Great article from the Athletic:
RALEIGH, N.C. – N.C. State trimmed a 14-point deficit to seven in about 120 seconds, and yet Virginia guard Ty Jerome had a glancing look to the bench as if to say, “Don’t call a timeout. We’re good.”
This during a game in which the Cavaliers committed a season-high 16 turnovers and allowed a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. They were so not Virginia for so much of the second half against the Wolfpack. But there’s a reason why Virginia coach Tony Bennett rarely calls timeouts to stop an opponent’s scoring spurt: He trusts his guys.
Now the Hoos worked that trust to its outermost boundaries during their 66-65 overtime win over N.C. State on Tuesday, but they were perfectly Virginia when it mattered most. And that momentum-stopping timeout was never called, nor needed, which is one of junior guard Kyle Guy’s favorite things about Bennett.
“It’s just supreme confidence,” Guy said. “All the experienced guys have so much confidence in each other and in themselves that we’re never going to waver.”
Add that to the reasons why Virginia is one of a handful of teams that could be standing on a podium in April, hoisting the national championship trophy. It’s unflappable even while playing out of character.
Virginia hasn’t played in many close games this season, with 14 of 20 games decided by double digits. Its 72-70 loss to Duke and its 75-71 win over Maryland were the only two-possession games it had played in before its win over the Pack, the start of arguably its toughest four-game stretch of the season. After facing Miami on Saturday, the Wahoos eye a rematch with the Blue Devils in Charlottesville, Va., on Feb. 9 and a road trip to face North Carolina on Feb. 11.
Kevin Keatts is trying to build in Raleigh what Virginia has not in style but in substance. The Wolfpack are not yet a team that can consistently overcome their mistakes or recalibrate on the fly. Their dramatic rally from down six in the closing 30 seconds against Clemson on Saturday made believers, and even in defeat on Tuesday, N.C. State showed well for itself. Keatts, however, is still at a point where he’s raising expectations.
“I told my guys there is a thin line between winning and losing,” he said. “We were on the other side of it against Clemson. We fought hard. I hope you guys are understanding of what we are trying to build here.”
Guy said Virginia didn’t “play anywhere near our standard,” but the reality is N.C. State only led for 18 seconds. And the Cavaliers got several gritty performances to pull out the win. Jerome shook off back issues, Bennett said, an ailment evidenced by Jerome standing rather than sitting on the bench when he came out of the game. His one assist in overtime came on Guy’s lone 3-pointer. Braxton Key came off the bench for a game-high eight rebounds to go with eight points. Jay Huff, on the floor late after Jack Salt fouled out, made 2 of 3 free throws in overtime as Virginia made 6 of 7. It’s why, despite all of the mistakes the Cavaliers made to lose the lead, Bennett said his team showed composure in the huddle.
“(Bennett) believes in us,” said Virginia’s DeAndre Hunter, who scored a game-high 15 points. “He knows we’re experienced enough to fight through adversity and fight through a crowd like this.”
The Cavaliers did have a de facto timeout when the score was 45-38 in regulation and someone in the PNC Arena crowd threw an object on the court. It was clear on the replay that Hunter actually tripped and fell after clipping teammate Braxton Key’s foot, but C.J. Bryce was called for a foul. Play stopped as the officials gathered and the scorer’s table and Keatts grabbed the microphone to implore the crowd to do better. It didn’t faze the Cavaliers.
They’ve won ugly, shooting 29.5 percent in a 57-49 win over VCU. They’ve struggled from the 3-point line, going 4-of-17 in their 53-46 win over Wisconsin. But this against the Wolfpack? This was something different. It wasn’t about an off night shooting; the Cavaliers were making poor decisions.
“We had a lot of bonehead plays really,” Hunter said.
The Hoos lead the nation in turnovers per game, averaging just 8.4, and in turnover percentage, giving it up on just 13.5 percent of their possessions, according to KenPom.com. They had eight by halftime, then doubled that in the second half and overtime.
Unfortunately for Virginia, Bennett already had a video of the game broken down and readily available before the team left the locker room for the bus.
“We’re thankful for the win, but we need to grow from this and learn from it,” said Bennett, who is unbeaten in six trips to play the Pack in PNC Arena. “We brought losing into the equation when I didn’t know we had to in certain situations with fouls and turnovers and unsound decisions.”
The last time Virginia won in overtime was a 63-62 victory over California in December 2015. No one on this team played in that game, and Salt was the only player active on that roster. But the core of the Cavaliers’ starters do remember last season when they lost a 13-point lead in Cameron Indoor Stadium to Duke, regrouped and won. Jerome struggled shooting just 5-of-15 from the field in that 65-63 win, but he hit the dagger 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to put the Cavaliers up by five.
Different player, same perseverance against the Wolfpack. Guy, who is atop UVA’s career 3-point shooting percentage list at 43.5 percent, missed his first three attempts against the Pack and had a 3-of-11 night from the field. But with the score tied and two minutes remaining in overtime, he made the 3 that gave the Hoos the lead for good. It was a bit of a lucky break for Virginia, as Jerome temporarily lost control of the ball mid-air after Wyatt Walker partially swatted it. But Jerome regained enough control to lob a pass out to the 3-point line, where Guy collected it and drilled a 3 in front of Markell Johnson.
Guy joked that “one of them had to go in,” but added that Virginia doesn’t shy away from the moment.
“We’ve absolutely prepared for these moments,” Guy said. “Especially with last year’s team, we were in some close games. The experience we have I think ultimately is what’s going to get us through.”
RALEIGH, N.C. – N.C. State trimmed a 14-point deficit to seven in about 120 seconds, and yet Virginia guard Ty Jerome had a glancing look to the bench as if to say, “Don’t call a timeout. We’re good.”
This during a game in which the Cavaliers committed a season-high 16 turnovers and allowed a season-high 16 offensive rebounds. They were so not Virginia for so much of the second half against the Wolfpack. But there’s a reason why Virginia coach Tony Bennett rarely calls timeouts to stop an opponent’s scoring spurt: He trusts his guys.
Now the Hoos worked that trust to its outermost boundaries during their 66-65 overtime win over N.C. State on Tuesday, but they were perfectly Virginia when it mattered most. And that momentum-stopping timeout was never called, nor needed, which is one of junior guard Kyle Guy’s favorite things about Bennett.
“It’s just supreme confidence,” Guy said. “All the experienced guys have so much confidence in each other and in themselves that we’re never going to waver.”
Add that to the reasons why Virginia is one of a handful of teams that could be standing on a podium in April, hoisting the national championship trophy. It’s unflappable even while playing out of character.
Virginia hasn’t played in many close games this season, with 14 of 20 games decided by double digits. Its 72-70 loss to Duke and its 75-71 win over Maryland were the only two-possession games it had played in before its win over the Pack, the start of arguably its toughest four-game stretch of the season. After facing Miami on Saturday, the Wahoos eye a rematch with the Blue Devils in Charlottesville, Va., on Feb. 9 and a road trip to face North Carolina on Feb. 11.
Kevin Keatts is trying to build in Raleigh what Virginia has not in style but in substance. The Wolfpack are not yet a team that can consistently overcome their mistakes or recalibrate on the fly. Their dramatic rally from down six in the closing 30 seconds against Clemson on Saturday made believers, and even in defeat on Tuesday, N.C. State showed well for itself. Keatts, however, is still at a point where he’s raising expectations.
“I told my guys there is a thin line between winning and losing,” he said. “We were on the other side of it against Clemson. We fought hard. I hope you guys are understanding of what we are trying to build here.”
Guy said Virginia didn’t “play anywhere near our standard,” but the reality is N.C. State only led for 18 seconds. And the Cavaliers got several gritty performances to pull out the win. Jerome shook off back issues, Bennett said, an ailment evidenced by Jerome standing rather than sitting on the bench when he came out of the game. His one assist in overtime came on Guy’s lone 3-pointer. Braxton Key came off the bench for a game-high eight rebounds to go with eight points. Jay Huff, on the floor late after Jack Salt fouled out, made 2 of 3 free throws in overtime as Virginia made 6 of 7. It’s why, despite all of the mistakes the Cavaliers made to lose the lead, Bennett said his team showed composure in the huddle.
“(Bennett) believes in us,” said Virginia’s DeAndre Hunter, who scored a game-high 15 points. “He knows we’re experienced enough to fight through adversity and fight through a crowd like this.”
The Cavaliers did have a de facto timeout when the score was 45-38 in regulation and someone in the PNC Arena crowd threw an object on the court. It was clear on the replay that Hunter actually tripped and fell after clipping teammate Braxton Key’s foot, but C.J. Bryce was called for a foul. Play stopped as the officials gathered and the scorer’s table and Keatts grabbed the microphone to implore the crowd to do better. It didn’t faze the Cavaliers.
They’ve won ugly, shooting 29.5 percent in a 57-49 win over VCU. They’ve struggled from the 3-point line, going 4-of-17 in their 53-46 win over Wisconsin. But this against the Wolfpack? This was something different. It wasn’t about an off night shooting; the Cavaliers were making poor decisions.
“We had a lot of bonehead plays really,” Hunter said.
The Hoos lead the nation in turnovers per game, averaging just 8.4, and in turnover percentage, giving it up on just 13.5 percent of their possessions, according to KenPom.com. They had eight by halftime, then doubled that in the second half and overtime.
Unfortunately for Virginia, Bennett already had a video of the game broken down and readily available before the team left the locker room for the bus.
“We’re thankful for the win, but we need to grow from this and learn from it,” said Bennett, who is unbeaten in six trips to play the Pack in PNC Arena. “We brought losing into the equation when I didn’t know we had to in certain situations with fouls and turnovers and unsound decisions.”
The last time Virginia won in overtime was a 63-62 victory over California in December 2015. No one on this team played in that game, and Salt was the only player active on that roster. But the core of the Cavaliers’ starters do remember last season when they lost a 13-point lead in Cameron Indoor Stadium to Duke, regrouped and won. Jerome struggled shooting just 5-of-15 from the field in that 65-63 win, but he hit the dagger 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to put the Cavaliers up by five.
Different player, same perseverance against the Wolfpack. Guy, who is atop UVA’s career 3-point shooting percentage list at 43.5 percent, missed his first three attempts against the Pack and had a 3-of-11 night from the field. But with the score tied and two minutes remaining in overtime, he made the 3 that gave the Hoos the lead for good. It was a bit of a lucky break for Virginia, as Jerome temporarily lost control of the ball mid-air after Wyatt Walker partially swatted it. But Jerome regained enough control to lob a pass out to the 3-point line, where Guy collected it and drilled a 3 in front of Markell Johnson.
Guy joked that “one of them had to go in,” but added that Virginia doesn’t shy away from the moment.
“We’ve absolutely prepared for these moments,” Guy said. “Especially with last year’s team, we were in some close games. The experience we have I think ultimately is what’s going to get us through.”
