Tony Bennett’s 100th win at Virginia featured the perfect way to celebrate the milestone for the defensive-minded coach. UVa allowed just 20 points in each half Wednesday night in a dominant 65-40 victory.
“That’s pretty sweet,” senior Joe Harris said. “I actually didn’t know that until right after the game. We all celebrated and joked with him a little bit while he was walking out. We were going to try to throw him in the tub but we got Teven [Jones] instead.”
“Yeah,” senior Akil Mitchell said smiling. “He probably won’t even remember No. 100. No. 100 is probably like that. No. 85 is probably like that. They’re all probably like that. I don’t think he’ll remember, but it’s special for the people who will to think that’s the way his team plays.”
Despite a heay diet of on-ball screns and dribble weaves, the Cavaliers certainly delivered on the defensive end for their coach. Miami made 12 of 46 shots in the game, a paltry 26.1% that is the lowest number for a Virginia opponent this season. The Hurricanes, who had made 16 of 31 3-pointers in their previous two games, finished 0 of 12 from beyond the arc. Miami is the first team ince Arizona State in 1999 not to make at least one 3-pointer against UVa, a span of 457 games. The visitors only found some scoring success on second-chance points (7) and at the free-throw line (16-27).
Miami placed two players in double figures, but Erik Swoope needed 10 free throws to get to his 13 points while Rion Brown made just 5 of 12 shots to reach 12.
“They are a pack team. You just can’t get inside of them,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. “Virginia takes away all of your twos and they challenge your threes. … We tried to get in there and make some threes.” Larranga also said: “We couldn’t score easily tonight. We had some good looks and they didn’t fall for us. We were in a hole that we couldn’t dig ourselves out of – the credit goes to them. Virginia makes you take difficult shots. The only guy that was able to get it done for us was Erik Swoope.”
UVa’s starting backcourt set the tone offensively as the trio of London Perrantes, Malcolm Brogdon, and Harris all reached double figures.
Perrantes led the way with a 5-of-5 shooting night, which included 4 of 4 from 3-point land. That effort produced a career-high 15 points. He also posted 4 assists and 1 turnover. He became the seventh Virginia player to have a 15-point game this season; in the last two games, four different players – Akil Mitchell and Anthony Gill against Notre Dame and Perrantes and Brogdon against Miami – have hit the 15-point plateau.
With the team struggling in the first half, Perrantes provided the spark the team needed with nine points on offense. He made 3 of 3 shots in the first half while the rest of the Cavaliers hit just 6 of 24 attempts (25%). That steady hand bought time for the rest of the Wahoos to find their stride as they converted 60% (9 of 15) of their shots after the halftime break. Perrantes didn’t cool off after intermission either as he made two 3-pointers in the first five minutes. On the final one, Harris assisted – part of a five-assist night – and had three fingers in the air before the freshman point guard finished releasing the shot.
“I knew it was going in,” Harris said. “He had a clean room-and-rhythm look and I knew he was going to knock it down so I just threw the three up. I always get excited for the guys when they have an open look off of a pass.”
Harris and Brogdon, meanwhile, each hit both of their shots in the second half after going 2 of 7 before intermission. Harris finished with 11 points, including 3 of 5 triples. That’s the 18th time this season and the 87th time in his career that Harris has come through with double figures.
Brogdon, meanwhile, delivered a quietly effective performance. He tallied 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, and just 1 turnover in a team-high 32 minutes. Brogdon is he only player in the ACC to score in double figures in every conference game. The sophomore made all seven of his free throw attempts against the Hurricanes, got into the seams of Miami’s defense, and continued to make things happen for the Hoos on offense.
“It’s really nice to be that consistent for my team, [but] I try to be aggressive every night whether that’s scoring or making the extra pass or getting people open. That’s the way it’s worked out,” Brogdon said. “My role has been to score for this team and to get people open and to rebound. That’s what I’ve tried to embrace.”
With the Cavaliers holding firm to their roles, they have now climbed to 15-1 in the ACC and 24-5 overall. It is the fifth straight season that Virginia has increased its overall win total and the first time the program has won 12 straight ACC games since 1981-82. UVa also improved to 19 games above .500 for the first time since 1982-83 and won a program-record 11th ACC game by double figures. It also served as the program’s 17th straight home ACC win, a new school record that surpassed 16 straight from 1980-82.
The victory also set up a showdown with Syracuse on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the JPJ. If UVa wins, it will be the outright regular season ACC champion for only the second time in its long history in the league. The only other time the program achieved the feat was in 1981. With such a big game on the horizon, it had been hard for fans, media, and even some family to stay focused on Miami entering Wednesday night’s contest. Bennett and his crew, however, remained dialed in to the next task at hand.
“My son on the ride here to the game, we were driving and I looked at Eli and said two more [home] games left. And he starts this little chant – ‘Cuse, Cuse, Cuse!’ I said you don’t get it man and I was a little mad at first, but then I said he’s only 11 so I guess I should give him a break,” an obviously joking and laughing Tony Bennett said. “Sure that’s what everybody likes to point to, [a big game], but those of us in this profession and this situation know how important it is just to be ready. Like our analogy [of one step at a time], they really did come ready. I even told them before the game hopefully we’ll come down this road again, some of us will hopefully, but this is the last time Joe, Thomas [Rogers], and Akil will ever come down this road so let’s make the most of it by being as ready as we can physically and mentally for every challenge and every opportunity that is in front of us. … When you put it in that frame, that this is their last chance, to overlook anything would be foolish.”
Congrats to the best coach in the country on his 100th. win.