Virginia snapped a two-game losing streak with an eventually convincing 79-62 win against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons struggle mightily on the road in league play, however, so did the victory cure all the Cavaliers’ ills? The Double Bonus takes a closer look.

The short answer, of course, is yes and no. UVA still struggled with some of the same issues, but cleaned up the overall inconsistency:

• Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns and missed rotations
• Posts in some foul trouble
• Offensive rebounds allowed, though most did not lead to points and several came in the ‘team’ out of bounds form
• Sluggish offensively creating openings, particularly early
• Low assist-turnover ratio of 12-9
• Limited fouls drawn and trips to the free throw line for 25 minutes

Now, to be fair, some of these flaws could be ongoing storylines through the end of the season. All teams have them. Last year’s Elite Eight version of the Hoos, for example, struggled for a while with mobile and versatile forwards as well as with the distribution of post minutes. The key comes in the ability to minimize the impact of those issues.

In that sense, Sunday’s game with the Demon Deacons could be seen as a significant step forward. The breakdowns did not occur as often and the droughts did not last as long. UVA created some ways to create potential foul calls. It corrected some of this game’s defensive hiccups within the 40 minutes instead of back at practice. These are good signs.

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