Five Takeaways From Virginia Basketball's 71-58 Loss to Clemson

Virginia (14-15, 7-11 ACC) suffered an 81-66 loss against Clemson (24-5, 16-2 ACC) on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. Read below for our key takeaways from the Virginia loss.

Second Half Woes

After what Coach Ron Sanchez described as a "fantastic" first twenty minutes of basketball saw the Virginia Cavaliers take a five-point lead over the No. 13 Clemson Tigers into the halftime tunnel, the 'Hoos did exactly what they couldn’t afford to do against a top team: they came out flat to start the second half, and Clemson took full advantage, breaking out a 20-2 run, grabbing a lead they never gave back to Virginia, and completely flipping the script on Saturday's game.

After the Clemson offense appeared flat and out of sync in the first half where they scored just 27 points and did not connect on a single three-pointer, the Virginia offense stagnated. It's clear at this point that the UVA offense lives and dies by Isaac McKneely, whose three-point efficiency is the primary driver of any offensive success the 'Hoos can find. Mckneely was the fire behind the strong first half for UVA, entering the halftime tunnel with 11 points (3-4 3PT FG), but the lack of other clear scoring options for the Virginia offense emerged as McKneely slowed down in the second half, scoring just 5 points (2-8 FG, 1-5 3PT FG) in the final 20 minutes of play. Rohde supplemented the offense well in the second half with 9 points (4-6 FG), but the 'Hoos couldn't find nearly enough to answer the onslaught of offense and physicality in the paint from Clemson big man Ian Schieffelin (21 PTS, 8-11 FG).

Virginia Exposed in the Paint

Clemson came into the contest the second best three-point shooting team in the ACC. On Saturday, Clemson couldn't buy a three, finishing just 1-10 from deep. With the three-point shot absent, Clemson turned to the paint and not only won the battle, but dominated Virginia down low on both ends of the floor. The Tigers outrebounded the 'Hoos 38-28 overall, and 11-5 on the offensive glass, en route to 48 points in the paint for Clemson, compared to a meager 24 for Virginia. The Cavaliers desperately searched for the answer to Clemson's physicality down low, particualrly in the battle against Ian Schieffelin, but neither Anthony Robinson, Blake Buchanan, or Jacob Cofie proved to find a solution.

Ian Schieffelin Shines

Schieffelin, a senior forward in his fourth year with the Clemson Tigers, was the best player on the floor Saturday afternoon (21 points, 8-11 FG, 13 rebound). The forward had a decent first half, but exploded in the second half finishing the final twenty minutes with 13 points and 10 rebounds (5-7FG). Schieffelin's experience shined, as he easily powered into the paint, finding his spots and finishing with both hands at the rim. In a game where the Clemson starting guards Chase and Dillon Hunter combined for just 13 points (4-11 FG), Schieffelin's imposing presence on the glass and in the paint was the difference for the Tigers as they picked up their sixth straight victory.

Virginia wins the three-point battle, loses the game

Virginia and Clemson came into Saturday as two of the best three-point shooting teams in the ACC. Virginia dominated the 3-PT battle, finishing 8-19 from beyond the arc behind four from McKneely and two from Dai Dai Ames, while Clemson had their worst three-point performance of the season finishing a cool 1-10 from three-point territory. Thankfully for the Tigers, and to the dismay of Virginia fans, the UVA dominance from three was negated by the equally, if not more dominant performance from Clemson in the paint.

Taine Murray starts on Senior Day

Despite the disappointing loss, Saturday's game highlighted a few meaningful pieces of the UVA Basketball program on Senior Day. Taine Murray, a guard from Auckland, New Zealand, and the only four-year player on the roster, has earned his flowers and got them from the team and JPJ crowd on Saturday. Murray earned the starting nod over Dai Dai Ames, and played 24 minutes after a touching pregame tribute with some members of his family in the center of the court. McKneely spoke about Taine in his postgame presser, describing him as the definition of the "pillars" of the UVA basketball program, a great teammate, and an even better friend. Senior Bryce Walker, a former practice player, even got into the game in the final minute and proceeded to score a layup. With his family also in attendance, those moments were some of the best in the loss, and remind us how great sports can really be.

Virginia plays its final home game of the 2024-25 season next Tuesday against Florida State.