Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 59-41 Win over Bethune-Cookman

Aidan Baller | 6 Hours Ago

Aaron Snyder

On Thursday night, Virginia (6-4) earned a 59-41 victory over Bethune-Cookman (2-7) at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers trailed at the end of the first half after a 1/12 shooting slump to start the game, which buried the Hoos early as they trailed 12-3 midway through the first half. In need of an answer, Ishan Sharma stepped up, scoring nine points in the first half to provide a spark that allowed the Hoos to cut the deficit to three at halftime. Midway into the second half, Virginia rattled off a 12-0 run to pull away before a 13-0 run to close the game allowed the Cavaliers to secure what appeared to be a comfortable victory.

With that said, here are five takeaways from the game:

Virginia’s Sluggish Start was Painful to Watch 

In the loss to SMU, the Cavaliers made one field goal in the final ten minutes of play against the Mustangs. This shooting slump rolled into tonight with the Hoos making only one field goal through the first 12 minutes of the game, an embarrassing start against a 2-6 Bethune-Cookman team. The Cavaliers managed to crawl back into the game, trailing only 21-18 at halftime, but finished the first half shooting 28% from the field and 20% from three, a brutal start. Shooting will only get more challenging as the Hoos enter ACC play. Shooting slumps such as this one and the one against SMU cannot happen moving forward.

Virginia vs. Bethune-Cookman Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

The Turnover Woes Continue 

After committing 14 turnovers against SMU, the Cavaliers turnovers woes rolled right into Thursday night, with Virginia committing three turnovers in its first five possessions. The Cavaliers finished the first half with eight turnovers as Virginia looked extremely sloppy, allowing Bethune-Cookman to lead for the entire first half. To add to the awful first half, a bad pass by Ishan Sharma at the very end of the first half gifted Bethune-Cookman an easy basket to take a three-point lead in at the half.

Under Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers were one of the best teams at holding onto the basketball, a massive factor in their success under his watch. This included two seasons where Virginia ranked in the top five in the NCAA in turnovers per game. Headed into Thursday night's game, Virginia ranked 185th in turnovers per game at 12.4.

Ishan Sharma is Main Reason for the Virginia Victory

With only three points through the first 12 minutes, Virginia was hopeless. In response, Ishan Sharma knocked down three three-pointers to give Virginia life, willing the Cavaliers back into the game, while helping cut the deficit to three points by the end of the first half. Sharma’s impact off the bench, although against a meager opponent, provides hope for the future of Virginia men’s basketball. The nine points in the first half was a season high for the freshman from Canada. 

In the second half, Sharma provided a crucial assist to Jacob Cofie before hitting a kick three minutes later to give Virginia momentum to pull away for the victory. Sharma finished with 12 points on the night, shooting 4/7 on the night with all shots coming from beyond the arc. The freshman added five rebounds and three assists as well as he provided relief at the point guard position in place of the injured Dai Dai Ames.

Read Val's Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.

Strong Finish Provides Some Hope

The Cavaliers rattled off a 12-0 run and a 13-0 run in the second half to finish the game with a scoreline that presented that the Hoos had earned a comfortable victory. Notable performances included Elijah Saunders finishing with 15 points on 6/11 shooting and Jacob Cofie who scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the freshman continues to acquaint himself with college basketball. The Cavaliers outscored Bethune-Cookman 41-20 in the second half, a scoreline that should've happened in both halves.

Virginia Men’s Basketball is Not in a Great Spot Headed Into ACC Play 

After a terrible first-half performance against Bethune-Cookman and a brutal ending against SMU in which Virginia made one field goal in the final ten minutes, it has to be said that the Cavaliers have a lot of work to do if they want to be competitive in the ACC. This starts with cutting down the turnovers and involves the Cavaliers finding a consistent rhythm on offense. Virginia also needs to improve its rebounding, a facet Blake Buchanan, Jacob Cofie, and Elijah Saunders have struggled with against ranked teams this season.

The Cavaliers will return to action against Memphis on Wednesday, December 18th, at 7pm at John Paul Jones Arena.

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