The UVA Basketball team (6-5, 0-1 ACC) faces American U. (6-5) on Sunday at 2 p.m. at JPJ, the last game before a nine-day break for the holidays.
Warning: this game will be played at the pace of molasses going uphill – American is almost as slow as Virginia (AU: 64.1 possessions/g, 349th nationally; UVA: 61.1, 364th, which is dead-last).
This one will be closer than you expect, based on the names on the front of the uniforms, a lot because of the pace, and the age and continuity advantages for the American side.
Another factor: the Christmas break has to be on everybody’s minds.
Virginia doesn’t have another game until the Dec. 31 ACC home opener with NC State.
This one has trap game written all over it.
First half
Starting lineup note: Ron Sanchez is starting a three-guard lineup, with Dai Dai Ames, Andrew Rohde and Isaac McKneely, with Jacob Cofie and Elijah Saunders in the post.
I thought Sanchez would go two-guard because American goes two-guard.
First media timeout: American 6, UVA 5, 15:53/1st
Virginia is back to running the mover/blocker crap, with predictable results: a shot-clock violation on the first possession, a backcourt turnover on the third.
Second media timeout: UVA 12, American 11, 11:37/1st
This game has trap game written all over it. Decent crowd, but quiet as a church service.
Nine days until the next game.
The kids probably have the van packed to get home for Christmas.
Third media timeout: UVA 19, American 13, 6:56/1st
American is running a basic zone D, and Sanchez doesn’t seem to have figured it out.
Tony’s teams always killed zones with the simple insertion of a forward flashing in the area just inside the foul line to be the pivot – for either kickout passes to the perimeter, drop downs to guys attacking the basket from the baseline, or dribble-drives from the baseline.
We’re seeing nothing resembling that here.
Fourth media timeout: UVA 23, American 18, 3:56/1st
I don’t know what UVA gets out of playing this game. You don’t get better playing a Patriot League team this late in the nonconference schedule.
The only thing that can happen here is, you lose.
Half: UVA 32, American 28
Analysis: This game feels like two teams scrimmaging.
Virginia is shooting 48.1 percent (13-of-27): 4-of-11 from three, 3-of-8 at the rim, 6-of-8 on midrange twos.
The shooting from midrange will not continue. That’s an outlier.
American is 9-of-23 from the floor, but 5-of-12 from three.
American is 32.6 percent from three on the season.
That good shooting from three will not continue.
Virginia has struggled against the zone, and isn’t good around the basket.
Second half
UVA timeout: ‘Hoos lead 34-33, 17:15/2nd
Nobody picked up Colin Smalls on the secondary break, and he made the widest-open three you will see.
That’s what precipitated the Sanchez timeout.
Second media timeout: American 41, UVA 37, 11:43/2nd
Virginia is 2-of-9 from the floor in the second half: 1-of-4 from three, 1-of-4 at the rim.
American, from the Patriot League, has held Virginia to 4-of-12 shooting at the rim.
Third media timeout: American 47, UVA 42, 7:33/2nd
Nobody wants to shoot the ball. Nobody is trying to touch the paint.
Sanchez has nothing in terms of adjustments.
American, 261st in KenPom in adjusted defense, has held Virginia to 42 points in 33 minutes.
Think of it this way, though: I get the next nine days to write about the pool of potential new coaches.
American timeout: UVA 49, American 47, 5:44/2nd
A McKneely three, a Cofie driving layup, and a backdoor pass from Cofie to Murray.
Final media timeout: American 51, UVA 49, 3:58/2nd
Virginia is 7-of-18 from three and 7-of-17 at the rim.
Again, against the 261st-ranked D in the country.
American timeout: UVA 56, American 51, 1:45/2nd
Another 7-0 run: a Rohde jumper on a jumbled offensive set, a nice high-low pass from Cofie to Saunders for a layup, a fast-break three on a dish from Cofie to Murray.
Final: UVA 63, American 58
Virginia closed the game out going 7-of-8 at the line in the final 24 seconds.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you that this one had trap game written all over it.
American should have won this game.
Credit to the Virginia kids for, in the moment, gutting it out.
The offense got better down the stretch: 8-of-14 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three, 4-of-6 at the rim, in the final 11:14.
The defense forced six straight American misses from the 5:02 mark until 10 seconds to go.
It’s a win: not one that will make a difference in the grand scheme.
Better than a loss.
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Chris Graham
