Virginia opened ACC play with a double overtime win at Miami where both teams swapped opportunities to put the game away. In the closing seconds of regulation, UVa missed free throws that would have sealed the deal. In the closing seconds of overtime, Miami couldn’t get a stop on back-to-back possessions that resulted in six points by Justin Anderson.

In the end, the Wahoos prevailed 89-80 after a 50-minute duel in South Beach. The Double Bonus takes a peek at some trends from the game.

The Dreaded High Side Pick-And-Pop

The popularity of ball screen action in basketball currently combined with the need to space the floor against the Virginia Pack-Line defense means that a lot of teams will challenge the Hoos with varying concepts off of pick plays. The one that challenges the Cavaliers the most, however, is undoubtedly the pick-and-pop from above the free throw line.

The tactic is really fairly simple, though there are numerous ways to get into it (more on that in a moment). The idea frequently takes the dribbler to an area just above the free throw line extended (imagine the free throw line going across the whole court) and just outside the lane line extended (imagine the lane line going vertically up the whole court). The dribbler then attacks horizontally from within this square off of a ball screen being set at the top of the key. The pick-and-pop version then sends that screener away from the dribbler’s direction into the square where the action started. Having a big that can separate into that area above the 3-point line puts a lot of pressure on any defense, including the Pack-Line because it distorts the spacing.

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