#6 Virginia, two days after blitzing preseason #12 Arkansas in DC, faces Bucknell, from the Patriot League, in an ACC Basketball After Dark edition of UVA Hoops.
Bucknell (0-2) lost its opener at Maryland on Nov. 2, 96-67, and lost at home to ODU on Saturday, 82-62.
The Bison, playing for fourth-year coach John Griffin (42-59), are undersized – the starting lineup goes 5’10”, 6’3”, 6’5”, 6’5” and 6’8”.
The starting point guard, 5’10” junior Jayden Williams, was overmatched in the first two – averaging just 6.5 points per game, with one assist and nine turnovers across the two games.
The team’s leading scorer is 6’5” three guard Aleksander Pachucki (17.0 ppg, 5.0 made threes per game, on 47.6% shooting from three).
Pachucki was 7-of-11 from three in the loss at Maryland last week.
You’ll also want to watch out for 6’7” four man Luca Soroa Schaller (12.0 ppg, 3.5 assists/g, 2.5 steals/g), who shoots 46.2% from three, on 6.5 attempts per game.
Computers
- KenPom: Virginia 92-57
- BartTorvik: Virginia 96-55
- ESPN BPI: Virginia +30.5
Pregame
Update: 8:26 p.m. What I’m hoping we see
Most important: we don’t see any of the starters getting 30 minutes.
Ideally, we get double-digit minutes from not only Elijah Gertrude and Kalu Anya off the bench, but also the likes of Martin Carrere, Jurian Dixon, Christian Harmon and Jan Vide.
Those guys aren’t going to be useful if we can’t get them minutes in games like this one.
It would be nice if we could get Favour Ibe and maybe even (fingers crossed!) Silas Barksdale some minutes before garbage time.
Game coverage
Update: 9:13 p.m. Fast start
Virginia leads 14-3 at the first media timeout.
The Bucknell team didn’t travel here until today – got off the bus after a five-hour drive and hit the floor for shootaround.
That’s life on the other side of the buy game.
Good news: they are staying the night, at least, before shoving off for Central PA in the morning.
Update: 9:21 p.m. Bench!
Love seeing Ryan Odom go early to the bench guys: Anya, Carrere, Gertrude and Vide have all checked in.
Carrere has a three, Vide a floater in the lane, and Anya a steal and two free throws coming after the break.
Update: 9:34 p.m. Bucknell getting some good offense
Bucknell has made three of its last four from three. Doing a good job spreading the floor and moving the ball.
You’re not going to run good offense against this Virginia team pounding the ball into the floor.
Easier said than done.
Update: 9:43 p.m. Bucknell is having success with tempo
These are things for the Virginia side to work on, but …
The Bucknell side is getting decent offense by getting the ball up the court quickly and then moving it side to side.
Virginia is making them work, but Bucknell is six of its last nine from the floor in the last 6:03.
Update: 9:54 p.m. Virginia goes into the break up 53-31
Odom won’t be happy with the defense in the last 10 minutes: Bucknell made eight of its last 15, six of 13 from three.
A little lazy on the closeouts.
The offense was solid: 53 points, 56.8 percent shooting, 7-of-16 from three, 13-of-18 at the rim, 1.559 points per possession.
The tempo was 34 possessions, so, a 68 pace.
Top players
- Chance Mallory: 13 points, 5-of-6 FG, 3-of-4 3FG, 0-of-2 FT, six assists/three turnovers
- Johann Grunloh: 10 points, 4-of-6 FG, 2-of-4 FT, eight rebounds, two blocked shots, two assists
- Thijs de Ridder: nine points, 4-of-7 FG, 1-of-2 3FG, five rebounds, four steals, three assists
Minutes distribution
- Backcourt: Chance Mallory 14, Sam Lewis 14, Nolan Adekunle 11
Martin Carrere 8, Elijah Gertrude 7, Jan Vide 6, Jurian Dixon 4 - Frontcourt: Johann Grunloh 16, Thijs de Ridder 13
Kalu Anya 6 - MIA: Christian Harmon, Favour Ibe, Silas Barksdale
Update: 10:22 p.m. Media timeouts, after dark
Bucknell called a TO to try to stop a run, right before the under-16 media timeout, so now we’re getting back-to-back long media breaks.
I can only imagine what ACCN is running in terms of TV spots in between.
Probably some doomsday prepper stuff, along with something promoting that little stepper thing for old people.
(The one guy in the commercial is 52. He oughta be embarrassed.)
Update: 10:34 p.m. Fans heading for the exits
Virginia opened the first half on a 28-5 run.
The second half starts with a 21-7 UVA run.
The lead is at 36, 74-38.
Probably time to get Grunloh, de Ridder and Mallory to the showers.
Update: 10:44 p.m. Garbage time
Looks like Christian Harmon is about to check in, and Favour Ibe has been in for two minutes, so …
Update: 10:47 p.m. Correction
It was Silas Barksdale, not Harmon, checking in.
Update: 11:03 p.m. Why play these games?
Live reps for your ones for 20-25 minutes, then good reps for your twos, a chance to develop depth.
I don’t know what Bucknell gets out of it, aside from the small paycheck and the bus ride to and fro.
I sure as heck don’t understand the 9 p.m. start time.
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Chris Graham
