The Virginia basketball team returns to action Thursday night for its final ACC road game of the season. Tip-off at Louisville is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the ACC Network. The Hoos wrap up regular season play on Saturday at home against Notre Dame.
The Cavaliers already clinched the outright ACC Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. They wrapped that up with three games to play, the earliest a team has sewn up the regular season title in 19 years per Voice of the Cavaliers Dave Koehn. UVA can finish 9-0 in ACC road games with a win against the Cardinals, which coach Tony Bennett said would be appreciated but he locked in on what winning the regular season means during interviews this week.
”You play an 18-game schedule and that’s a test over almost three months,” Bennett said on Monday’s ACC teleconference. ”That’s a big sample of what you’re doing. The regular season ACC title even though you don’t play every team twice, it’s a pretty good thing if you can do that.”
This is the third time in five years that Virginia captured a regular season title. The coaching staff has remained largely the same during that span with Ron Sanchez, Jason Williford, Mike Curtis, Ronnie Wideman, and Ethan Saliba all on board throughout Bennett’s tenure. Other members of the Virginia basketball program have been in place for a number of years as well, including assistant coach Brad Soderberg, director of recruiting/player development Orlando Vandross, technology assistant Johnny Carpenter, director of scouting/recruiting Larry Mangino, and office administrator Katherine Palmer.
Bennett listed all of those staff members off by name on the coaches’ radio show Monday night and said he remains thankful for everyone that has contributed to the recent success.
”The continuity has been significant. We’ve grown together,” Bennett said on Monday’s coaches’ show. ”They’re so knowledgeable. They make you look so good. Everybody has their roles. I think we’ve gotten better at putting people in their strengths. It starts with Ron Sanchez, who is going to be on everybody’s list for potential jobs I think. … It’s so high level. It’s so good. Everybody works hard in their roles. Everybody trusts each other. … There’s nothing that can replace that or is more significant or valuable than that trust and loyalty. This maybe sounds funny, but it’s a kind staff. I love that. It’s good.”
Virginia Coach Tony Bennett On Louisville
The Cardinals made 50% of their shots in that game, the first and only opponent to reach that mark this season. The Cavaliers shot the ball well too, making 53.7% of their shots in a 74-64 win. That game boiled down in some ways to turnovers – Louisville had 13, while UVA had only seven. The Hoos created a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers as part of the victory.
Bennett said the Cardinals play hard, do a lot of good things, and are coming off a good win at Virginia Tech. Plus, Louisville is hanging around the in-out line for the NCAA Tournament bubble so a win against the ACC Champion and No. 1 ranked team nationally could be a big resume boost.
”They’re so long. They can block shots and they’re mobile,” Bennett said on Monday’s ACC teleconference. ”Those big guys are mobile. … They have talented players, good athleticism, and again they play hard. It’s important – they’re playing for stuff. I just think you’ve got to be as sound as possible. … The separation isn’t that much in this league. I just think you’ve got to really work to get quality shots. They run a lot of ball screen stuff and they have great defense if you’re not ready for it.”
Small Adjustment
In the 66-37 victory at Pittsburgh on Saturday, redshirt senior Nigel Johnson put together a solid effort. Johnson scored 12 points with three assists in 23 minutes. He also hit four of six shots. That included a pair of 3-pointers, one from the right corner and one from the top of the key area. Per Koehn, Johnson had missed nine of his previous 11 attempts from beyond the arc before those two went in.
”It’s always good when you see the ball go in the basket,” Bennett said on Monday’s coaches’ show. ”It was nice to see that. He hit the nice corner jumper, then one at the end of the shot clock, had a floater, and I think the more minutes he can get in those settings and do some positive things, that’s good for his confidence and, of course, good for us.”
Koehn noted that Johnson mentioned to the Virginia radio crew that Bennett had made a small adjustment on his shot.
”I just thought he was fading a little bit,” Bennett said on Monday’s coaches’ show. ”We just talked about stay in your shot a little more, a little forward momentum. Sometimes you’re off the dribble and you need to fade away, you see certain times that happens. … That would be great if that could help him.”
All-ACC Academic Honors
Johnson and fellow Virginia graduate student Devon Hall received recognition this week as part of the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball Team. It is the second consecutive time that Hall made the list. Student-athletes must carry a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average in one’s academic career. For a full list of honorees, click here.
