So far this season, the Virginia basketball team continues to show little interest in second half drama.
The Cavaliers raced out to another big lead and completely dismantled Iowa, 74-41, on Friday night in Niceville, Fla. at the Emerald Coast Classic. The Hoos led by double figures for the final 31:39 and by more than 20 points for much of the second half. That’s part of a pattern to date. During this 5-0 start to the season, UVA has led by at least 10 points for all but 7:35 of the 100 second-half minutes played.
The No. 7 Hoos face Providence for the ECC title on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
”We talked about making Iowa earn every possession when we were on defense – they can’t get anything easy,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said on the CBS Sports broadcast. ”We gave up a couple of offensive rebounds early and then I thought we settled in and everything they shot was for the most part contested. We just talk about playing it possession by possession. Just know who we are that way.”
That formula surprises no one that follows the Hoos. They’ve used it to go 94-19 over the last three seasons and five games.
The first part of the plan – the Pack-Line defense – smothered the Hawkeyes quickly in Florida. Iowa took a 2-0 lead on a pair of free throws, but managed to make just 3 of 14 shots with 4 turnovers in the first 10 minutes. During that opening quartile, UVA took advantage to build a double-digit lead that never wavered.
By the end of the game, the Hawkeyes shot 31.3% (15 of 48) and only 26.1% from 3-point range (6-23). They posted 18 turnovers with just 8 assists. Peter Jok, who saw a heavy defensive diet of Devon Hall and Marial Shayok, ended up as the only player in double figures with 13 points. He made 5 of 14 shots to get to that total.
The Cavaliers have held four straight opponents to 41 or fewer points with Friday’s game marking the 60th time in the Bennett era that an opponent failed to reach 50. The Hoos own a 58-2 record in those games. Iowa entered the contest after scoring at least 83 points in each of its first four games.
Still, Virginia trusted its system and possession by possession mantra.
”We just knew that we had to play every possession as hard as we can because any breakdown, they have a lot of players that can shoot or finish down low,” UVA’s Jarred Reuter said on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. ”So any breakdown, they were going to take advantage. So we had to play hard and play through those breakdowns.”
Reuter proved to be a key part of the offensive side of the formula where the Cavaliers like to share the ball and test opposing defenses to stay with it long enough to prevent open shots. Reuter led the Hoos with a career-high 14 points off the bench as he made 7 of 9 shots. With 9 rebounds, he fell just shy of a double-double in the win. Reuter’s night served as a reminder of Virginia’s depth and balance on display early this season. In all five games, a sub off the bench has led the team in scoring.
Three other players joined the sophomore post in double figures. London Perrantes posted a season-high 12 points to go with 4 assists, while Isaiah Wilkins added 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocked shots, and 1 steal. Darius Thompson chipped in 10 points, which included making 2 of 4 3-pointers to keep his season average at 50% from beyond the arc. Hall and Shayok added 6 points each too.
The Cavaliers shot 48.3% (29-60) including 47.1% from 3-point range (8-17) thanks to some crisp passing, particularly in the first half. They recorded 18 assists against just 5 turnovers. In the first half, the Hoos logged an assist on 13 of 16 made shots. Seven different players picked up at least 1 assist. Virginia owns a 89-44 assist-turnover spread so far this season.
”Offensively, I think we moved them and got them maybe a little tired and obviously had some nice plays that way,” Bennett said on the CBS Sports Network broadcast.
