Memphis 77, Virginia 54. And yes, it was that ugly.
How ugly?
It was 13-1 before I could figure out how to adjust the sound on my new giant television.
The game was uglier than the court at the FedEx Forum, and that was downright ugly.
Memphis is now 2-0 in ACC play, having ending Clemson’s nine-game winning streak Saturday night.
I could go into the X’s and the O’s and how this game jumped the tracks on UVA, but if you feel that need, just pull up the statistics.
They don’t lie.
But the bottom line is that Memphis appears to have figured out this thing called the transfer portal quite well.
Earlier this season, it was said that the transfer portal played right into Virginia’s coach Tony Bennett’s wheelhouse.
I reserve judgement on that statement.
But for now, let’s take a deeper look at the roster that Memphis sixth-year coach Penny Hardaway has assembled.
David Jones was a huge problem for the Cavaliers, one they never figured out.
Jones, a transfer from DePaul, entered the game scoring just a tick over 20 points a game. On Tuesday, Jones had 26 points, hitting 8-of-15 shots from the floor. As hard as UVA tried to contain Jones, they couldn’t.
On one move to the basket that resulted in a score, all Bennett could do was throw his hands up and shake his head.
Oh, in that 13-1 run to open the game, Jones scored five, and then later scored seven points in less than two minutes to turn back a mini-Cavalier run.
Again, Bennett appeared perplexed.
Did I mention Jones was an addition from the transfer portal?
At DePaul last season, Jones averaged 13.2 points and seven rebounds a game. He was a talented player on a horrible Blue Demon team. So far this year, he is the engine that makes the Tigers run.
But Hardaway didn’t stop with Jones, he gave him plenty of support.
Jaykwon Walton came to Memphis via Wichita State, where he was a star. Walton led the Shockers in scoring with a 13.9-point average, while pulling down six rebounds a game.
Walton had been out of the Tigers starting lineup for the past three games, but on Tuesday, Hardaway inserted Walton back into the starting five.
Against Virginia, while his numbers didn’t jump out – six points, five rebounds, two steals – he just bothered the UVA offense.
Wait, there’s more.
Caleb Mills, a transfer from Florida State, had 11 points, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Mills, who also played for Houston, led the Seminoles in assists.
Jahvon Quinerly, who had nine points in the Tigers win, came to Memphis from Alabama. While a Crimson Tide he was the SEC’s sixth-man of the year award winner and made the SEC All-Tourney team in 2021 and 2023.
And to top this off, Memphis’s most decorated transfer will be an in-season transfer.
Oh yes, if you don’t like the transfer portal, you certainly will not like the possibility of a player transferring in-season.
Just two hours before tipoff, Memphis announced the addition of mid-season Kansas State transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin.
Tomlin will be immediately eligible once his graduation from K-State is received.
The 6’10” power forward is eligible because he had not played for the Wildcats this season.
Seems he had been suspended from Kansas State due to a scuffle at a bar that led to his arrest in October.
Huh?
It had to be a misunderstanding, right?
If you bothered to watch the NCAA tourney after Virginia’s early exit last season, then you might have seen Tomlin knocking down some impressive threes.
Not to rub salt in the wound, but so far, the Virginia roster management, aka the transfer portal, is at best, a huge question mark; at worst, it’s a disaster.
OK, some may say the sample size is too small to make that assumption. But after next week’s cupcake, Morgan State, is devoured, things will get a lot tougher.
St. Thomas transfer Andrew Rohde has now recorded back-to-back goose eggs in the scoring column. We’ve been told he was dealing with an injury over the exam break, but the fact remains he is in the starting rotation and is delivering nothing.
Not to ever second-guess Tony Bennett, but if Rohde is not healthy, should he play, or be playing the number of minutes he has the past two games?
So far this season, Rohde has been difficult to evaluate. At times, he has made some nice passes and has demonstrated that he understands the Pack Line defense. But he’s been turnover-prone, and his shot has been erratic.
Merrimack transfer Jordan Minor has likely seen the last of meaningful playing time. He is simply too slow and appears to be overmatched defending larger players. Minor was brought to UVA to mix it up in the paint, and he has not delivered. Unfortunately, he needs minutes, which just don’t appear to be there now.
Jake Groves has looked promising at times; against Memphis, the Oklahoma transfer had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. His three early in the game helped Virginia erase some of the early 13-1 deficit.
There’s no doubt Virginia has talent, but they are young, averaging 19 years old, compared to Memphis, whose roster is an average of 23. There are plenty of NBA players younger than 23.
What UVA’s youthfulness means is that the defense is not experienced enough to fully execute what Bennett expects. They lack a defensive identity at this point in the season.
Ball-handling with a burst is not there. Hopefully when Dante Harris returns from the ankle injury, he may be a difference.
Aside from Reece Beekman, no player has stepped up to provide UVA additional leadership.
Unlike the NBA, there’s no in-season trading allowed, so this group must figure it out on their own.
The ACC is a complete mess, so the opportunities are there for the Cavaliers to learn and win with on-the-job training.
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