After spending nine days away, the Virginia men’s basketball team will return to its home floor Saturday afternoon to face William & Mary in an intrastate duel.
The No. 10 Cavaliers (6-1) have been on a hot streak since they lost to George Washington Nov. 16. Winning five straight, Virginia averaged 79.2 points per game while holding opponents to an average of 57.4 points per game. However, against Ohio State — Virginia’s first major-conference opponent — the Cavaliers eked out a narrow 64-58 victory.
“I thought we were sluggish,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We had enough sound defensive plays, but we have to keep on improving.”
Scoring only 26 points in the first half, Virginia put up its lowest halftime total of the season. Eventually, the Cavaliers kicked things into high gear. Shooting 50 percent from downtown, Virginia scored 24 points off 3-pointers. Senior guard Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 22 points in the game, had two-thirds of those long-distance makes.
“I thought Malcolm really played well for us and carried us where we needed to be carried,” Bennett said.
Now, Virginia will take on a team that barely missed the chance to play in its first-ever NCAA tournament last year, William & Mary (5-2). While the Tribe lost its all-time leading scorer, guard Marcus Thornton, who was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, the team is still a force to be reckoned with.
In the last matchup between the teams, Virginia dismantled William & Mary 76-52 to kick off the 2010 season. However, the Tribe has grown since. Putting up 85 points in a winning effort against NC State to start the season, William & Mary set the pace for its offense for the rest of the year. Led by junior guard Omar Prewitt, who has put up 17.4 points per game, the Tribe has averaged just under 74 points per contest — making it one of the more prolific offenses that Virginia will have faced thus far.
Additionally, Virginia may have to play a second consecutive game without its starting point guard, junior London Perrantes, who had an appendectomy Sunday.
“It’s just unfortunate that it’s our second [injury] in a short amount of time,” Bennett said. “[We want him back] sooner than later, but we’ll do what’s best for him of course.”
The Cavalier squad proved it has exemplary depth Tuesday against the Buckeyes. With Perrantes sidelined, sophomore guard Darius Thompson stepped up, playing 36 minutes and racking up 12 points as well as six dimes. Sophomores forward Isaiah Wilkins and guard Devon Hall both came off the bench to play a combined 49 minutes. Contributing 16 crucial points as well as 10 rebounds, Virginia’s bench was instrumental in the victory against Ohio State and will continue to help the team against William & Mary.
“We’re a veteran team that has depth,” Bennett said. “I’ve talked about that a lot this year.”
If Virginia wants to secure a victory against William & Mary, it must continue to play lockdown defense. Holding Ohio State to 24 points in the first half was impressive, but allowing the Buckeyes to score 34 in the second half nearly lost the Cavaliers the game. If Virginia gets lax on defense, William & Mary may take full advantage and exploit it for easy points.
Additionally, while the Cavaliers shot accurately from 3-point territory Tuesday, they must be willing to drive to the hoop more. Virginia only made it to the charity stripe 13 times against Ohio State — three less attempts than from downtown. To diversify its offense and score easy points, Virginia must utilize its size against a game Tribe team.
This contest comes before the Cavaliers take on their first ranked opponent of the season, No. 20 West Virginia. From there, Virginia enters a difficult portion of its schedule, playing No. 8 Villanova in the following game and conference foes January. The team needs a strong showing Saturday to keep its momentum.
Tipoff against William & Mary is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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