The Virginia men’s basketball team has contended with high-caliber big men all season long, particularly in the past week. Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor routinely set up on the low block Saturday night at John Paul Jones Arena, and mobile North Carolina junior forward Brice Johnson had a go at the Cavalier defense two nights later in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
A National Player of the Year candidate and possible No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor posted just 10 points on seven shots against No. 3 Virginia’s post-trapping, pack-line defense. Meanwhile, Johnson surpassed his season scoring average with 14 points.
Virginia’s next front-court challenge comes Saturday night, when defense-minded Louisville rolls into town. The No. 8 Cardinals (19-3, 7-2 ACC) feature a potent backcourt combination in guards senior Chris Jones and sophomore Terry Rozier as well as one of the best big men in college basketball, junior forward Montrezl Harrell.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett said Harrell stands out for his “length,” “motor” and improving mid-range jump shot — but he emphasized the probable first-round draft pick is more than a skill set.
“When the lights turn on he is one of the fiercest competitors that I have been around,” Bennett said, who knows Harrell from USA Basketball. “He is a warrior between the lines. He’s motivated by that — the bigger the game, the bigger the setting, he seems to thrive in that.”
Louisville’s focal point on the interior, Harrell is averaging 15.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field. He played 39 minutes Tuesday night in the Cardinal’s win at Miami, tallying 18 points — a team high nine boards and two blocks.
“He’s a unique talent,” Bennett said. “You add that competitiveness, and that’s what’s as good as most in the country.”
Louisville has more than Harrell up its sleeve. Rozier leads the ACC in scoring at 18.5 points per game and ranks second in steals behind teammate Jones. The duo combines for 4.3 thefts per contest, spearheading a Cardinal defense that allows 58.8 points per game.
Bennett said Louisville was “as good of a defensive team as I’ve seen in quite a while.”
“They’re exceptional defensively,” Bennett said. “Their scheme is unique, [and] they mix it up. It’s impressive. They win with their defense a lot, and then they have certainly some playmakers and do things offensively, but they challenge you to take care of the ball.”
Bennett said the Cardinals employ a combination of press, man-to-man and match-up zone defenses. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino’s squad often wins the ball-security battle. The Cardinals have forced 352 turnovers this year while coughing the ball up 270 times.
“You’ve got to take care of the ball [against them],” Bennett said.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, came back for a 75-64 win against the No. 12 Tar Heels Monday at the Dean E. Smith Center. Junior guards Justin Anderson and Malcolm Brogdon, sophomore point guard London Perrantes and junior forward Anthony Gill all scored in double figures as Virginia quickly recovered from its 69-63 loss to No. 5 Duke.
Anderson dished out a season-high seven assists against North Carolina, while senior forward Darion Atkins and junior center Mike Tobey contributed six and eight points, respectively.
“I think that’s a real important aspect for a team to continue to play at a high level is you can’t just be one-dimensional,” Bennett said. “There has to be balance. You know, you looked at that stat sheet against North Carolina. It was really good in terms of assists to turnovers, the balanced scoring, the inside-outside, and that’s what you aspire to.”
The Cavaliers held the Tar Heels to 37.9 percent shooting in the second half after what Anderson and others characterized as a poor defensive showing against the Blue Devils—particularly on the break.
"[Duke] had a lot of transition buckets — I think eight or 10 points,” Anderson said. “That was way too much.”
Though Virginia has scored efficiently this season, junior forward Evan Nolte has yet to rediscover his shooting stroke from a year ago, when he hit 17-51 3-point attempts. Nolte is just 7-35 from long range this season.
Bennett said inconsistent playing time has factored into the Milton, Georgia native’s slow start.
“It’s hard when you play in short stints to get a rhythm,” Bennett said. “He’s got to keep working at it in practice and just keep having confidence. And that’s hard.”
However, Bennett also highlighted Nolte’s basketball smarts and defensive awareness as skills valuable to the team.
“Evan’s much more than a shooter,” Bennett said.
With his team now entering the final third of its regular season, Bennett said Virginia must continue to develop because the Cavaliers’ opponents are not likely to be resting easy.
“When you get to the midway point in conference play or wherever it is, it seems like teams improve,” Bennett said. “You either get left behind or you improve and you stay with it.”
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