of them,” Bennett said. “Anthony [Gill] can score, and with Darion’s defensive activity, that is a strength of ours. We have to understand that. Doing a couple passes and jacking up a three won’t get it done.”
Combined with senior forward Akil Mitchell, Tobey, Gill and Atkins form a formidable frontcourt rotation, meaning that minutes will always be at a premium. Bennett preaches defense first and foremost, so the players know that showing defensive tenacity is the primary way to earn more minutes on the floor.
“That’s definitely a ticket onto the court for almost everyone on the team,” Atkins said. “Guys like Mike Tobey don’t do as good a job on defense, but he’s such a really good offensive scorer in the post; if he was a little more defensive-minded, he would stay on the court a lot more. That’s basically everyone’s meal ticket. If [Bennett] feels comfortable that he can trust you from a defensive standpoint, then you’re going to play.”
Though the Cavaliers won by 22 points, there are certainly lessons to take away from the victory. In both this game and against Davidson last week, the team’s first-half efforts did not match its determination after the break. Even against lesser opponents, the players know that they have to be strong from the opening tipoff.
“If it’s a big game or a not-so-big game, you’re supposed to come out and destroy them — anyone,” Atkins said. “On any given night, anyone can win or lose, so the mindset has to be that you have to come out and dominate.”
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