UVA won ugly over #25 Wisconsin last week. Then, Wednesday night, the ‘Hoos boatraced #24 Maryland in the Xfinity Center.
Colin Cowherd can suck it.
Actually, the game at Maryland, final 76-71 Virginia, was still played at Tony Bennett’s pace, 60 possessions.
Which mean, yes, the Terps scored 71 points in a 60-possession game.
And, also, Virginia won on the road against a Top 25 team that scored 71 points in a 60-possession game.
The 53-46 win over Wisconsin in the final at the Battle 4 Atlantis last week came in a 58-possession game, for those keeping score.
Two Top 25 wins, two very different ways of going about doing it.
On Wednesday, it was the Cavaliers scoring 1.27 points per possession against a Maryland team that ranks 56th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
At different stretches, the ‘Hoos were carried by Kyle Guy, who at one point was 5-of-7 from the floor, before finishing with 18 points, on 6-of-14 shooting.
And then it was De’Andre Hunter, who had a couple of poster dunks, and finished with 15 on 6-of-13 shooting.
Ty Jerome: had 10 early, finished with a quiet 17 on 6-of-14 shooting.
And what about the juggernaut from Down Under, Jack Salt, who had a career-high 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, five dunks and a layup?
The defense was suspect, at best: Maryland shot 54 percent from the floor, was 18-of-28 in the paint, 7-of-17 from three.
Another way to look at that: Maryland shot 54 percent at home, had 18 buckets in the paint, was 7-of-17 from three, and never really had a chance to win.
Virginia led by 17 early in the second half, and though Maryland clawed its way back to down four with four minutes to go, and kept it in striking distance from there, it never got closer.
Virginia is not supposed to win these types of games: shootouts.
On the road, in one of the tougher environments you can face on the road, against a team shooting 54 percent, draining threes down the stretch, UVA was solid, tonight because of its offense.
Again, Cowherd, suck it.
Column by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
