Locker Room Access - Virginia

By Josh Burton

After passing their fist true test of the season with flying colors in a 70-60 win over Villanova last Friday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team is now 3-0 and heads to The Bahamas for a matchup with #11 Tennessee Thursday night as part of the Baha Mar Hoops - Bahamas Championship. This game is scheduled for a 9:30 pm tip and will air on CBS Sports Network.

About Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC are led by head coach Rick Barnes, in his 10th season. Barnes has a career 810-415 record, including a 206-101 record at Tennessee. This season, Tennessee is 4-0 including a win on the road at Louisville in the first weekend of the season.

Tennessee is a team with a lot of upperclassmen but also a couple new transfers. Five of their top six players are seniors (the sixth is a Junior), with two of their starters being new transfers. They line up:

G - #5 Zakai Zeigler (5’9” Senior, 15.5 points and 7.8 assists per game hitting 47.6% from 3-point range)

G - #2 Chaz Lanier (6’4” Covid Senior, North Florida transfer, 13.8 points per game hitting 50% from 3-point range)

G - #15 Jahmai Mashack (6’4” Senior, 7.8 points per game)

F - #7 Igor Milicic Jr. (6’10” Senior, Charlotte transfer, 14 points and 6.3 rebounds per game)

F - #34 Felix Okpara (6’11” Junior, Ohio State transfer, 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game)

Wahoo fans should remember Milicic, who started his career at UVA before transferring to Charlotte after his first year. Fans and players aren’t the only ones familiar with Igor. He also played under current UVA head coach Ron Sanchez while Ron was coaching Charlotte. 

6’3” Senior guard Jordan Gainey also plays a key role for the Volunteers off the bench, averaging 11 points per game.

Guarding the Guards

Tennessee’s attack begins with the very talented guard group. Zeigler is viewed as one of the best lead guards in the country while Lanier is a bucket getter capable of scoring from just about anywhere on the court. To match up, I’m expecting the Hoos to use a lineup including both Dai Dai Ames and Andrew Rohde for heavy minutes.  

Rise of Rohde

Speaking of Rohde, maybe no better time to reinsert him into the lineup than coming off maybe his best performance as a Hoo last Friday against Villanova. After having set out the previous game, Rohde came off the bench and put up 13 points (3-5 from 3) 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Rohde looked more comfortable in a role where he wasn’t expected to be the primary ball handler and played with a lot of confidence. His new found shot making ability will be something to monitor going forward.  The more of a shooting threat he is, the easier it becomes to play him alongside Ames and the better the Virginia offense will be.

Long Range Spike

Rohde isn’t the only Hoo capable of knocking down shots. As a team, UVA is currently fourth in the entire country hitting 44.6% from deep. With that, their 3-point rate is currently good for 75th in the country, a far cry from last year's 294th ranking. So far both the new offense that was hyped all season and the reputations of incoming players has matched the hype and should be monitored as one of the biggest storylines of the season going forward.

Valuing the Possession

The Hoos have had trouble with turnovers early in the season. They currently rank 225th in turnover percentage. Part of the issues could stem from so many new pieces being worked in and could come down as they continue to gel, but it is still a concerning data point that needs to be monitored and adjusted for going forward. Tennessee boasts one of the best defenses in the country and has no problem playing an aggressive physical style that can feast on the opportunities if the Hoos aren’t sound with the ball. Limiting turnovers will be critical for any chance at success in this one.

Quick Turnaround

As part of this year's multi-team event (MTE), there will be a second game played Friday night. The time and matchup will depend on the results from Thursday's other game, but the Hoos would either play #13 Baylor or #22 St. Johns.

With every other team in the field being ranked, this should be an excellent opportunity for the Hoos to pick up a marquee win. How are you feeling about what you’ve seen so far? Be sure to join the Locker Room Access pregame  show, starting at 9 pm Thursday.

(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)

By Josh Burton

Self-inflicted mistakes kept the University of Virginia football team from being able to keep the game competitive as they lost 35-14 to #8 Notre Dame in South Bend. The Hoos now sit at 5-5 (3-3 in ACC play) and have two chances to pick up a sixth victory and earn bowl eligibility.

Special Teams

I’m going to start with special teams because special teams were where the issues began. Chris Tyree couldn’t control the opening kick and Notre Dame recovered to get an immediate turnover and start their offense on the UVA 25 yard line. This play kind of set the tone for how the day was going to go, with multiple miscues by the Hoos forcing the defense onto the field suddenly and with a very short field to defend. 

The mishandles continued as Ethan Davies also fumbled on a punt return, although he was able to recover. The mishandles spread over to Notre Dame as well, as their return man muffed a fair catch that was recovered by Jonas Sanker.

Offense

The story of this game was mistakes by the Hoos, mainly stemming from offensive issues. Give credit where due, Notre Dame has one of the best defenses in the entire country, but most of the mistakes felt more like miscues from UVA than plays made by the Irish. An inability to move downfield was the big concern, as Notre Dame started four drives on the UVA side of the field and had an additional drive start from the 50.

Three of these short field situations came due to the struggles of quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea had three interceptions on the day, all coming with under four minutes left in the second quarter that resulted in short drives doubling Notre Dame's lead from 14 to 28 and essentially sealing the contest. These mistakes probably could have been avoided, as it felt like Colandrea’s inability to see the field and desire to make a play put him in situations where he was over aggressive in trying to force the issue. Senior QB Tony Muskett replaced Colandrea for the second half and played fairly well, throwing for over 100 yards and scoring both of the Hoos touchdowns. It’ll be interesting to see which way Coach Elliott decides to go against SMU next week.

Outside of the passing game, the run game had its issues as well. The biggest impact run of the day was quickly negated as Kobe Pace fumbled at the Notre Dame 12 yard line while the score was still 7-0. Ball security should be the main focus for the Hoos offense in practice this week.

Defense

Although the score doesn’t necessarily reflect it, I thought the defense played a great game. I thought they did a good job of disguising their rush and coverages and kept the Notre Dame offense in check for much of the game.

As mentioned earlier, the short fields and quick turnarounds made it tough for them to keep up the good play. Notre Dame dominated the time of possession with 34 minutes of control and over time the defense wore down.

But even with all that in mind, the defense played well. I thought the secondary did a pretty good job of containing the Notre Dame wide receivers and the pass rush did well in keeping the passing game uncomfortable. Trey McDonald was able to snag an interception near midfield on the opening drive of the second half. The Hoos also managed to hold Notre Dame to just 1-12 on third downs, although the Irish did convert 3-4 attempts on fourth down. 

Next

Going forward, the two big storylines are who will play quarterback and how healthy are the Hoos. During yesterday's game, multiple key players had to leave with various injury issues.

Next Saturday is senior day as the Hoos host #14 SMU and look to gain bowl eligibility. Locker Room Access is honoring two local senior standouts with Malachi Fields and Jonas Sanker gear available. Every dollar goes directly to the players, if you haven’t ordered yours yet you can find it here

Ron Sanchez and the Wahoos passed their first test of the season with flying colors.  Virginia improved to 3-0, topping Villanova by a score of 70-60 in Baltimore Friday evening. 

3-Point Barrage

Virginia had one of their best three-point shooting performances of recent years, hitting 14 of 25 from deep on the night.   Six different Wahoos connected on shots behind the arc, led by Isaac McKneely’s six triples without a miss. 

Poca, WV native Isaac McKneely finishes tonight’s game with 23 points, shooting 6-6 from beyond the arc as the Virginia Cavaliers defeat Villanova 70-60.

One of the best shooters in College Basketball. @IsaacMcKneely #WVPrepBB #304Made 🏀 pic.twitter.com/Ja4PpodcW8

— Olly Reed Sports (@OllyReedSports) November 16, 2024

McKneely has had some great past performances, but this was certainly near the top of the list.  He was more assertive in hunting shots than we’ve seen before.  Several of his threes were either created off the bounce or taken while on the move.  He was very effective utilizing ball-screens, making Villanova pay for any separation.  

Junior Andrew Rohde delivered his best offensive game in a Wahoo uniform, despite playing through a back injury.  He scored 13 points, going 3 for 5 from three-point range, and he also dished out a game-high 4 assists.  

Obviously, UVA won’t make 14 three-pointers on a regular basis.  But Friday’s performance wasn’t a fluke either.  This year’s team is designed to take more advantage of the three-point line.  They have at least four and sometimes five threats on the court at a time.   Over the previous few years, UVA ranked near the bottom in three-point rate, trending in the opposite direction from the rest of college basketball.  Through three games this year, 45% of their field goal attempts are from behind the arc, up from only 32% last season. 

For Real Freshman 

It’s been a while since a Virginia freshman has started off as strong as Jacob Cofie.  He’s scored in double figures in each of his first three games, including a 12 point 6 rebound showing against Villanova.  The versatile forward from Seattle is averaging 13 points and 7.7 boards in 27 minutes per game off the bench.  

He clearly passed the test in his first game against a power conference opponent.  Coach Sanchez trusted him to continue playing heavy minutes, backing up both the power forward and center positions.  It's basically a three-man rotation in the two frontcourt spots.   Starters Blake Buchanan and Elijah Saunders with Cofie off the bench.  Any of the three can be paired together.  Cofie’s positional versatility is invaluable.  It’s something UVA has been missing up front in recent seasons.  

Cofie’s ability to stretch the floor is a game changer.  He’s hit 5 of 11 from deep so far.  When UVA has him at the center position, opponents have to account for all five Wahoos behind the arc.  It’s not just the points he’s scoring, it’s the opportunities his presence creates for teammates too.  And he’s been solid defensively.  That’s the most pleasant surprise.  There may be occasional freshman mistakes, but his energy and continuous effort make up for them.  

Dai Dai Starts Again

Sophomore point guard Dai Dai Ames once again received the start.  He finished with 8 points (3-8 FG) and 1 assist, also turning the ball over four times.  It’s unclear if his start was the result of Andrew Rohde being less than 100% or if Ames has earned the role on the heels of his 13-point performance against Coppin State.  

Despite the turnovers, I thought Ames played pretty well.  His ability to get into the lane and take advantage of the spacing created by all the shooters on the floor is really important.  It’s an element otherwise missing.  

Turnovers were a blemish on the night though. UVA turned it over 12 times, many of them of the worst variety.  Villanova’s pressure defense clearly bothered the Hoos.  Future opponents will no doubt try to emulate that.  

Working Out Kinks

Coach Sanchez tightened the rotation, as often occurs against better competition.  UVA only used eight players on Friday.  Senior guard Taine Murray was noticeably left out.  And within that, roles are still being defined. Although sophomore TJ Power started, his minutes shrank to just 15.  And Sanchez used Ames and Rohde together for a big portion of the game, a new development. 

Along with the turnover issues, rebounding continues to be a problem.  The Wahoos are giving up too many second chances and getting very few for themselves.  A little strange for a team with so much size.  Villanova had 12 offensive boards to UVA’s 3.  Early on last season, the Hoos had similar rebounding struggles.  It should clear up once players are up to speed on their rotational assignments, at least on the defensive end.  But the total lack of offensive boards is concerning. 

It’s early season college basketball.  There’s a lot to figure out and issues to work through.  That goes with the territory, especially with so many new players.  Despite it all, they managed to get a good win over Villanova, and do so comfortably.  The Wildcats have their own early season problems, but they’re a talented older team.  They should find their groove eventually.  Hopefully, it’ll end up as a quality win on UVA’s resume.  

Up Next

The Wahoos head to The Bahamas next for the Baha Mar Hoops Championship.  They’ll face Tennessee first on Thursday at 9:30 PM Eastern.  Then, either Baylor or St. John’s the following night.  All three of those teams are currently ranked in the Top 25, so we’ll have a good measure of where the team stands after next week.  

Be sure to tune in for the Locker Room Access pregame show, 30 minutes before tip.

(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)