Will Virginia’s Shooting Be a Problem in the NCAA Tournament?

Could the Virginia Cavaliers be in trouble during the NCAA Tournament?

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder and Miami Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers struggled in several departments during their latest matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, bringing UVA's areas of weakness to the surface. Between ongoing foul troubles, issues rebounding and shooting woes, the Hoos could find themselves in a dilemma once the NCAA Tournament rolls around.

Now, Virginia is still expected to land as a high seed in the Tournament, and the Blue Devils will undoubtedly claim the No. 1 seed—there is little movement here. However, the Hoos displayed some serious problems when it came to shooting over the weekend.

Two of their top shooters, Malik Thomas and Sam Lewis, failed to make a single field goal. But beyond this duo, the Cavaliers missed wide-open shots that should have been fairly simple buckets for them. They finished the game shooting 29.1% from the floor—a season low. Duke took advantage of their shots and grabbed critical rebounds, ultimately pushing them further ahead.

Heading into the NCAA Tournament, this could be a serious cause for concern. Will Virginia be able to turn things around in time?

Shooting Will Make or Break UVA

Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Virginia has become no stranger to second-half comebacks this season, but pulling ahead over the weekend was not an option for them. At least, not with how they were shooting. Contributing to their lack of success was, of course, a roaring crowd supporting Duke, but the Cavaliers must find a way to cancel out the noise when they're playing in the NCAA Tournament this year.

But during head coach Ryan Odom's postgame press conference, he stated another key element that prevented the Hoos from sinking shots:

"I mean, it was probably more their defense was better, but we did have some that when you're wide open, and you don't knock it down, that hurts even more because they're going to get you to the end of the clock and a lot of the other ones, and so it just puts that much more pressure on the open shot."

To be candid, if the Cavaliers are unable to turn this around and get their offense back on track, Virginia's time in the Tournament will be short-lived. They sputtered on both sides of the ball this weekend, which is what allowed the Blue Devils to take control of the game early on.

Are the Hoos now plagued with problems in the shooting department, or was this matchup simply a one-time blunder?