If there was any doubt left about whether Virginia senior guard Malcolm Brogdon deserved to become the first ever player to win both ACC player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season, it should be quelled after Thursday night.
The senior finished with 26 points — two shy of his career high — on 10-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three. The Yellow Jackets had no answer for Brogdon, as he got into the paint and hit jumpers — both contested and uncontested — at will.
“His size [makes him difficult to guard],” Georgia Tech senior guard Adam Smith said. “He’s really versatile. He gets to the basket [and] gets the open shots. He plays really well within that offense.”
Brogdon’s efforts lifted second-seeded Virginia (25-6, 13-5 ACC) past Georgia Tech, 72-52. After struggling through an up-and-down first half, the Cavaliers outscored the tenth-seeded Yellow Jackets (19-14, 8-10 ACC) 42-24 in the second half, allowing coach Tony Bennett to substitute in his walk-ons with 1:18 to play.
Senior forward Anthony Gill complemented Brogdon with a 12-point, eight-rebound performance. Junior guard London Perrantes added eight assists in addition to his eight-points, while senior center Mike Tobey chipped in nine-points on 4-of-5 shooting.
“When those other guys can give us a lift, hitting a shot, doing some things, it makes a big difference,” Bennett said.
Virginia and the Yellow Jackets battled back-and-forth throughout the first 20 minutes. Georgia Tech led by as many five in the early going, and the Cavaliers took a six-point lead with 5:07 remaining.
The Cavaliers broke a 20-20 tie after a block by Gill led to a three from Brogdon. The Atlanta, Ga. native put up 14-points in the first half, scoring Virginia’s final 10 before the break.
“All three of those buckets came off of a set,” Brogdon said. “On that set, there are multiple options. They have to guard multiple things. They can’t key on one player.”
Still, the Yellow Jackets seemed to answer every Virginia basket, as they cut the deficit to 30-28 at the break.
“Down two at half, we felt pretty good,” Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said.
However, Georgia Tech could not sustain its momentum. Virginia went on one of its signature second-half runs that quickly squashed any hope of a Yellow-Jacket upset.
After trading layups, the Cavaliers went on an 8-0 run, taking 40-30 lead after Perrantes hit a jumper with 15:53 remaining.
“I thought the second half was key,” Bennett said. “We did what we needed to do. We talked about it at halftime, it was pretty even in terms of both teams wanted to battle the way they wanted to play. You talk about imposing wills. Let’s get a little tougher offensively.”
Virginia left no doubts that its will was imposed after the second half.
Senior forward Evan Nolte continued Virginia’s dominance by completing a four-point play after knocking down a three while getting smacked in the face, inspiring the pro-Virginia crowd to chant his name.
“I’ve never seen a guy hit a three and have the whole crowd chant his name that quick,” Bennett said. “That was impressive.”
Brogdon’s and-one jumper on Virginia’s ensuing possession squashed any hope of a Georgia Tech comeback.
The Cavaliers dominated both on the perimeter and in the paint, where Virginia outscored the Yellow Jackets, 30-22.
Virginia shot 54 percent from the field, including 7-of-14 from three. The Cavaliers scored 22 points off of Georgia Tech’s 14 turnovers, while committing just seven turnovers of their own.
The Yellow Jackets shot 41 percent from the field.
“We didn’t play well enough to beat a team of that caliber,” Gregory said.
Brogdon held senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, Georgia Tech’s leading scorer with 17 points per game, to a mere seven points on a 1-of-8 effort from the floor. Georges-Hunt’s struggles came a day after dropping 28 points against Clemson.
“It’s a collective effort,” Brogdon said. “Defense is what we pride ourselves on. Even with other great players on opposing teams, it doesn’t matter who it is, we’re going to lock them down, we’re going to make them uncomfortable and make it a tough night for them.”
Virginia will face the winner of the Miami-Virginia Tech contest. After Thursday’s performance, the Cavaliers appear to be in good shape heading into the postseason.
“They are certainly ready to play,” Bennett said. “They should feel the right way about that. But they know who they are. That’s what I love about them. I’ve seen it over time. These guys are experienced. I’m thankful for that. We want to obviously see what we can do.”
Tipoff for Virginia’s semifinal contest is scheduled for Friday at 9 p.m.
Read More
No. 4 Virginia softball knocked out of ACC Tournament by No. 5 Clemson
By Eleanor Lynch | YesterdayThe Cavaliers could not get things going on either side of the ball in their loss to the Tigers.
No. 5 seed women’s lacrosse wins big against LIU to open NCAA Tournament
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers outscored the Sharks 10-1 in the second quarter on their way to a crucial win.
How Morgan Schwab has helped continue the prestige of Virginia women’s lacrosse
By Peter Kratz | 2 days agoAs the Cavaliers approach the NCAA enactment , they will be relying on Schwab to make a run at a national title.
