Virginia won because Tony Bennett went small

2023-01-11

It was only 36-31 North Carolina, but as the Virginia team gathered in a huddle at the 15:12 media timeout, it was feeling a lot like the beatings that UNC put on the ‘Hoos last season. The Heels were getting great looks on offense, were shutting down everything UVA was trying to do on the other end. There was a freshman, Jalen Washington, in for an injured Armando Bacot, putting up Bacot-like numbers – 5-of-7 from the field, 12 points in 11 minutes in the first half. And when Virginia used its...

It was only 36-31 North Carolina, but as the Virginia team gathered in a huddle at the 15:12 media timeout, it was feeling a lot like the beatings that UNC put on the ‘Hoos last season.

The Heels were getting great looks on offense, were shutting down everything UVA was trying to do on the other end.

There was a freshman, Jalen Washington, in for an injured Armando Bacot, putting up Bacot-like numbers – 5-of-7 from the field, 12 points in 11 minutes in the first half.

And when Virginia used its traps to get the ball out of the hands of guards on screens, Carolina was able to move the ball around to get open shots on the perimeter.

And then on the offensive end, Tony Bennett tried everything he could – running guards off screens in the middle of the floor, going back to his favored mover-blocker on both sides, basic high screen-and-rolls.

None of it was working.

Until he went small.

More online: https://augustafreepress.com/news/analysis-bennett-davis-address-why-going-small-worked-for-virginia/

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