The Plus/(No Minus): Virginia Stuffs Georgia Tech
Virginia won its first road game of the season, taking down Georgia Tech 75-66 on Saturday night in Atlanta. Val has the minus-less Plus/Minus to break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their win.
Plus
A win is a win is a win. Georgia Tech came out firing (making three of their first four treys) and spreading the ball around. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 22-11 lead ten minutes in. Reece Beekman hit a corner three and Andrew Rohde matched it next trip down. Isaac McKneely buried a pair of threes back to back and the deficit was erased. Up two with Georgia Tech in-bounding with 2 seconds left in the half, Taine Murray pounced on this Tech miscue to stretch the lead to four points. Tech would never again be closer.
Plus
The Big Three had a night.
· Isaac McKneely was fire from three, burying the aforementioned pair to bring the Cavaliers level. McKneely finished with a game-high 20 points on the back of 6/9 shooting from three. Two were logo threes deep in the shot clock to preserve the win. Overall, the team shot 47.8% (11/23) with Ryan Dunn even making one. The team had to be this good from deep because Georgia Tech wasn’t too shabby (9/27.) Virginia can win games if the team shoots reasonably well from beyond the arc; and it all starts with McKneely.
· Ryan Dunn was a monster on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds, five of them offensive boards. He also had three blocks, two of which he kept in-bounds and recovered. A block is so much better when it doesn’t result in side-out to Georgia Tech.
· Reece Beekman was clutch. His corner three started the Virginia comeback and he finished with 19 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Georgia Tech breakout freshman Naithan George was tasked with stopping Beekman and it wasn’t a fair fight: Beekman was able to get into the lane at will.
Watch the game highlights. Beekman's fingerprints are all over this game.
Plus
Jordan Minor had another strong performance, scoring 11 points on 4/5 shooting. There’s a reason he played four years at lower division Merrimack: he’s got poor hands and he’s not overly athletic. But he gives Virginia a presence in the block and he battled Tech’s other standout freshman, Baye Ndongo, to a standstill without Virginia ever resorting to the post double. Since Minor was inserted into the starting lineup, Virginia losing the battle of the boards is no longer a foregone conclusion as on this night both teams grabbed 29 apiece. Tech stormed back, because of course they did, and with the end game all too, umm, interesting, Minor had a huge rebound that effectively snuffed out Tech’s chances. If Virginia is not getting pushed around in the paint, this team can win games.
Edit: Minor also has a sneaky good left hook which means he can go either way down in the low block. He’s flashed it each of the last three games.
Related: Matt's game report.
Plus
Beekman now has 200 career steals, tied with Sean Singletary I believe. Othell Wilson holds the Virginia mark of 223 which is attainable for Beekman. Decent runs in the ACC and NCAA tournaments should help Reece claim that record. Beekman, who is not a natural scorer, has put this team on his back all season, it would be nice to see him overtake Wilson.
Plus
First year coach Damon Stoudamire is putting together a nice Georgia Tech squad. He can flat out coach, and apparently he can recruit as well. Ndongo is going to be a force here on out in the ACC and George is a revelation. Stoudamire plucked him out of obscurity – he only had three other offers – but he’s the kind of pickup that Cavalier Nation would be cheering had he been signed by Tony Bennett. This should be a fun team to watch over the next couple of years.
Plus
This was Virginia’s first true road win on the season, and as such, it should be celebrated. So I give you this very unique performance of the Good Ol’ Song:
Next Up: Virginia gets their fair ups against NC State, who lost at home tonight to the Virginia Tech team we just beat. The game is Wednesday, January 24th. Game time is 7:00pm and the game is on the ACC Network.
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