The first observation, starting hot here, is, Reece Beekman, who had 21 points, tying a career-high, on a night where there was a lot to be happy about, a lot that makes you go, hmmm.
That to be happy about: Beekman was 7-of-13 from the floor, made a career-best four threes, and the threes were a sign of his growth as a shooter, and thus a player.
Beekman shot just 24.3 percent from three as a freshman, and that was the one thing that I said at the time would keep him from getting to the next level.
So, he worked on his perimeter shooting – shot 33.8 percent as a sophomore, 35.1 percent as a junior.
This year, coming into Wednesday’s game with Notre Dame, Beekman looked to be regressing, shooting just 29.3 percent from long-range.
Not just the 4-of-7 night from three, but also, the way he got the looks – one was a confident end-of-shot-clock three from straight on, the others were Beekman running off screens, catching and shooting – it’s different than what we’d seen from him before.
Beekman, the past couple of years, really only shot absolutely wide-open threes, that or shot-clock-forced threes, the latter less likely, obviously, to have much success.
Tony Bennett has enough confidence in Beekman’s shot to run him off screens, flatten out, and take corner threes.
That’s … something.
That which makes you go … hmmm.
Well, one stat that jumps out is the five turnovers.
The TOs have shot up this season, to 2.1 per game; he’d been averaging 1.4 per game over his first three seasons.
The other: Notre Dame freshman point guard Markus Burton seemed to have his way at times with Beekman on the defensive end.
Burton finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, though Synergy Sports tells us that only three of the makes, on five tries, came against Beekman as his defender.
Still, it looked to me, naked eye, that the Burton kid made himself some money tonight.
Ryan Dunn: Zero points, one shot?
Last week, Ryan Dunn, like Beekman, a projected 2024 first-round NBA Draft pick, had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, six of the makes dunks, in the win at Louisville, and 13 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, in the win over NC State.
Wednesday’s statline: zero points, one shot.
What the eff, indeed, right?
This is your reminder that Dunn’s offensive game is what you could call derivative: 67.6 percent of his shots this year have been at the rim, per Synergy Sports, the bulk of those coming off him slipping off screens (70.7 percent of his makes at the rims were assisted), the rest coming off offensive rebounds.
Dunn is shooting 12-of-38 on jumpers and runners this season.
He can’t create his own shot; he takes what is given from him, and to his credit, finishes.
Tonight, there was nothing for Dunn, so, zero points, one shot.
This, from a kid who is going to be a first-round pick in a few months.
Weird, yes, I know.
Jake Groves: 18 points in 22 minutes
This one is a two-headed observation. The first part is about Jake Groves going off for 18 points, going 6-of-8 from three, 5-of-6 in the first half.
Groves had been starting at the five spot before Jordan Minor made it obvious that he’d finally picked up on what was being asked of him as a defender in the Pack Line.
Minor’s defense in the post has keyed the five-game winning streak that has Virginia sitting alone in third place in the ACC at the moment.
Groves, listed at 6’9”, 211, was never meant to be a starting center, anywhere, least of all in the ACC.
He’s a stretch-four, and with what we saw tonight, you have to wonder, could he get some minutes as the third guard?
It’s worth asking, considering that the guy that Bennett still insists on running out there as the starter at the third guard spot, 6’6” sophomore Andrew Rohde, continues to demonstrate that he’s not up to the task.
Rohde, in the win on Wednesday, put up another goose egg, on 0-of-3 shooting, in 12 minutes.
The scoreless outing was his fifth of the season, and third in his last five games – did I mention that Virginia has won its last five games here yet?
I did.
Over that stretch, Rohde is averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 assists in 21.6 minutes per game, shooting 4-of-21 (19.0 percent) from the floor and 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from three.
On the defensive end, Synergy Sports has Rohde responsible for giving up 6.8 points per game on 13-of-30 shooting (43.3 percent) in the last five.
Wild idea here, but, more Groves as a third guard, more Taine Murray (four points, four assists in 20 minutes tonight), more Dante Harris (four points, three assists in 13 minutes), less Rohde.
Somebody (you know who) is going to say, but he practices so well.
We’re 21 games into the season; Rohde is shooting 31.3 percent from the field, 26.0 percent from three, hell, he’s 33.3 percent at the GD free-throw line.
Giving the kid 20+ minutes a game is wasting those 20+ minutes a game, no matter how good he looks in practice.
Still liking the Minor-Buchanan duo down low
Minor got 28 minutes, and had decent counting numbers – five points and six boards, and was debited for a made three by Notre Dame big man Matt Zona on defense.
Minor’s plus/minus was a team-best +15.
Freshman Blake Buchanan had two points and five rebounds in nine minutes off the bench.
Solid, not spectacular, but solid.
What the win did to the metrics
Let me preface this with … just keep winning.
Virginia, with the win, is now 16-5 overall, 7-3 in the ACC.
Hold serve at home, steal another couple of wins on the road, and UVA is 23-8 heading into the ACC Tournament, and not playing for an NCAA bid, but rather, for seeding.
OK, that said, the metrics.
- ESPN BPI: 38
- Strength of Record: 44
- NET: 47
- KPI: 49
- KenPom: 58
Work still to do.
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Chris Graham
