Virginia’s return to No. 1 in the national rankings got off to a good start against Miami. The Cavaliers led wire to wire and fended off a rally in each half from the Hurricanes to win 59-50. That sent the Hoos into an eight-day break with a 24-2 record and firm control of the ACC standings at 13-1.

The Miami game proved interesting for more than the ranking, though. It marked the first game since the overtime loss to Virginia Tech where the Hokies plugged the lane defensively and UVA fired up its most 3-pointers in 18 years. That brought into focus old questions about shot selection, inside threats, and the like. Would the Hurricanes put together a similar plan? What sort of adjustments would the Cavalier coaches make?

This Double Bonus tries to tackles some of those angles.

Curls & Counters

One thing Virginia Tech’s plan accomplished was successfully keeping Virginia’s guards out of the lane via curls or dribble motion (attacking off the bounce after a screen in the direction away from the defensive recovery) following off-ball screens. UVA simply had a tough time exposing any cracks to get its guards touches in the paint and as Hoo fans know those curls, floaters, and pull-up jumpers off of screening action represent a big piece of the team’s interior scoring this year.

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