Take Two: Breaking down what matters from UVa's victory over VT
Editor's Note: During football season, we introduced a day-after feature called Take Two where we broke out some important plays, revisited our keys to the game from our preview, and graded the various units. For the rest of hoops season, we're going to do a variation of that day-after feature, where we tell you about the key plays and turning points but also look at two important takeaways: Why did the Hoos win or lose and what does the game's result mean for UVa going forward.
The Result: UVa never trailed Tuesday night as the fourth-ranked Hoos beat ninth-ranked Virginia Tech 81-59. It was Virginia's ninth-straight win over a ranked team and its fifth in a row (and sixth out of seven) over a Top-10 team.
The Turning Point: Up seven with about 11 minutes left in the first half, the Cavaliers used a 10-2 run to stretch the lead and then scored 12 of the first half's final 15 points to take a 22-point advantage into the locker room. Tech never recovered.
The Stat That Tells the Story: This was for all intents and purposes a beatdown. As such, UVa led in basically every statistical category and that includes those the Wahoos don't normally carry. One of the keys was to get back in transition and they did an excellent job of it, limiting Tech's fast-break chances and forcing the Hokies to earn. In fact, Virginia finished with more points in transition (seven to six) while also playing their customarily stingy defense and being extremely efficient on offense.
Wahoo of the Game: It's Ty Jerome. While De'Andre Hunter had a fantastic night, going 8-for-12 from the floor and posting his fourth 20-point scoring game of the season, Jerome's aggressiveness set to the tone early. He scored or assisted on the game's first 19 points and 31 of Virginia's 44 first-half points. He finished with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists and was responsible for 42 of UVa's 81 points. Lastly, his 12 dimes set a John Paul Jones Arena record, too.
Why did the Cavaliers win it?
The simple answer is that they were just the better team in every discernible way. They guarded better, the shot it better, they executed better, they were more aggressive, they handled the emotion of the game better, and they had an excellent gameplan. Assistant coach Brad Soderberg, who could be seen throughout the game calling out Tech's action before the Hokies ran it, gave the team a great scout and they were clearly prepared both in terms of scheme and in terms of the moment. The Wahoos harnessed the hype and made it look easy (again) while bludgeoning a highly-ranked team.
And what does this mean for UVa going forward?
The win and manner in which it happened continue to define the execution and ability of a team that is clearly one of America's best and perhaps its best overall. In each of the four conference wins this season, Virginia has led by at least 22 points and that includes not only two road games but two games against Top-10 opponents.
While No. 1-ranked Duke may have gone down Monday night in overtime at the hands of Syracuse, the win over the Hokies still puts UVa on a collision course with the Blue Devils this weekend in Durham and with a W perhaps returns the Cavaliers to the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25.
But bigger than that: The Wahoos are now all alone atop the ACC standings and appear to be really hitting their stride heading deeper into league play.
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