Virginia Basketball Beats Campbell 65-56 in Season Opener | Key Takeaways

Henry Pallatroni | Nov 7, 2024

Virginia Athletics

Virginia opened the 2024-2025 basketball season, and the post-Tony Bennett era of UVA basketball, with a 65-56 victory over Campbell on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Let's break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their first game, and first win, under interim head coach Ron Sanchez with five quick takeaways.

The Freshman Impress 

In a season with more questions than answers on opening night, standout performances from true freshman Jacob Cofie and Ishan Sharma provided Virginia fans with some much-needed optimism, and the team with a much-needed boost in the opener. Cofie was the player of the game Wednesday night. In extended minutes, the 6’10” forward started his Cavalier career by making his first five shots, including two three-pointers. His talent as a stretch four is evident and he will surely be a key part of any momentum this team builds as the season gets underway. Cofie finished the night 7/8 from the field with a game-high 16 points.

Sharma, a 6’5" guard from Ontario, was also a bright spot from beyond the arc, knocking down both of first two three-point attempts as a Cavalier. Most impressively, the ball was barely in his hands on either of those two shots as he displayed an incredibly quick release. As Wahoo fans adjust to the many new faces gracing the floor of JPJ this season, Cofie and Sharma left an excellent first impression. 

Virginia vs. Campbell Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

The Hoos Lack a Clear Point Guard and Playmaker

For the first time in a decade, the Hoos do not have a clear point guard to serve as the primary ball-handler and leader of the offense. With Reece Beekman’s departure and Florida State transfer Jalen Warley’s exit to the transfer portal, the absence of a go-to playmaker at the helm of the offense was evident in tonight’s victory. Andrew Rohde earned the starting nod over Kansas State Transfer Dai Dai Ames, but his playmaking ability is severely limited by his inability to score. That said, Rohde facilitated the offense well at times and finished with five assists, though he also turned the ball over four times. Ron Sanchez said he decided to go with Rohde as the starter at point guard due to his experience in UVA's system and he reported that redshirt freshman guard Christian Bliss, another option at point guard, missed the game with a foot injury.

Entering his second season, Isaac McKneely has shown flashes of potentially filling this playmaking role. He was noticeably more aggressive Wednesday night and finished with 11 points on 4/6 shooting, but it’s still clear that he is not serviceable as a consistent one-on-one playmaker. His offensive development is still something to get excited about, and on a team with many new players on the roster, McKneely will undoubtedly be a key part of any and all Virginia victories this season. 

Signs of Optimism from Beyond the Arc

After a season of mediocrity from beyond the three-point arc in 2023-2024 where the Cavaliers finished with a 35.8% three-point clip (and even that level deserted them in some of the blowout losses), Virginia's 46.2% performance from three-point range on opening night was a strong start to the campaign. Though it’s far too early to assume the Hoos will be significantly better from three, strong three-point shooting from Cofie and Sharma off the bench were crucial in the victory. If sharpshooting Duke transfer TJ Power, who also hit a three in his UVA debut, can carve out a role from three in this year's offense, look for the Hoos to continue to improve in this category. On a night that Isaac McKneely had only three three-point attempts and made one, it's very significant that the Cavaliers shot so well from the perimeter as a team.

Sloppiness on both ends of the floor 

Unfortunately, turnover struggles plagued the Hoos throughout the matchup, allowing Campbell to hang around down the stretch. Virginia finished with 11 turnovers in the game, with Rohde and San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders finishing with four turnovers each. Rohde's turnover struggles were particularly concerning given his debut as a primary ball-handler in an offense trying to learn its identity. Despite the turnovers, Saunders deserves some recognition; the junior impressed in his debut. He finished with 11 points on 5/8 shooting to go along with five rebounds.

The sloppiness extended to the defensive end of the floor, where the Hoos lacked discipline boxing out - Campbell finished with seven offensive rebounds as compared to four for Virginia. The Cavaliers also struggled to close out effectively throughout the night, leading to wide open threes for Campbell. The Fighting Camels finished 11/29 from three on the night, compared to just 3/17 in their opening night victory against Pfeiffer earlier this week.

A Win is a Win

Ron Sanchez and the Hoos deserve credit for taking home the victory in the first game of the post-Tony Bennett era. As Sanchez and Co. continue to navigate this new chapter, there will surely be some growing pains. The nine-point victory was far too close for comfort, but for now, Sanchez can get a bit of sleep tonight as the Hoos hung on for the victory in his debut at the head of this storied basketball program. 

Up next, Virginia takes on Coppin State at John Paul Jones on Monday, November 11th at 7pm ET.

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