There’s joy again in Hoo-ville after No. 16 Virginia showed this week that a good November and a mostly fun December were no mirage. Tuesday’s road win over Louisville was impressive, but it came with a caveat: Cardinals freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. was still offside. There are no provisions on Saturday. Virginia walked into Dallas and defeated a talented SMU club 72-68, earning its fourth straight road victory of the season.
Virginia (16-2 overall, 5-1 ACC) is completely legit and at least looks like a second-weekend team that can dream of a Final Four appearance. The same Virginia program that saw Tony Bennett abruptly retire and finish outside the top-100 in KenPom last season for the first time since 2009 is once again an ACC powerhouse.
Stable first-year coach Ryan Odom won’t celebrate yet, but he definitely has the Cavaliers team rolling. Saturday’s win will be a jewel on Selection Sunday and also provide a proof-of-concept that this Virginia team can serve against real athletes. Virginia has used beautiful ball movement and a barrage of size and shooting to build an offense that ranks in the top-15 nationally, but few teams on Virginia’s roster can match SMU’s speed, length and power.
UVa was more than equal to the battle. It was Virginia who rocked SMU on the glass for 16 offensive rebounds. It was Virginia who never panicked in late-clock scenarios, going 4-for-4 down the stretch at the charity stripe to earn a road victory. It was Virginia’s big men who won their individual matches against an SMU front line that took on Duke’s Cameron Boozer last week.
Tough teams deserve roadkill, and Virginia has mixed street-fighter grit with a beautiful, layered, unselfish offense that can beat you inside, out, and everywhere in between.
How did this happen?
Deep in the weeds, hoopheads began to become obsessed with the potential of this Virginia club after two lucky dominoes went his way. Virginia had to be patient and work hard to get San Francisco’s Malik Thomas an extra year of eligibility. That came through. Virginia had to be patient and work hard to get 22-year-old Thijs De Ridder from Belgium cleared to play college basketball. That also happened after the 4th of July.
That potential has been converted into production.
Thomas (23 points, six treys and 11 rebounds) and De Ridder (17 points, six boards) played important roles in Saturday’s upset road win that will be a gem on Selection Sunday.
Thomas and De Ridder operate as the No. 1 and No. 1A of this Virginia club, but the beauty of Virginia is its depth. Toledo transfer Sam Lewis has added size and passing ability. BYU veteran transfer Dallin Hall didn’t make a single shot Saturday, but he dished out nine assists. UC Irvine transfer Devin Tillis came off the bench, splashed three treys and finished with 11 points. Much-maligned former Kentucky and Kansas State big man Ugonna Onyenso shined with nine points and a block in his 17 minutes off the bench. Onyenso and freshman Johann Grunloh combined to help shut down SMU at the rim, holding the Mustangs to a miserable 6-of-14 shooting at the rim. When Virginia needs speed, Chance Mallory charges onto the runway, raring to go.
It has come together into a beautiful mix. Virginia has four big men who can stretch the floor and defend. It has five guards who can pass, dribble and shoot.
Virginia is not one-sided either. Virginia’s defense now ranks No. 17 nationally, matching its No. 14-rated offense.
Within the numbers
Predictive stats are in love with this team. Virginia is ranked No. 14 on KenPom after opening the season No. 59 in the Bible of college basketball. This CV is certainly impressive too. Road wins over Texas, NC State, Louisville and now SMU have helped Virginia rise in Wins Above Bubble, the new resume-judging metric added to the placement committee’s team sheet.
Virginia added about +1.5 to its WAB this week alone. +0.8 for the Louisville win and +0.7 for the SMU win. Virginia will likely be in the top 15 nationally by WAB after Saturday’s action concludes.
The CV is good.
The predictive statistics are good.
The eye test is good.
It’s Virginia, not North Carolina, that looks like the undisputed second-best team in the ACC, and it’s within the range of possible outcomes that Virginia, not big, bad Duke, has the best chance to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
That Duke-of-Virginia conversation alone confirms perhaps the most important thing: Virginia basketball is back.
#Virginia #emerges #Dukes #top #ACC #threat #win #SMU