1. Most of the starting five seems relatively clear.
Virginia played three ten-minute periods in their scrimmage on Saturday night, and in each period, they mixed up the teams and played different combinations of players together. At some points it felt like the teams were set up for parity and even matchups, but in one of the latter two periods, it felt like the coaching staff was trying to get starters (or players that should contribute a lot) playing together on one team.
Things can change, but based on what we saw Saturday night, there were four players that seem like great bets to start in the opener against Campbell, if healthy: Isaac McKneely, Blake Buchanan, Elijah Saunders and Jalen Warley. That’s two returnees and two newcomers, with the returnees as near absolute locks to start, and the newcomers seeming likely to join them.
From there, we could see UVa’s fifth starting spot going one of two ways. The first option would be to start Warley and McKneely in the backcourt, Saunders at the four and Buchanan at the five, with the fifth spot going to Taine Murray, at the three. Murray saw an increased role last year, and UVa fans would be wise to expect the senior to play a good amount this year, too.
The other option would be to start T.J. Power in Murray’s place, either at the three or the four, though the roles are rather interchangeable so the designations don’t matter. Power showed some flashes in the scrimmage, but it’s unclear at this time exactly what his role will be. Murray might be the safer bet to start at this point, given his experience in the system.
2. Elijah Saunders might be the most impactful newcomer
The best part of these scrimmages is usually checking out the new additions to the roster, and seeing how they fit with the existing team. UVa has a lot of new players this year, but Saunders was the one who stood out the most on Saturday night. The former San Diego State product looked the part of a player that should have an immediate impact on his new program.
Saunders flashed some shot-making ability, and physicality, too. He’ll have to learn UVa’s systems on both ends of the floor, but Saunders didn’t look out of place at all at JPJ on Saturday, and looks like a player that could really thrive in the packline once he gets comfortable. The big X-factor for Saunders could be his offense, and in particular, his shooting. If he can average double figures scoring, that would be a major boost to UVa’s offensive outlook, as they try to replace a good chunk of last year’s scoring.
Betting on Saunders to be the most-impactful newcomer is also a bit revealing about the other additions. They all have talent, but how they’ll be used and what their roles will be seems sort of in limbo right now, with the season less than a month away. But Saunders saw a lot of the floor on Saturday night, and looked like a guy that can be penciled into the starting lineup.
3. UVa’s freshman additions are intriguing.
We’ve talked a little bit about the transfer additions, but UVa’s two freshman signees both played quite a bit, too. There has been a lot of buzz around Ishan Sharma since he arrived on Grounds, and the Canadian certainly looks ready to play as a first year. Sharma has shot-making ability, but his size also stood out in Saturday’s scrimmage. A year or two in UVa’s strength and conditioning program, and Sharma could turn into a really tough cover for opposing defenses. The question becomes how big a role does Sharma have, with competition for playing time at the guard and wing spots.
Jacob Cofie flashed a few times, as well. Cofie’s outlook for this season is a bit of a mystery, and usually it takes UVa’s bigs a bit longer to get on the floor and play a lot. Cofie, like Sharma, showed some physicality on Saturday night, and has the tools to be a really good player at the four spot for the Hoos. It might just take a bit more time for him than Sharma, but at this point we doubt either of them redshirt.
4. Questions about shooting (and offense overall) remain.
Virginia did a lot of nice things on both ends of the floor in the scrimmage, but there were also a few times where the ball got a little “sticky” and the shot clock started to tick down. Some of the credit for that should go to the defenses, but while we saw a lot of intriguing things Saturday, the question about whether the offense is going to be far better than last year’s remains.
McKneely is a known commodity, and at this point, his outlook depends a lot more on what UVa surrounds him with offensively. As we mentioned above, if Saunders can shoot, that’s a big help. If Power can play a lot, his shooting is not the issue, and he could have an impact and help space the floor. Sharma and Murray are also options to get hot from deep. I wouldn’t expect much in the way of shooting from Warley, who is going to be a drive-and-kick guy that can also get to the rim. Which makes it all the more important for UVa to have shooters at the other positions and knock down shots so this group can face some honest defenses, and McKneely isn’t blanketed at the three-point line.
5. As always, the bench rotation will take some time to sort itself out.
We feel pretty good about the starting five being five of the six we mentioned above, McKneely, Murray, Warley, Buchanan, Saunders and Power. There could be a surprise in there, but all six of those players should play quite a bit this year, with Power maybe the biggest question mark of the group. After that, there are options, but as for how much each guy will play, that remains to be seen.
One player that hasn’t been mentioned is Andrew Rohde, who saw a lot of action last year but struggled on the offensive end. Rodhe sees the floor well, but didn’t play much early in the scrimmage, before eventually getting in on the action in the latter periods. Rohde could be squeezed out of some playing time, particularly if Sharma is ready to go, but he could also earn his way into a significant role off the bench. The backup spots at point guard and center will be interesting to track. Both battles have a returning redshirt freshman and a transfer fighting for minutes.
At point guard Christian Bliss and Dai Dai Ames both played a good amount in the scrimmage. Ames might be slightly more likely to be Warley’s backup from what we saw on Saturday; he struggled early to take care of the ball and shoot but had a better third period. Bliss was pretty quiet, after participating in the three-point shootout. At center, Vanderbilt transfer Carter Lang and redshirt freshman Anthony Robinson should back up Buchanan. Robinson had a nice block in the scrimmage and certainly has the athleticism and upside, but Lang might be further along after playing a decent number of minutes at Vandy last year.
