Break for Virginia Men’s Basketball Comes at Opportune Time

With a third of the season in the books for the 2021-2022 Virginia men’s basketball campaign, let’s take a look at the state of the Wahoos after ten games.

After a sluggish 1-2 start to the season, the Cavaliers seemed well on their way to figuring things out during a four-game winning streak that included two double-digit wins over major conference opponents on a neutral court.

Virginia still had a ways to go to improve in some areas, but there were enough positive signs to suggest the Hoos were on the right track heading into the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Then, UVA dug a 21-point hole at home against Iowa. Although the second-half comeback effort was admirable, the Cavaliers ultimately exerted too much energy getting themselves back in the game and did not have enough left in the tank down the stretch, as the Hawkeyes came away with a 75-74 win in Charlottesville.

Virginia then welcomed a 2-5 Pittsburgh team to John Paul Jones Arena in a very winnable ACC opener. Yet, the Cavaliers seemed flat-footed for most of the night and found themselves down four points with only seconds remaining as a result of scoring drought of nearly six minutes down the stretch. If not for a costly five-second violation by the Panthers and a pair of clutch shots by Jayden Gardner in the final ten seconds, the Hoos would have lost back-to-back close games at home.

Finally, UVA traveled down the road to Harrisonburg for an in-state rivalry matchup at JMU on Tuesday night. The Hoos quieted the packed crowd at the Atlantic Union Bank Center with a strong 10-2 start to the game, but the Dukes did not stay silent for long. Virginia scored just four points in the final 12 minutes of the first half and JMU closed on a 22-4 run to take a 24-14 lead into halftime. The Cavaliers gradually worked their way back in the game behind a strong defensive performance in the second half, but they could not overcome their own shooting woes, as UVA made just four threes on 26 attempts in the game. JMU made the key plays down the stretch and the Dukes emerged with their first ever victory over Virginia.

The momentum of Virginia’s four-game winning streak is a distant memory at this point and the Cavaliers were a lucky bounce (on Jayden Gardner’s game-winner against Pittsburgh) away from losing three straight games and being below .500 at this point in the season.

Virginia has struggled in a variety of areas at times this season, including perimeter defense, three-point shooting, defensive rebounding, and ball security. In the last three games, it has been a combination of all of them.

At times, the Cavaliers have been vulnerable and inefficient, as was the case in the first halves against Iowa and JMU. At other times, such as in the first half against Providence and the second half against Georgia, Virginia has looked strong enough to compete with any team in the country.

One theme has been consistent: Virginia has struggled to deliver complete performances in nearly every game this season. It is imperative that UVA develop a sense of consistency, especially as the gauntlet of ACC play swiftly approaches.

The good news? Tony Bennett and company have a week and a half off until their next game against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, December 18th. Plenty of time to make some adjustments.

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