Virginia’s 69-52 win over Louisville was quite relaxing.
How?
First, the 17-point win was far from being that competitive.
Second, from about the midway point of the first half, you got that feeling this was going to be a snoozer for the Cavaliers.
And it was.
And, like Tony Bennett, I can always find that dark cloud on a sunny day to harp on.
And this is it: Enjoy Ryan Dunn while you can; Dunn, with authority, reminded you why he’s going to be first-round NBA Draft selection in a few months.
See how I did that?
A 17-point road win, Virginia’s fourth straight, and I find something to fret over.
I have a hunch I’m not the only one to think that way after watching Dunn’s highlight reel today against the Cardinals.
It wouldn’t be fair to not first point out how much the play of Jordan Minor has improved, and the return of Dante Harris has provided Reece Beekman with some much-needed help in the backcourt.
Today, Virginia got whatever it wanted offensively in the first half, and led by 28, 41-13 at intermission.
Now, before we brand the Cavaliers as offensive juggernauts ,consider this: UVA was the seventh straight opponent to drop 40 or more on U of L during the first 20 minutes of play.
Yes, this is a historically bad Louisville team.
Give the Cavaliers credit, though, they smelled blood in the water and attacked.
At least in the first half.
UVA shot 57.1 percent from the field, making four of its nine three-point attempts, and capitalized on 10 forced turnovers, scoring 14 points. Eight of those turnovers were off steals.
Hard to imagine this, but Louisville outscored Virginia by 11 in the second half, which you can attribute to boredom by the ‘Hoos.
Dunn led all scorers with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and had 11 rebounds. Dunn came close to achieving a double-double in the first half, totaling 12 points and eight rebounds.
Dunn was simply a one-man show Saturday; his 19 points were a career-high and included six thunderous slams.
Today, Dunn was more comfortable finding space, often slipping behind his defender for easy dunks.
Again, not to belabor the point, but this Louisville team is bad, historically bad. Often the Cardinals defense appeared simply inept.
Virginia found the way to turn the low energy of a noon tip to take care of business early, not allowing the Louisville crowd (such as there were a few people there, constituting a crowd) to ever get into the game.
The Cavaliers jumped out quick and never allowed the Cardinals to sniff at making it a game. Virginia led 11-0 in the first five minutes, and it was just a formality after that.
Dunn was the only Cavalier to reach double-figure scoring, but three other UVA players scored nine points, and 10 different Cavaliers scored in the game.
Beekman was Reece Beekman-like, scoring nine points with nine assists, five steals and a block.
Isaac McKneely and Jake Groves each made three three-pointers.
Give Virginia credit. On a day when bringing their A-game into the KFC Yum! Center wasn’t necessary, they did.
And that second half letdown? Boredom or not, it gives Bennett plenty to address.
And I’ll just fret over how we replace Dunn next season.
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