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Live Coverage: UVA Basketball hosts Manhattan, looking to get back on track

Chris Graham

The UVA Basketball team needs some game reps after suffering back-to-back smackdowns in the Bahamas last week.

The first chance at moving forward comes Tuesday night with a return to JPJ to host Manhattan (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network).


ICYMI

Forecast


  • BartTorvik: Virginia 76-55, 96% win probability
  • ESPN BPI: Virginia +20.3, 96.3% win probability
  • KenPom: Virginia 73-58, 91% win probability
  • EvanMiya: Virginia 74-60, 89.6% win probability

First half


Ron Sanchez is going with a three-guard starting lineup tonight: Dai Dai Ames, Andrew Rohde and Isaac McKneely in the backcourt, with Blake Buchanan and Elijah Saunders in the frontcourt spots.

Should see a lot of three- and four-guard tonight since Manhattan likes to play small.

We get a late first media timeout: UVA 18, Manhattan 10, at 13:23/1st.

UVA is 8-of-9 from the floor to start. Officially 2-of-2 from three and 1-of-1 at the rim, but the other five makes are all in the paint.

Media timeout update: Virginia 29, Manhattan 15, 7:33/1st.

UVA is 13-of-18 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three, 3-of-3 at the rim.

Final media timeout: Virginia 32, Manhattan 26, 3:31/1st.

Defense is the issue. Manhattan is 10-of-23 from the floor and 5-of-11 from three.

Virginia is 4-of-6 from three, 3-of-4 at the rim, and 7-of-12 on midrange jumpers.

First half analysis


Half: Virginia 38, Manhattan 31.

Offense: 6-of-7 at the rim, 4-of-9 from three, 7-of-12 in the midrange.

That 12 in the midrange is already too many.

Defense: 4-of-5 at the rim, 6-of-13 from three, 2-of-9 in the midrange.

Tempo: 30 possessions, so, a 60 pace.

Rebounds:

  • UVA: 11 defensive/Manhattan: 5 offensive (UVA: 68.8% defensive rebound percentage)
  • Manhattan: 10 defensive/UVA: 3 offensive (Manhattan: 76.9% defensive rebound percentage)

Second half


First media timeout: UVA 49, Manhattan 37, 15:39/2nd.

The starting five, which was hot out of the gate in the first half, is 5-of-8 from the floor to start the second half.

Shooting: 1-of-1 from three, 1-of-3 at the rim, 3-of-3 on midrange jumpers.

Second media timeout: UVA 54, Manhattan 42, 11:32/2nd.

Shooting: 1-of-3 from three, 3-of-6 at the rim, 3-of-6 on midrange jumpers.

Timeout Manhattan: Back-to-back Andrew Rohde buckets extend the UVA lead to 58-42, 9:14/2nd.

The guys are attacking the paint and the rim a lot more, but it is Manhattan.

Still, I like the strategy/execution.

Third media timeout: UVA 58, Manhattan 48, 7:43/2nd.

Can’t put these guys away. Back-to-back threes by Fraser Roxburgh get it back to 10.

Manhattan is playing the modern game: 24 of their 42 field goal attempts are threes, and eight are at the rim.

They’ve shot 10 midrange jumpers.

Virginia: 21 midrange jumpers.

Way too many.

Final media timeout: UVA 61, Manhattan 54, 3:45/2nd.

Virginia has one point in the last 3:47. Two missed layups and a miss on the front end of a one-and-one by Elijah Saunders, and two turnovers.

Final score: UVA 74, Manhattan 65

Final analysis


Shooting

  • UVA: 29-of-54 (53.7%), 6-of-14 (42.7%) from three, 11-of-18 at the rim (61.1%), 12-of-22 on jumpers (54.5%)
  • Manhattan: 23-of-53 (43.4%), 11-of-26 (42.3%) from three, 8-of-14 (57.1%) at the rim, 4-of-13 on jumpers (30.7%)

Rebounds

  • UVA: 21 defensive/10 Manhattan offensive (67.8% defensive rebound percentage)
  • Manhattan: 21 defensive/7 UVA offensive (75.0% defensive rebound percentage)

UVA principals

  • Isaac McKneely: 18 points (5-of-10 FG, 3-of-4 3FG), 5 rebounds
  • Andrew Rohde: 14 points (6-of-9 FG, 0-of-1 3FG)
  • Blake Buchanan: 11 points (5-of-9 FG), 5 rebounds
  • Dai Dai Ames: 10 points (3-of-7 FG, 2-of-3 3FG), 5 assists
  • Jacob Cofie: 10 points (5-of-7 FG), 5 rebounds
  • Elijah Saunders: 8 points (4-of-10 FG), 6 rebounds

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].