Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett has used the boxing analogy of being in a title fight at times over the years. If that descriptor applied to the ACC Tournament Championship on Saturday, Duke won on the score cards after hitting some early punches and then holding UVA at arm’s length while consistently landing jabs and body blows the rest of the night. There was no knockout blow, but the Blue Devils took the title 59-49.
Ultimately, Duke’s length – or reach if you want to stay with boxing lingo – and size defensively proved to be the differentiator in a game where both teams battled.
“They’re a good defensive team. They’ve really come together that way,” Cavalier coach Tony Bennett said. “Their length and their athleticism was real and I think at times it sped us up and we were at times a little bit uncharacteristic or a bit rushed. I think they sat down and guarded. We sat down and tried to guard hard. There just wasn’t a whole lot there. … I think their athleticism and length put some pressure on us and we got sped up.”
The numbers tell the tale of the tape as well as anything.
Virginia managed just 33.3% shooting overall by making 16 of 48 shots. That included 9 of 18 layups or dunks (50.0%) and 4 of 17 3-pointers (23.5%). While some of those attempts from either location were open looks, many had a defender flying around the rim or jumping out late to bother the release on jumpers. UVA found things particularly difficult in the first half when it shot 27.3% overall (6-22) and 14.3% from 3 (1-7). The Cavaliers scored just .845 points per possession.
The defense impacted the Hoos’ three leading scorers this season as much as anyone. Armaan Franklin, who has averaged 12.5 points, finished with 7 points on on 2-8 shooting as he found it difficult to create attempts. Jayden Gardner, who averaged 12.1 points and was on a streak to end the season, had 7 points on 3-9 shooting. Kihei Clark, who averaged 10.9 points, had 6 points on 1-9 shooting.
When an opponent can take out your top three producers, it’s going to be a long night unless others can pick up the slack. Reece Beekman scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting, but he missed all 3 of his 3-point attempts. He did have 4 assists and 4 steals. Isaac McKneely added 10 points too after getting more aggressive late in the game; he made 2 of 4 triples and 3 of 5 shots overall. Kadin Shedrick added 5 points and 7 rebounds.
That just wasn’t enough firepower and things were compounded by some unusual turnover issues. UVA gave away 12 turnovers, which was above its season-long average of 8.5. Virginia had just 12 turnovers combined in the ACC Tournament wins against North Carolina and Clemson. Beekman, Clark, and Franklin, the starting guards, had 4, 3, and 3 turnovers respectively.
“I feel like it was a little bit of both, some on us and some from their defense as well,” Beekman said. “We didn’t take care of it as we usually do and I feel like that was a big impact in the game. I feel like some of the stuff was on us and we’ve just got to take care of that for the postseason.”
While the offense sputtered, the Cavaliers kept themselves within striking distance with their own defense. Duke shot only 42.2% overall (19-45), which included 50.0% on layups or dunks as well (11-22) and 30.8% on 3’s (4-13). In the first half, the Devils shot 40.9% overall (9-22) and 16.7% from 3-point range (1-6) but that was enough for a 7-point lead. They had 11 turnovers as well.
Two players came through to help overcome what was a rough night for many of the other players from either team. Kyle Filipowski scored 20 points on 8-17 shooting, which included a 7-12 night inside the arc. He also had 10 rebounds and 3 steals. That performance completely flipped the script from UVA’s regular season win in Charlottesville when Filipowski did not score with only 6 shot attempts.
Jeremy Roach, meanwhile, led all scorers with 23 points on 7-11 shooting. He did not miss from 3-point range where he had 2 attempts or from the free throw line (7-7). He scored twice early in the second half to help prevent Virginia from finding any quick comeback momentum and then twice more in the final four minutes when the Hoos put together one last push.
“Yeah, obviously I had probably one of my worst games of the year at Virginia,” Filipowski said. “And just personally going into this game, obviously there was a little more of a chip on my shoulder, just being able to show what I’m capable of against this team. But also there was so much more to play more besides that. I was playing for a championship, I was playing with these guys, and that means so much more to me than just something that I’m wanting to prove individually.”
Virginia now must await its placement in the NCAA Tournament field. The Selection Show begins at 6 p.m. Sunday night. and the Cavaliers are projected somewhere around the 3 to 6 seed lines in most bracketology predictions. They’ll try to regroup and then prepare for that eventual draw over the next several days.
“I think we just need to take our rest. Obviously we wanted to win that, but we’re playing for something bigger,” McKneely said. “So we’ll take the next couple days to rest up and then get right back at it. I’m really proud of our effort tonight. Shots weren’t falling like they have in the past two games, but I know once we get into the postseason we’re going to be ready, so I’m excited for that.”
Love us some IMac! That’s where we need to be — looking forward with excitement…!
That picture tells a story.
Officials will claim that they called a good game–fourls were near even.
Hook and holds like that one “not called” won’t show up in the stats.
Sadly, Virginia plays a more pure style of basketball, and it costs them because the Refs
allow thug ball.