Hope you are not in Atlanta . . .
If youāre in the Atl they kick some games like last nightās to Fox Sports South. I had to re-do our entire cable/streaming package to accommodate for that.
1 Like
I finally got the stream to work on Watch ESPN last night with about 7 minutes to go in the game. It was available but kept kicking me out saying it was āunable to retrieve at this time.ā So I think you will be fine with watch ESPN but you may have technical difficulties.
1 Like
Alright so I was traveling for work so I couldnāt join all yāall for the game live but I did record it and watch it later and as usual I have some thoughts about it.
The first half was the best Iāve seen Virginia play all year. Honestly I donāt have any complaints or deep comments. Loved Kihei getting in the paint and making plays. He was constantly beating his man off the dribble either straight up or with a screen and he made smart decisions with the ball when he got in deep. Some of those passes were very Ty Jerome esq.
Jay Huff was a monster honestly that was my favorite performance by him in his career. His footwork on defense was great keeping in front of a faster player in Sims and making life miserable for him.10 points was solid as well.
Braxtonās performance snuck up on me. I didnāt realize he had four 3ās until the announcers said it. I canāt say Iām surprised we saw him explode like this against FSU and VT last season. I still like him the most when heās going downhill to the rim but Iāll take that shooting performance any day.
Welcome back Kody. Limited minutes but honestly I liked his play as well. Hit from deep and a nice slash and finish. He showcased what heās capable of.
The second half was super ugly as we all know. The lack of consistency on offense remains scary but it is who they are at this point. I just hope they can pull it together enough to pick up a few more wins down the stretch. The one glaring thing that jumped out at me was the free throw shooting. If youāre going to play in tight games shooting 58% is just increasing the level of difficulty to an extreme level. That said lately the Hoos are making the ones that matter coming down the stretch of games and the importance of being clutch cannot be overstated.
Bottom line is they got the win, 7-4 in conference and in the mix of it. Given the way the team looks Iāll take that. Itās kind of a wild ride, I still donāt know what to expect from this team, but I feel like over this 3 game winning streak Iāve seen peeks at them hitting their full potential and that is comforting, that they could be rounding into shape in time to make a late season Tourney push.
7 Likes
Iām not super concerned with the free throw shooting from last night. Guys who normally make them missed them which is bizarre but not concerning in the long run.
I have no idea why Huff is poor though at the line
3 Likes
Huffās FT is surprising and slightly concerning it bit them during the NC State game and overall Iād like to see him on the court and not be a liability in the 2nd half
2 Likes
@BDragon I really enjoy your post game break downs. Dont stop.
So its looking like we dont have an answer to when opposing defenses play zoneā¦makes sense since we just simply dont have the outside shooters this year like we have in years pastā¦not sure if it is an issue that can be fully resolved on offense with out some new key player like a 44% 3 point shooting nightmare who stands 6ā8" aka Sam Houser. I did not realize how deadly he is from distance til I read up on him the other day. Thats going to be the answer to this problemā¦
5 Likes
Thanks @Daniel_G means a lot.
Totally agree. If teams have the ability to feel comfortable in zone Iād play it against the Hoos all day until they show they have a reliable zone buster. There are a few guys who can pop off like Braxton did last night or Tomas against Wake but nothing consistently. The entire Virginia offense grinds to a halt when they face a zone. Kihie canāt slice and dive which all but elements Huff from the offense and to a lesser degree Diakite as well.
Iām so high on Sam Houser itās not even funny. A good friend of mine has season tickets to Marquette and watch him play a lot and I did as well and was so impressed by him. His versatility grit and experience would have transformed the current roster. Canāt wait to watch him hit the ground running next season.
2 Likes
Just one game but hereās Hauserās 31 pt game against G-town. Weāre going to be scary good if he plays like this for us and the young pups come along as expected.
4 Likes
I think we are going to need some real progression from players on the existing roster if we are going to be scary good next year. I expect the new guys to contribute but not a ton
2 Likes
Those are the āyoung pupsā Iām talking about, the current first and second years coming along. Agree on the rookies, and yes, need the older guys (Huff) to also make a strong progression.
2 Likes
2 Likes
Huff has actually become a beast on the defensive side. All that offseason work has really paid off. I actually wonder if that hasnāt affected his shot somewhat . I believe he will adjust and I hope he works real hard this offseason as well. Especially on his lower body. He gets a little stronger where he can hold his own inside and he will be scary. Great job on Simms last night.His agility is shocking to me. I believe he has a great future
5 Likes