The Return of the Plus/Minus: Virginia Downs Northeastern

Plus

A win is a win is a win though Virginia started sluggishly in this one. My ACC Network feed didn’t kick in until the 14:53 mark of the first half and I started watching with Virginia down 7 – 2 and announcer Dennis Scott saying that Virginia had four turnovers in the first five minutes of play. From my perspective, it was all smooth sailing from there as Virginia ended up with a 25-point margin of victory.

Plus

Johan Grunloh started brightly, scoring seven of Virginia’s first nine points, including a nicely-taken three in transition. Nicest play of the game for Grunloh: he, very Jay Huff-like, pumped at the three-point line and drove to the rim for the emphatic slam. He also had three assists, which ought to be its own…

Plus

The bigs’ interior passing was good today: in addition to Grunloh’s three, Thijs De Ridder had four, Nolan Adekunle had two, Kalu Anya had a pair, and walk-on Carter Lang had a nifty one.

Plus

This is Chance Mallory’s team. De Ridder may be the pre-season pick for ACC Player of the Year (and good on Thijs for that,) but as Mallory goes, so goes this team. Virginia had clawed back from that 7 – 2 deficit to tie the game at 16 and then Mallory took over. Two steals and finishes and then attacking the rim on transition for a third finish. Then, after Northeastern’s Louis Bond (more on him later) posted up Mallory down low to get the Huskies back to 22 – 20, Chance came down and drilled the three. This was a statement three, and it was Mallory who recognized the moment, and took the shot. Mallory replicated this shot early in the second half. Bond came out on fire, scoring seven points by hitting a three, a nice mid-range jumper, and taking Sam Lewis to the rim, a three-level explosion in about a minute and a half. It was 43 – 38. And Mallory answered again with the dagger three that, really, ended the game. This three ignited a 15 – 6 run that put the game out of reach.

Plus

This was just a fun game to watch. I’ve already mentioned Bond, but he set a career high of 23 points on 9/16 shooting. He was the Jacob Cofie we always hoped we’d see. But Northeastern was actually led by Rashad King who led all scorers with 26 points. That’s a lot of star-power for a CAA team. And King’s story is heartwarming. King spent three years at Northeastern – and got his degree there in just three years – and then went to LSU to test himself on the big stage and (hopefully) prepare for a life in the NBA. Sounds a lot like Sam Lewis and Jurian Dixon and Jacari White. He was a valuable bench player for LSU, but he didn’t enjoy the time there (and maybe he read the tea leaves about the incoming, and slimy, Will Wade) and he decided to return to the school he loved. Bond and King put on a show…

Minus

At the expense of Virginia. Bond and King pretty much did what they wanted all game. Bond was 9/16 with a trio of threes while King was 8/14 and was a perfect 9/9 from the line. Adekunle, Anya, Lewis. None of them really provided any defensive presence.

Minus

The “Big Four” of Grunloh, Lewis, De Ridder and Mallory all reached double figures and combined for 69 points. Adekunle, Jan Vide, Anya, Favor Ibe, Jurian Dixon, and Christian Harmon combined for 68 minutes of the most anonymous basketball you will see. As of right now, outside of Elijah Gertrude, there is no bench. Vide was brought in to be Mallory’s relief, and his 6’ 6” frame was supposed to be the counter to the diminutive Mallory. It is still very early days, but so far, he’s not looking the part.

Plus

Through the exhibitions and now these two games, Elijah Gertrude has emerged as the sixth man. He’s got the energy and bounce that Mallory brought last year as part of the Bench Mob, but Gertrude is also channeling his inner Jacari White. Against Northeastern, Gertrude stroked his first three threes and it’s clear he’s earned the respect of his teammates. Dixon and Lewis each passed up a good look at three for the extra pass to Gertrude with an even better look. Gertrude is making the case that he deserves to be a starter.

Plus

Virginia is shooting the three well this year. The numbers against Northeastern weren’t gaudy – 12/31 or 38% -- but that is a very solid showing from deep. Seven different players hit a three, while Lewis, Gertrude and Mallory had multiple makes. That kind of shooting will win you a lot of games.

Next Up: Virginia heads north to Washington DC to take on the 12th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday, November 8th. Talk about quick turnarounds. Game time is 1:00 pm and the game will be on ESPN.

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