Virginia Has Found Their Footing

It was a good week for the UVA Men’s Basketball team.  They first knocked off their rival Hokies, then won their first true road game of the season at Georgia Tech on Saturday.  Jordan Minor’s emergence has given them a lift, as the rotation has solidified.  Now that the Hoos seem to be righting the ship, I look at their roadmap to earning an NCAA Tournament bid.  And what’s going on with a key recruit who visited this week. 

Major Catalyst 

Not long ago, I wrote here that Virginia had a Minor problem.  Graduate transfer Jordan Minor was brought in to be the starting center this season.  Instead, he wasn’t even in the rotation.  That left a hole to fill.  I wondered what Tony Bennett’s approach would be when they faced top big men in conference play.   It turns out the solution to the Minor problem was Jordan Minor himself. 

After being buried on the Virginia bench earlier this year, Merrimack transfer big man Jordan Minor starting to contribute for UVA.

Follows up his 16 points and five boards vs. Virginia Tech with 11 this evening in a road win vs. Georgia Tech.

Much-needed interior presence.

— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) January 21, 2024

Minor is averaging 12 points over the past three games since being inserted into the starting lineup against Wake Forest.  Just as important, his physicality on the defensive end has helped keep opposing centers in check.  Particularly in the win over Virginia Tech, in which Hoke big man Lynn Kidd (14.0 PPG) was held to just two points.  

In hindsight, it’s not very surprising that Minor needed time to adjust.  He not only moved up in competition from Merrimack, where he was the Northeast Conference Player of the Year, but it’s also been a drastic change in style of play.  Merrimack plays a zone defense exclusively.  That’s been the biggest issue for him, adjusting to Bennett’s packline.  

There’s a history of Bennett making similar personnel adjustments in January that proved to be major turning points in the season.  Jordan’s emergence has that kind of potential.  

According to Plan

These last two games, Virginia’s rotation has been the way it was originally planned for the first time all season.  With Jordan Minor now in the starting lineup and guard Dante Harris back from injury, this is how the coaching staff envisioned things in the spring when the roster was finalized.  

Although the Hoos are going 10 deep, the roles have become more solidified.  There’s a clear top seven, with Dante Harris and Jake Groves the key subs.   Other guys are getting opportunities, but in a limited or situational role.  It’s a familiar setup that Bennett seems to prefer, and usually a good sign when he gets it squared away.  

With Minor cemented in the starting lineup, Blake Buchanan has shifted into a more suitable role as a freshman.  They still use Jake Groves as a small-ball center occasionally, but only when it’s advantageous now.  It’s no longer a necessity.  And most of Leon Bond’s minutes have come at guard lately instead of forward, which should be better for his development. 

Dante Harris’s return has given Bennett a fourth trusted guard, as well as the backup floor general they need.  He helps take some stress off of Reece Beekman, and could step in for any of the three starting guards.  It gives them a bit of added flexibility.  

Layup Line

The Wahoos have played with much better cohesion this past week.  More than any individual player, that’s been the key for them.   It’s easy to see things are starting to click,  on both ends of the floor.  They’re creating better quality shots, and having fewer defensive breakdowns. 

One stat really stood out. The Hoos dominated the layup/dunk battle, outscoring VA Tech and GA Tech by a combined 52-18.  Improved execution led to more point blank shots than before and a higher conversion rate.  Meanwhile, opponents didn’t get those easy baskets.  GT’s 6 layup/dunk attempts and VT’s 9 were the fewest allowed this season.  Previous ACC opponents averaged over 17 attempts at the rim.   

Bracketology

Virginia is 4-3 in ACC play after Saturday’s win at Georgia Tech.  They’re tied for 6th place, but only a game in the loss column out of 2nd place.  It’s been a wild year so far in the conference.  Upsets galore. Exciting in a way.  The league is sort of cannibalizing itself though unfortunately.  That could prove costly come NCAA Tournament time. 

The Hoos have a lot of work to do in order to earn an NCAA bid.  The last month hasn’t gone well.  Some of it self inflicted, some out of their control.  The loss to Notre Dame was very damaging. And then what were previously considered great wins over Florida and Texas A&M have been somewhat diminished. 

They’ll need two Quad-1 )wins on their resume to have a strong case.  As of Sunday, they have one, the neutral site victory over Florida.  The Gators are ranked 45th.  We need them to stay in the top 50.  UVA has four more Q1 games based on current rankings (at Clem, at VT, vs UNC, at Duke).  It’s all fluid, of course.  Other opponents could move up.  

On top of that, 12-8 in conference play is probably the benchmark to reach.  A great first step would be closing out January (vs NCSU, at Lou, vs ND) with wins.  At that point, there would be light at the end of the tunnel.  Win the games they’re supposed to, pull off an upset, root for Florida.  That’s the roadmap.    

Mallory Visits

Recruiting slows down during the season, but it never stops.  UVA hosted perhaps their most prized target in the 2025 class on an unofficial visit this past week.  Local product Chance Mallory of St. Anne’s Belfield got an up close look at the Wahoos as they took down the Hokies on Wednesday.  

St. Anne's Belfield beat Collegiate last night by 50 points in its conference opener. Chance Mallory had a game-high 30 points... making six 3-pointers. pic.twitter.com/Bfx84fNeIU

— Marty Hudtloff (@martyhudtloff) January 11, 2024

The 5’9” point guard is having a monster junior season for STAB, following a breakout summer on the AAU circuit during which he picked up his scholarship offer from the hometown Hoos.  There’s a flock of other prestigious programs in pursuit including Maryland, Villanova, Clemson, Tennessee, among others.  

While Mallory is in no rush to make his college choice, indicating he may wait until the fall, UVA is expected to be in strong contention.  He could also choose to reclassify and join the team for next season if he wishes. 

(Featured Image Credit: Getty)