After the buzzer: Virginia

Quick Hitters

-I just finished rewatching the game for the film review portion. I will do my best to have some positives in here so it’s not 100% negative, but it could be a struggle. I guess I better preface the post by saying I love Chris Mack and still believe in this team. Just know that, for what it’s worth.

-Louisville’s big men were just atrocious on defense in this one. Getting beat to the basket, giving up offensive rebounds, not scoring in the post. It was just all bad. Steven Enoch and Malik Williams combined to shoot 2-16 and 1-7 from three. For Virginia, Huff and Diakite combined for 26 points on 13-18 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Total mismatch that I did not expect to see.

-I have been a huge Enoch fan all season, but 0-6 from inside the three-point line won’t win you many games. It allowed Virginia to never have to double-team him, so when Louisville started missing threes that they were hitting, the offense was stagnant. I know that when he got the ball, it usually meant he wasn’t passing it back out, but most of his shots were from just a few feet out that he usually converts. Or he at least makes a couple of them, better than 0-6.

-CC having 6 assists and 1 turnover: positive.

-Jordan Nwora’s defense, whether it’s in a man or zone: negative. Tough to watch.

-I don’t know if the couple games that Darius Perry gave us a glimmer of hope was a sign of him turning the corner, or if that has already passed by again. He only played two minutes in this one. Just not sure if he or V.J. will find their way into the regular rotation again.

-Ryan McMahon’s four threes in the first half: positive.

-Did anyone feel comfortable with a 10-point lead at halftime? Even a little bit? Yeah, me neither.

-Watching Virginia is only frustrating because of how good and disciplined they play. There aren’t driving lanes because they are always in help. So, you have the three-point shot, which worked well for a half. And if they don’t double team the post, you have that option as well, but that didn’t really lead to any success. So once the threes stopped falling, that was it for Louisville. The second half was a lot of forced threes that just weren’t falling. Virginia ran their stuff, chipped away, and just kept playing and eventually it was a 10-point lead for them. By then, it was over. And that was with Guy and Jerome scoring 12 total points on 4-20 shooting. Not sure that will happen for them the rest of the season.

-Boston College, Notre Dame, and Virginia remain on the schedule. Win two of three and you are still 11-7 in the ACC. But 12-6 would be acceptable as well. Go ahead and win them all.

-Being a Louisville fan: still positive.

Film Review