Harvard scored a pair of lay-ups with 16:31 and 16:38 on the clock Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Crimson, those baskets were in separate halves and Virginia dominated everything in between as part of a historic effort at the John Paul Jones Arena.
As a result, the No. 6 Cavaliers cruised to a 76-27 victory en route to an 11-0 start for the first time since 1992-93. The Hoos have won 17 straight games at home, 16 of those by double digits.
“I think we were sharp,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “Harvard is a lot better than they showed. Mike Tobey got us off to a great start offensively, and defensively we were ready. We prepared well this week in practice and had great respect for Harvard, but you could see they were sluggish and had one of their poorer games. Early on, we were right defensively and making some good shots, which was a bad recipe for Harvard.”
A very bad recipe. While Tobey sparked UVa’s offense with nine points in the first four minutes, the visitors scored just once with a Zena Edosomwan lay-up at the 16:31 mark. The 9-2 margin only got worse from there as the Crimson (7-2) failed to record another field goal the rest of the half as part of a 1-of-20 shooting (5.0%) display. That matched the NCAA record for fewest made field goals in a half in the shot clock era, a distinction previously held only by Savannah State (Jan. 7, 2008 at Kansas State).
With only one bucket, the Crimson finished with eight points in the first half as the Cavaliers rolled to a 39-8 advantage at the break. That’s the second time this season that the Hoos held an opponent to eight points in a half. Rutgers put up only eight in the second half on Nov. 29.
Despite another early lay-up in the second half, a Steve Moundou-Missi bucket at 16:38, things only improved marginally for Harvard after intermission. The visitors made 7 of 30 shots (23.3%) in the second half and finished 8 of 50 (16.0%). That set a new program record for Virginia’s defense, which held Mississippi Valley State to only 19 percent shooting on Dec. 8, 2012. UVa held its 17th straight opponent to less than 70 points, the longest active streak in the nation.
The Wahoos said after the game that Sunday’s effort should be the target for the defense moving forward this season.
“Defensively, this has to be our standard now,” Tobey said. “We did a great job of executing our defensive game plan. Harvard is a great team, preseason top 25, and very talented, but I think we did a good job holding them.”
“This was probably the best one. We shut them down. I don’t know if they just didn’t bring it today, but we held them to eight points for a while, and they kind of got it going in the second half,” Virginia senior Darion Atkins said. “We haven’t had a defensive performance like this in a while.”
Wesley Saunders, the Crimson’s leading scorer averaging 20.1 points entering the game, struggled as much as anyone as part of an 0-of-7 shooting night. He posted just four points with Malcolm Brogdon and company focused on slowing him down.
“We worked hard in practice trying to be disciplined in our slides and not getting faked. Saunders is really clever in his pump fakes. Our size and our length at that guard position is a nice luxury going against a big guard like that,” Bennett said. “Every shot he took was contested. For the most part, Malcolm Brogdon and Mariel Shayok didn’t fall for his fakes. When your shot is off, it is hard having that kind of length on you. He just was off. You could see that they all were. They were not playing the way they usually would.”
For Virginia’s offense, meanwhile, it was business as usual. The Cavaliers knocked down 31 of 52 shots (59.6%), the fourth straight game – and sixth time this season – they have eclipsed the 50% barrier. Precise ball movement helped the effort as UVa logged 21 assists on those 31 field goals. Brogdon led the way there with 6 assists to go with 15 points and 6 rebounds in 28 minutes. Shayok and Devon Hall chipped in 4 assists each too, while Shayok tallied 7 points as well.
Tobey, who jumpstarted things with 9 straight points to open the game, finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. That’s Tobey’s second career double-double. Evan Nolte (9 points), Atkins (8 points), and Justin Anderson (8 points) also got close to double figures as six Cavaliers registered at least 7 points.
In the end, Harvard had no answers for any part of the Virginia offense. The Wahoos scored 34 points in the paint, made 6 3-pointers, scored 10 second-chance points, and even put up 11 fastbreak points. Whether it was post players spotting up for short jumpers or Brogdon, Anderson, and company driving for physical lay-ups, the Crimson just wilted under the onslaught at both ends.
“We talk about being sound and making good decisions. Offensively, you need to score in different ways. Yes, in your halfcourt offense, but also offensive rebounding, at the free throw line, and some of those easy ones to break up buckets,” Bennett said. “We were stalling in one game and decided we needed to get up the court faster. If we have a good shot take it, but make good decisions. Some of the strong guards can get in the lane and get those extra points.”
“Certainly, a disappointing effort by our team, but none the less a very well-played game by Virginia,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “I thought they were terrific in every facet; their size, their length, going inside. At the beginning of the game, Mike Tobey had a great performance. There was great efficiency by Virginia, and I think the big guys had an outstanding game down low. … Nothing but praise for a job well done by an outstanding basketball team.”
