Virginia Basketball Cruises Past Holy Cross 67-41 | Key Takeaways

Aidan Baller | 3 Hours Ago

Virginia Athletics

Virginia (5-2) picked up its second straight win with a 67-41 victory over Holy Cross (4-4) on Friday evening at John Paul Jones Arena. Here are our five quick takeaways from the Cavaliers' win over the Crusaders.

The Hoos built an early lead and never looked back 

After a "closer than it should have been" win against Manhattan on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers left no doubt on Friday night with a decisive 67-41 victory over Holy Cross. The Hoos jumped out to an early lead, powered by an 11-0 run, which began with a three-pointer from Isaac McKneely. Blake Buchanan added a bucket before Elijah Saunders and Andrew Rohde knocked down threes to give Virginia a 22-7 lead, which they never looked back from for the remainder of the contest. The run showed confidence in UVA's ability to fire from three-point land as they finished with nine threes on the night. The crushing win over Holy Cross checks another box as the Cavaliers have defended the home court and defeated all of their "tune-up game opponents" to start the season with wins over Campbell, Coppin State, Manhattan, and Holy Cross. 

Andrew Rohde continues his much-improved second season in Charlottesville

Andrew Rohde has silenced doubters as the former St. Thomas (MN) guard continued to impress in his second season in the blue and orange. Against Holy Cross, Rohde was everywhere, scoring 13 points, which included going 3/5 from beyond the arc as he has steadily emerged as a viable option alongside McKneely from three-point range for the Hoos in 2024. Defensively, Rohde was also strong, picking up a block and a steal as he has shown a concrete understanding of the pack line defense, ingrained in Charlottesville by none other than Tony Bennett. 

Speaking of Bennett, he was spotted in John Paul Jones arena on Friday night with athletic director Carla Williams. It was nice to see the coaching legend back watching his team, and it certainly brought smiles to Virginia fans in attendance. 

Virginia vs. Holy Cross Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

Dai Dai Ames has solidified himself as the Virginia point guard 

The Kansas State transfer has firmly solidified himself as the Virginia point guard moving forward while ending the panic of who would play point guard after Jalen Warley transferred right before the season started. Against Holy Cross, Ames impressed, tying his career high with 16 points on 6/9 shooting and 2/2 from beyond the arc. He was also perfect from the charity stripe as the Cavaliers as a team shot 10/12 from the free throw line, a nice thing to see for the Hoos, who struggled in that area in 2023 and have been inconsistent from the charity stripe so far this season (69.5% as a team).

Max Green should be a target for the Hoos in the transfer portal 

We don't usually highlight players on the other team, but the Virginia coaching staff should note freshman Max Green's performance for the Crusaders. Green scored 11 points in the first half, including shooting 3/4 from beyond the arc. The freshman fizzled out in the second half, finishing with 16 points as the Cavaliers kept an eye on him, making it significantly more challenging for him to score. Despite that, Green can flat-out play, averaging 12.6 points per game in 2024, which included a 25-point game against Sacred Heart. If the Hoos have roster availability in 2025, Green would be a great addition to the Virginia men's basketball program. 

Could Jacob Cofie take over the starting center position? 

Coach Ron Sanchez substituted Jacob Cofie for Blake Buchanan 91 seconds into the game despite Buchanan having zero fouls. Further, Cofie was the better of the two in the first half, scoring four points and racking three rebounds while Buchanan scored two points and three rebounds in twice the amount of time. Buchanan stepped up his game in the second half with four points and another three rebounds but continues to prove to be a liability at the free throw line, which could hurt Virginia down the road in late-game situations. This battle for the starting Virginia center spot should be monitored, especially as ACC play is right around the corner. 

Up next, Virginia hits the road to take on No. 18 Florida on Wednesday, December 4th, in Gainesville, Florida, at 7:15 pm. 

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