UVA Basketball (8-8, 1-4 ACC) hosts SMU (12-4, 3-2 ACC) in a 9 p.m. tip at JPJ.
Virginia has lost three straight, all by double-digits, and lost at SMU, 63-51, earlier this season, back on Dec. 7, down in Dallas.
The Mustangs, since the December game, have blowout wins over two ACC bottom-feeders (Boston College, Georgia Tech) and blowout losses to Duke and UNC.
Forecast
- KenPom: SMU 70-66
- BartTorvik: SMU 68-65
- EvanMiya: SMU 72-66
- Haslametrics: SMU 72-63
- ESPN BPI: SMU +4.9
Pregame update
Dai Dai Ames is apparently out of the doghouse: Sanchez has him in the starting lineup.
First half
First media timeout: SMU 9, UVA 6, 14:11/1st
No offensive rebounds for either side, one SMU turnover (zero for UVA).
Virginia already has four midrange jumpers; SMU hasn’t attempted a midrange shot yet.
Second media timeout: UVA 10, SMU 9, 11:59/1st
Jacob Cofie is on the bench with two fouls. He was in for four minutes.
Dai Dai Ames has three makes (two layups, midrange FG).
SMU has two offensive rebounds. Neither amounted to anything.
Third media timeout: SMU 23, UVA 21, 4:24/1st
SMU now has five offensive rebounds (UVA D rebound percentage: 58.3 percent).
Virginia is hanging around because Elijah Saunders has hit two threes, and UVA is 3-of-11 from three (SMU: 1-of-9).
Half: SMU 27, UVA 25
My eyes hurt from watching that.
SMU shot 44.8 percent (13-of-29), but was 1-of-12 from three, 8-of-12 at the rim.
UVA shot 34.6 percent (9-of-26): 3-of-15 from three, 5-of-6 at the rim.
Turnovers: UVA 2, SMU 4.
Rebounds: SMU 22, UVA 12
UVA had a 70.6 defensive rebound percentage, which is … acceptable.
Second half
First media timeout: SMU 35, UVA 29, 15:43/2nd
Not much to report on here. The D is fine; the offense continues to regress.
The staff has no answers, apparently.
Second media timeout: SMU 37, UVA 33, 11:54/2nd
The score this half is 10-8 SMU. I’ve coached YMCA rec-league games that were more aesthetically pleasing than this.
I don’t know what to offer in terms of critical analysis.
There’s nothing to analyze.
Third media timeout: SMU 41, UVA 35, 7:56/2nd
This game is an affront to paying college athletes.
Timeout: Game tied at 45, 2:51/2nd
Ishan Sharma hit a three to tie it, after a Blake Buchanan blocked shot.
UVA on a 7-0 run in the last 1:30.
Final: SMU 54, UVA 52
Boopie Miller hit a pair of threes in the final 10 seconds, the second tickling the net with four-tenths of a second on the clock, to rally SMU from a five-point deficit in the final 31 seconds.
Taine Murray missed a pair of free throws with 7.3 seconds left with Virginia up 52-51 to leave the door open.
SMU coach Andy Enfield called a timeout to set up a play.
I can’t imagine that the play that he drew up was what they ended up getting.
Basically, they inbounded the ball to a big above the three-point line, he got it to Miller, and Miller dribbled to the right corner.
As he was falling out of bounds, he flung the ball toward the rim, it went in.
SMU (13-4, 4-2 ACC) hit three threes in the final 25 seconds after being held scoreless for 4:44.
In addition to the misses by Murray, Andrew Rohde missed the back end of a 1-and-1 with 1:44.
Make your free throws, and you win.
Miss them, and you’re 8-9, 1-5 in the ACC.
Share
Chris Graham
