The Plus/Minus: Virginia Ekes out Win at Boston College
Virginia escaped Boston College with a much-needed 72-68 victory on Wednesday night in Chestnut Hill. Val has the Plus/Minus to break down what we saw as the Cavaliers got back in the win column.
Plus
A win is a win is a win, even if it is over lowly Boston College. With the win, Virginia tightened their grip on third in the ACC, with the attendant double-bye for the ACC tournament, even as they head to Duke on the weekend.
Plus
Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn have rightly won all the plaudits for their outstanding defense this year, but this game was secured by the defensive play of two guys not as lauded for their defense, Jake Groves and Andrew Rohde.
With 35 seconds remaining, Beekman turned the ball over at the top of the BC key. The Eagles had a 2 v 1 fast break that Groves broke up brilliantly. It was the play of the game as it preserved the two-basket margin for the Cavaliers.
Not to be outdone, on the inbounds, Rohde stayed in front of Mason Madsen as he tried to work his way to the basket and then forced a held ball. It stayed with BC, but then when Madsen got the ball again, he was so pressured by Rohde that he airballed his rushed three-point attempt.
Minus
Nothing ever comes easily to this team. On three consecutive trips down the floor, with Virginia holding a six point lead with about five minutes to play, Blake Buchanan, Isaac McKneely and then Beekman all went 1/2 from the free throw line. A minute later, Beekman would again just convert one of two attempts from the charity stripe. While Virginia was going 4/8, BC’s Quinten Post went 5/5 from the line.
Beekman and McKneely did redeem themselves late at the line as they both went 2/2. Though the bounces the ball took before going in was agonizing. Again, nothing is easy.
Plus
Speaking of free throws, Jordan Minor went 2/2 from the pinstripe. Free throws have been something of an adventure for Minor this year, but he has changed his shooting motion, adopting more of a two-handed set shot. It worked on the day. Congratulations to Minor for taking on the risk of changing his mechanics mid-stream. He helped Virginia to a 16 of 22 night from the line. That’s 72.7%. It’s not good, but it’s a major improvement over some of the team’s performances.
Plus
After three losses in four games, including three games where the team didn’t break 50 points, Cavalier Nation was itching for some changes. Coach Tony Bennett obliged. Bennett started Groves in place of Rohde. Groves just brings more to the table than Rohde and Jake scored 13 points on 3/6 shooting from deep. In addition, Ryan Dunn was far more aggressive with the ball in his hands than we have seen this season. Dunn brought the ball up on occasion, kept the ball leading a fast break, and tried slashing to the basket on multiple tries. Dunn had a poor night shooting (3/9 and 0/2 from deep) but I think this aggression is a good thing. Virginia just doesn’t pressure the defense enough most nights; one more vector is a good thing.
Plus
Second half three-point shooting. After going 2/9 from deep in the opening frame, Virginia was 6/12 in the second period. After BC had gone on 12-3 and 11-7 runs to take their first lead of the game, the Cavaliers responded by hitting three treys in a row, two by McKneely and one by Groves, and never trailed again. Though the aforementioned suckiness at the line prevented Virginia from pulling away. 8/21 is 38% and is a welcome reprieve from what the team has been shooting since the Pittsburgh loss.
Minus
Virginia never once gave Buchanan or Minor help down low, never doubling Quinten Post in the post (it had to be said) as he feasted down low. Post had a game-high 24 points and got to the line at will. Post fouled out Buchanan while Dunn spent five crucial minutes late in the game on the bench.
Plus
Reece Beekman had his usual productive game. He got to the rim four times early in the first half as Virginia jumped out to 11-2 and 15-9 leads. In the second half, Beekman got his points at the line as he went 8/10. Beekman, who leads the ACC in assists and assist-turnover ratio, had eight assists to just two turnovers, including this lovely one to Rohde:
Plus
I like games where teams protect the ball. Virginia had only five turnovers while Boston College had just four.
More: You can read Matt's game report here.
Plus
Virginia is now 19-0 when leading at the half. Despite the frailties of this team, it is hard to come back against a Tony Bennett-coached team.
Game Highlights
Next Up: Virginia travels to Durham to take on Duke. Gametime is 6pm and the game is on ESPN. Virginia, despite sitting third in the ACC, is just barely off the NCAA bubble. A win can secure Virginia’s fate regardless of what happens in the ACC Tournament.
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