"Notre Dame is a team that isn't really going to surprise you." I wrote that in the game preview I posted yesterday afternoon. Well, I think the ND team Virginia saw last night was pretty much the one it expected to see. The Irish struggle defensively and allowed Virginia's Pack Line defense to frustrate them all night long. However, while the Irish played like the 11-9 team that they were, the night was really about Virginia. With the exception of a pair of two 9-0 runs by ND, UVA played a brilliant basketball game on both ends of the floor. The first 18 minutes of the first half were some of the best basketball this team has played all year. They played stifling defense, causing ND to turn the ball over at an uncharacteristic rate. They ran the offense to perfection, getting guys the ball in fantastic positions to score. They knocked down shots, made the right passes, and played with a purpose.
Game Recap:
While Notre Dame certainly looked, it was because Virginia made them look bad. Against Florida State in Tallahassee a few weeks ago, the Nole were extremely careless with the ball and lacked effort on the defensive end. Last night, UVA's defense forced a team that usually protects the ball well (35th in turnovers per game) to turn the ball over 12 times in the first 15 minutes of the game. There were a few sloppy passes, but for the most part, it was more of a case of Virginia forcing turnovers with great defense than Notre Dame simply being careless with the ball.
On the other end of the floor, UVA just executed. The Irish threw a number of different looks at the UVA offense, but none of them could stop the Hoos from putting the ball in the basket. London Perrantes and Malcolm Brogdon toyed with the Irish defenders from the get go. I said going into the game that I though Perrantes would have a "field day" against an Irish defense that often lagged behind cutting players. London certainly made me look smart, as a "field day" is a good way to describe what it was like for him last night. And Brogdon simply continued his streak of great performances in conference play. When he shoots the ball like he has been as of late, he's nearly impossible to guard. He was particularly great in transition, with his early "Hollywood" slam along with his setup of the Tobey dunk later in the game.
Speaking of Tobey, he too made me look smart. I thought going into this game that he was due for a breakout game. He's simply too talented to keep down for too long. He had been getting better recently but struggled to play a complete game, like he did against Davidson and, to a lesser extent, Florida State this year. Because of the matchups, I said that this might be a game where he finally puts it all together, and that's exactly what he did. He resurrected his unguardable baby hook that we saw early in the year. He was both assertive and aggressive, as shown by his two dunks along with another strong finish through contact late in the game. He broke the zone with his sweet shooting touch, draining a pair of jumpers from the elbow. This was the complete performance we have been waiting for. Hopefully, Mike builds off last night's success and plays with confidence the rest of the year. I remember telling a friend from out of town who was visiting for the Hampton game earlier in the year that Tobey was one of the best big men in the country. Well, Mike made me look like a moron, as he went out and had his worst game of the year. I told my friend to, "trust me," because when he puts all of the pieces together, he will indeed be one of the best around. Last night was a big step in the right direction.
Takeaways from the Game:
1) Road games against inferior competition shouldn't scare us anymore: Because of what has happened in recent years, many fans were scared of this 9 pm game against a struggling but talented team on the road. Many fans assume that we were bound for a "road letdown" at some point or another. I think I'm finally ready to say that that's BS. This team simply takes care of business. Thanks to the Tennessee game (as well as others), they know full well that they can't afford to get complacent. So instead, they have opted to go full #beatemdown mode on the opposition. I'm okay with that. I think that if we're going to lose a game, home or away, it will be to a good team who plays well. I'm not expecting very many surprises from this team.
2) This might be Bennett's best defense EVER: Earlier in the year, the thing that disappointed me the most about our team was our inability to get stops. We seemed to have more defensive breakdowns than any other Bennett coached UVA team. Well, times have certainly changed, as this team has become one of the toughest to score on in the country. The combination of size, smarts, and athleticism allows this team to defend on another level. Last night was a thing of beauty. ND is no slouch offensively, but UVA made them look completely incompetent with the ball in their hands.
3) London Perrantes, is....well....AWESOME: I'll be brief here cause everyone already knows this, but Good Lord the kid can ball. He makes this offense work so much better than it has in the past. If he keeps playing like this, our success will continue.
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