Key to the game: Virginia needs to figure out what to do with Sydney Curry

Sydney Curry is averaging a modest 7.1 points per game this season, has two DNPs in ACC play, three other goose eggs, a two-point game.

Of late, though, Curry, a 6’8”, 260-pound junior, has been a force, including the 24-point game he had in a 71-61 loss to Virginia on Saturday.

Curry is averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over his last four games, and he had a 24 and 14 (on 9-of-13 shooting) against the Cavaliers.

“He is so physical, and it showed in his final stat line,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We were trapping him, and they ran a good action late that was tough. They gave him a dribble handoff from about 10 feet, and he is just a physical player.”

That’s exactly what Louisville coach Mike Pegues did to free Curry up down low. Virginia likes to post-to-post double, but having guards dribble-drive into the lane for a handoff took the double-team option away.

The action also had the guard setting a quick screen on the Virginia big to allow Curry to slide off and get up a shot.

He got one basket-and-one opportunity and two other jumpers off this set.

He got another and-one off a missed free throw by fighting past Kadin Shedrick, who gives up roughly 40 pounds to Curry, and had obvious issues one-on-one in the post with Curry on the defensive end.

Shedrick ended up being assessed with four fouls, and fellow big man Francisco Caffaro was limited to 13 minutes with three fouls.

Bennett countered down the stretch by going small, moving Jayden Gardner, at 6’6”, 246, over to the five spot when Shedrick checked out with four minutes to go with his fourth foul, and the gambit worked – Curry had just one made basket the rest of the way, a dunk off an alley-oop on an inbounds on which Gardner got caught up in traffic.

Slowing Curry down slowed Louisville down. The Cardinals had just five points in the final 4:00.

You may see Bennett go with Gardner on Curry more tonight when he has Shedrick, who had 20 points in the win at Louisville, in for Caffaro, sliding Shedrick over the Malik Williams, a 6’11” forward who can stretch the floor (shooting 30.0 percent from three) to give space for Curry to work in the post.

If Pegues tries to respond by flipping Williams and Curry, Curry is not a threat from behind the arc – he hasn’t even attempted a three this season.

I’m expecting to see Caffaro start and maybe get 12-15 minutes to beat and bang with Curry down low, but Shedrick to get the bulk of the minutes at the five, and Gardner to get the bulk of those minutes checking Curry.

Story by Chris Graham