Last week Virginia had an Anthony Gill problem. Now we’re in full-blown crisis mode.
This column is called Inside the Numbers, so how about this for numbers: one. That’s how many shots from the field Gill had in 16 minutes on the floor in the second half.
Shot it one time.
Here’s another: two. That’s how many rebounds Gill had in the second half.
One shot, two rebounds, one block, one steal.
For the game, Gill was 3-of-9 from the floor with six points and 10 rebounds.
His baskets: a 15-foot jumper on a faceup 1:13 into the game, a 10-foot fadeaway just outside the lane at the 13:59 mark, then a tip-in after a pair of offensive rebounds with 5:29 to go.
Gill got nothing in the post, effectively, no drives, didn’t get to the foul line for the second straight game.
Over his last five games, Gill is averaging 8.8 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting from the field, and he’s shot a total of nine free throws in that span.
Nine. Before that stage, Gill had been averaging 14.4 points per game on 61.3 percent shooting and getting to the line 5.5 times per game.
Nothing seems physically wrong with Gill. He still jumps center at the start of games, and he had those eight first-half rebounds and was credited with four blocks total on the game, if those are any indications.
You might have noticed Monday night that Gill seemed tentative in the post around the rim, almost as if he’s afraid he’s going to get his shot blocked.
As a result, he’s taken to pump-faking, which seems to be getting him out of any rhythm.
According to the official play-by-play, none of his six misses were blocked shots, and Miami only had one blocked shot as a team on the night.
But Gill altered his own shots in the first half, and then edited himself completely out of the offense in the second half.
Let’s just say it this way, being as blunt as possible: Virginia is not going to cut down any nets if Anthony Gill continues playing this way.
Virginia is at its best when Gill is a beast in the post, back to the basket, finishing at the rim, diving down on screen cuts, taking his man off the dribble on post drives, tough to handle on the offensive boards.
When Gill is 0-for-1 from the floor in 16 minutes in the second half of a game, the Cavs are an average team.
Hate Devon Reed
Davon Reed was 4-of-5 from three-point range in Miami’s November win over Louisiana-Layayette. Other than that, Reed has been an average three-point shooter, except for his otherworldly effort Monday night.
Reed hit on 5-of-6 from long-range to finish with a team-high 21 for Miami.
Otherwise, the UVA defensive effort was spot on. Miami’s leading scorer, Sheldon McClellan, finished with 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Point guard Angel Rodriguez had seven on 3-of-10 shooting with one assist and three turnovers.
Take Reed out of the mix, and the ‘Canes were 15-of-38 from the field and 5-of-13 from three-point range.
Dude had a career night. Happens sometimes.
More odd stats
- Virginia had 15 offensive rebounds and an offensive rebounding percentage of 42.9 percent. The Cavs had entered the game 10th in the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage, at 34.3 percent.
- UVA was assessed for 16 fouls. Miami had seven, including just two in the first half. Three of the Virginia fouls came in the final 36 seconds as the Cavs tried to extend the game by sending Miami to the foul line.
- Addendum on the foul stuff: not saying anything, but, OK, yeah, just saying. In UVA’s six losses, the Cavs have been called for 121 fouls (20.2 per game) to their opponents’ 90 fouls (15.0 per game). In the 21 wins, Virginia has been called for 334 fouls (15.9 per game) to its opponents’ 358 (17.0 per game). Virginia has a +1.1 advantage in fouls in wins, and its opponents have a +5.2 advantage in fouls in losses. It’s just coincidence, no doubt.
- Addendum to the addendum: shouldn’t have said anything. I just went back through the play-by-plays in the six losses, and Virginia committed 23 clock fouls in the six endgames. Take those out, and the margin in Virginia losses drops from -5.2 to -1.3. The last two are the ones that stand out: the 14-8 discrepancy at Duke (one clock foul) and the 16-7 discrepancy at Miami (three clock fouls).
- Final addendum: yeah, I got too much time on my hands, not really, but anyway. I went back through the play-by-plays in the 21 wins. Six were close enough that opponents tried to extend them with clock fouls, and one was won memorably by UVA (at Wake) by expert working of the clock-foul endgame. Virginia ends up +16 overall in clock fouls in those endgames, so … tick down the UVA advantage in wins from +1.1 to +0.4. Side by side, then, we have Virginia in wins with a +0.4 foul advantage, and in losses with a -1.3 disadvantage. That’s enough math for one night.
– Compiled by Chris Graham
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