The Plus/Minus: Virginia Slips by West Virginia

In a game that went down to the wire, Virginia got two offensive boards in the last five seconds to secure a 56-54 victory

Virginia got back in the win column with a 56-54 win over West Virginia on Wednesday night in the consolation game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Val has the Plus/Minus to break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their close win over the Mountaineers. 

Plus

A win is a win is a win. In a year in which the Cavaliers are going to struggle to score, this game was the all-too-familiar rock fight at which Tony Bennett excels. It was a back and forth affair with 16 lead changes. And yet, for the all-too-familiar territory case files, Virginia held a 10-point lead with 13 minutes left to play. It only took WVU five minutes to wipe out the deficit.

Plus

Virginia got pounded on the offensive boards. Again. The Mountaineers had a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass and a 41-28 advantage overall. This is going to be a recurring theme all year. But in the waning seconds of the game, Leon Bond III and Ryan Dunn grabbed the offensive rebounds that sealed the game.

With nine seconds remaining and the score tied 54-54, Dunn let loose a three. It missed. Bond got the long rebound and dished to Reece Beekman who was fouled. Reece was fouled and made only his first free throw. Dunn got the rebound off the miss, was fouled and then he went to the line, making one of two. (He missed the second on purpose.) In a season when Virginia is getting beat defending their own glass, it was gratifying to see the team secure the win as a result of their own rebounding prowess. 

Plus

On a night when the team shot poorly – Isaac McKneely was 2/9, Beekman and Dunn were each 5/11, and Jake Groves was 2/5, Bond was a respectable 4/8. Bond actually has a jump shot, something that Dunn is lacking at this point. Bond has the highest per-40-minutes scoring average on the team.

Plus

Let’s stick with Bond. West Virginia’s Quinn Slazinski carved up Virginia over the first half. He and Jesse Edwards had 21 of WVU’s 23 halftime points. It was Bond, middle of the first half and much of the second half, who quieted Slazinski. Bond has scored 46 points in 94 minutes of playing time. Andrew Rohde, who is starting ahead of him, has scored 36 points in 174 minutes. Bond has to become the starter. 

Minus

West Virginia is going to be a mid-table, at best, Big 12 team this year. The team had only nine bodies and was missing top transfer Kerr Kriisa (the Pac 12’s assist leader the past two seasons,) RaeQuan Battle and Akok Akok. And yet Jesse Edwards, last seen playing for Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse, and a very average ACC center, sliced up Virginia and looked like the second coming of Keve Aluma. Virginia has now played three mid-level Power 5 programs and struggled to beat two of them and got blown out by the third. For all the supposed offensive versatility of this roster, this team is going to be in a lot of 56-54 games.

Minus

Tristan Howe and Bryce Walker got tossed from the game for leaving the bench.

There was a minor altercation between Isaac McKneely and Slazinski. The English have a word for such a squabble in which two grown men engage in a fight that would embarrass the primary-school set: handbags. As in, two men enter a duel with…. purses. McKneely had actually given West Virginia’s Ofri Naveh a shove in the back long after Naveh had, in fact, been called for a foul. After the call, McKneely was holding the ball and Slazinski slapped it out of his hand. McKneely said something back to him. The ref hit them both with technicals, which were offsetting. It was nothing. Handbags. And yet Howe and Walker felt they needed to “have their guy’s back.” 

Plus

Dunn and Beekman are putting on a show this season. Virginia’s block rate is 3rd in the country and their steal rate is 6th. A lot of preseason ink has been spilt on this pair being drafted next year, and while I would question any GM who would take Dunn at this point in his career, they will be play at the next level and it will be because of their D. They are a lot of fun to watch.

Plus

Also fun to watch on the defensive side is McKneely whose growth is off the chart. His footwork has gotten very good, and over the last two games, not one player on the dribble has gotten penetration past Isaac.

Minus

As to be expected, shooting goes down the better your opponent. Virginia has played three low-majors this year and shot 49% from the field and 40% from three against them. Against three middle-of-the-road high-majors, the numbers crater: 40% overall and 30% from deep. This tournament was especially bad as the Cavaliers have gone 8/32 the past two games. That is 25%. And yet the team has shot only one corner 3. Not surprisingly, Groves converted that three-point attempt. Corner threes are the most efficient shot in basketball – the distance is shortest and the sight lines are the cleanest – and Virginia has yet to really add them to the arsenal. This team needs all the help it can get.

Minus

There is a big donut hole in this team. Blake Buchanan is gonna be a fine contributor for the Cavaliers but he’s looking at a steep growth curve. Groves, despite 100% effort, cannot play the 5. Bennett has effectively banished Jordan Minor before the season even started. Francisco Caffaro, Kadin Shedrick, Isaac Traudt. Any of them being here now would raise this team’s ceiling. Bennett’s decision to bring Ben Vander Plas to Virginia will have ripples across multiple seasons. 

Next Up: The Cavaliers host No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday, November 29th at John Paul Jones Arena.

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