Key Takeaways From No.13 Virginia's 75-70 Victory Over Wake Forest

Virginia clinches the No.2 seed after a 75-70 victory over Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons didn’t allow the Cavaliers to run away with it by any means and continued to push the Wahoos late in the game. The Cavaliers made the critical plays down the stretch and secured the victory. Let’s take a look at some of the takeaways from the game.

1. Virginia makes it a tough night for Juke Harris

While Harris did score 21 points, he did it inefficiently on 7-18 shooting. The Cavaliers continued to pressure the ball and get it out of his hands. A lot of his damage came from the free-throw line, where he went 6-6 from the charity stripe. Harris went 1-9 from beyond the arc and couldn’t quite find a consistent rhythm. He was better in the second half, nailing five of his nine attempts, but the first half was dreadful, with him going 2-9 from the field. After the struggles against Duke, Virginia did a good job of taking away their best scorer and not allowing him.

2. Thijs De Ridder shines

Thijs De Ridder was the main course on Tuesday night for the Cavaliers as he continued to play at a high level throughout the game. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. In the first half, he was the go-to player with 10 points. De Ridder did a lot of his damage from the free-throw line, going 6-8. De Ridder getting to the free-throw line helped the momentum several times in the game for the Cavaliers to be able to squeak out the win.

3 Jacari White Lifts The Bench

Virginia didn’t get a ton of help from the second unit in the game, but Jacari White did, as he has all season and brought the scoring to the Hoos. He finished with 14 points on 6-12 shooting and continued to attack in transition. He had 14 of the 24 points off the bench and was pivotal on an off night for Chance Mallory, who scored just five points on 2-6 shooting. White got back to his usual self after his struggles against Duke. His scoring prowess was much needed for Virginia in a rock fight game against a tough ACC opponent.

4. Mekhi Mason gives Virginia fits on defense

Mekhi Mason hits a new season-high for Wake Forest, scoring 26 points on 75% shooting. He was instrumental in carrying the offence in the second-half for the Demon Deacons, scoring a team-high 20 second-half points on 7-9 shooting. Mason continued to attack the rim and draw fouls. It was clear the Cavaliers were trying to neutralize Juke Harris, but Mason gave Wake Forest an edge and allowed them to stay in this game and within striking distance. Mason proved he can carry the scoring load and gave the Cavaliers problems the entire night.

5. Virginia Interior defense prevails again

The Hoos made it tough for Wake Forest to get in a rhythm. Once again, big in the interior was Ugonna Onyenso, who led the Cavaliers with three rejections. No surprise with him being one of the top shot blockers in the country. Alongside him stepping up was Johann Grunloh, who was pivotal down the stretch of the game. He had three blocks and nearly finished with a double-double, adding 12 points and nine rebounds. The tandem of Onyenso-Grunloh makes it hard to score on Virginia, especially when driving to the paint. It was a key factor in helping the Cavaliers close out the game at home and clinch the two seed.