Is Justin McKoy the missing link that could have put Virginia over the top?

Virginia was one player short in recent losses to Duke and Florida State. Was that one player Justin McKoy?

McKoy transferred to North Carolina last spring, and has done almost nothing there – averaging 1.1 points in 7.5 minutes per game, missing the Tar Heels’ last five games with a sore knee, but even before that, getting a combined 26 minutes in the prior six contests.

McKoy, a 6’8” junior, was rendered a luxury for first-year UNC coach Hubert Davis when Davis landed Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek, a 6’9” power forward who is averaging 14.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per game this season.

McKoy had begun the 2020-2021 Virginia season as a starter, and averaged 17.5 minutes per game in the opening four games of the season, before falling out of the rotation entirely for a stretch into mid-February.

Known as a high-motor guy, McKoy eventually played his way back into the rotation, averaging 18.5 minutes per game in a four-game stretch before he had to miss Virginia’s NCAA Tournament game due to COVID.

Looking at Virginia’s issues in 2021-2022, it’s largely been that coach Tony Bennett has been a man short defensively, as was obvious in the losses last week at home to Duke and Florida State.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski exploited matchup advantages with 6’6” small forward AJ Griffin, who hit a pair of threes over 6’11” center Kadin Shedrick, who was left on an island with Griffin when Coach K went with a small-ball lineup putting Griffin at the five spot.

Then, when Bennett countered with 6’7” forward Kody Stattmann in place of Shedrick, Griffin was able to take Stattmann to the hoop for a key bucket late.

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton was also able to exploit Virginia’s issues with guarding 6’6” freshman Matthew Cleveland, who scored 10 points in the final 2:06 – a short jumper, an and-one, a driving layup and then a buzzer-beating three – to lift the ‘Noles to the 64-63 upset.

McKoy would have given Bennett the flexibility to go small, like he tried to do, with no success, down the stretch in both losses, and McKoy can also defend big guards and small forwards on the perimeter, in the event of foul trouble in the backcourt.

As it is, Bennett has had to give significant minutes of late to Stattmann and sophomore walk-on Malachi Poindexter.

McKoy’s defense would have been a boost to a Virginia squad that currently ranks a miserable 83rd nationally in defensive efficiency, the lowest mark of the Bennett era.

Instead, the kid is down in Chapel Hill, ridin’ the pine.

Story by Chris Graham