Most of [Bond’s] scoring came either at the rim or from the foul line as a result of attacking the basket. He just brought great energy on both ends of the floor. His effort on the glass and defensive presence gave the Hoos a big lift.
This is the Ryan Dunn school of earning early playing time: play super hard and show your athleticism, and you’ll find a way onto the floor.
I think we bullied a seriously bad team tonight and that this team has major problems.
“he was open to a potential redshirt if the coaching staff thought it was for the best”
Good luck wherever you’re playing next year Elijah.
Rewatched the game and focused solely on the bench (half kidding…): Gertrude looked fine and happy and engaged. Tony Bennett looked MISERABLE though lol. There was even a point where he turned to Sanchez with his hand up and his lips read “Do you see what I mean” after Tarleton scored a bucket.
Did it seem to anyone else that the defense wasn’t as much in the gap one pass away? The help was there around the low block but it didn’t seem like they were willing to give up a one-pass-away 3pt shot. And maybe they were looking to jump passing lanes a little more? Haven’t rewatched with this in mind, so I’m not sure.
I noticed this as well. I think he too was annoyed that the coach redshirted Gertrude.
Do you really think it was Chase’s call?
Bond’s movement reminds me of Dennis Rodman. Has a nose for the ball, finds space to maneuver, and easy, easy ups. Rodman led the NBA in rebounds 7 years in a row at 6’7”. Bond looks effortless working the lane and with those long arms is very disruptive on defense.
Funniest moment for me was when Jeff White(?) asked TB about the free throw shooting (including a good question about how they shot in the scrimmages), which was a perfect setup for TB to do the classic coach’s lament about leaving points at the line. But he declined the opportunity and focused on the positives of getting to the line often and getting game reps of free throws, and then patted himself on the back for being so positive.
And, one of the unanswered questions (at least, for me) is, “How good, or bad, is Tarleton State?” It’s the first game of the season for them, too. I thought they did some things very well, and I thought they did some things very poorly. Their ability to turn the corner at the key and get into the paint is a concern. Their lack of outside scoring is another question. Was Virginia’s perimeter defense that good, or is it that Tarleton State’s players can’t shoot from beyond the arc? Is their ball pressure on defense that good, or will Virginia struggle getting into the offense against other teams? I imagine we’ll learn the answers soon enough.
Relatedly, we seemed more frenetic than we often do (but I didn’t mind it), but I think a fair amount of that might have been Tarleton-related. I thought they were a bad team but a good team to play first. I’m not expressing it right, but I’m glad we got to play against that’s style.
Anyone discuss the play of the game when Reece!! Defended in the post and had an Gimme that shit moment???
Tarleton State was statistically insane last season. They were, arguably, either the best in the country or at the very least elite at: drawing fouls, forcing TOs, and not allowing opponent Steals. They got a higher % of their total scoring from FTs than any other team in the country.
On the other hand, they were bottom-drawer, near-worst-in-D1 awful at: 2FG%, committing fouls (they committed a staggering number of fouls going for those TOs), and volume of 3s attempted. They might have attempted the fewest 3s in college hoops (they were actually ok at hitting them, they just attempted very, very few).
Will they have the same extreme tendencies again this year? They did a lot of the same stuff the year before that, so… probably so? Which makes games against them interesting and probably a good learning experience, but probably not great in terms of extrapolating full-season expectations.
Like, last season, Tarleton State’s opponents were, collectively, the 5th most prolific free throw shooting team in the country. So, UVA attempting 39 FTs against them probably says a lot more about Tarleton State’s play than what we should expect from UVA over the season.
Good stuff, and only reaffirms in my mind what I saw last night. They drive to the lane and draw fouls, they shoot few 3s, and they play frenetic defense drawing fouls on themselves. Thanks.
A big takeaway for me is Billy Gillispie and the announcer are both Scorpios.
For those who want to watch the full game but didnt DVR it or have espn+: Full game upload
Can also watch on You Tube, I heard