UVA Basketball fans will see two familiar faces on the visitor sidelines on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) with Maryland, a former hated ACC foe, in town.
Elijah Saunders was the second-leading scorer on last year’s team, the final one of the Tony Bennett era – the season coached by Ron Sanchez after Bennett bailed before the season.
The other familiar face: Buzz Williams, Latin for: he who sweats a lot.
Live coverage from the home office: #TeamAFP is on the shelf for this one with a viral bug.
Game Coverage
Update: Virginia 7-0, 15:27/1st
Maryland is missing its leading scorer, Pharrel Payne, who is out with a knee injury suffered in the Michigan game a week ago.
It’s going to be a tough sled for the Terps without him.
Update: Virginia 7-5, 11:22/1st
Virginia is 3-of-16 from the floor, has missed its last nine shots, hasn’t scored for 4:16.
Update: Maryland 14-11, 7:04/1st
Virginia is 4-of-19 from the floor, with one make in the last 8:30.
Shooting: 1-of-6 from three, 3-of-8 at the rim.
Maryland is overplaying the passing lanes.
Virginia was getting open looks early and just missing them.
Now: not even getting open looks. The perimeter guys have given up on the jumpers and are trying to force their way into the lane, with no success.
Update: Maryland 19-13, 3:29/1st
I mean, this is utter lack of cohesion, no response from the coaching staff to try to get guys into any kind of structured sets on offense.
They’re fortunate to be down six.
Maryland should be up 20.
Virginia is 5-of-27 from the floor.
Maryland has nine offensive rebounds, and is getting every loose ball.
This is a program fail right now.
Half: Virginia 24-19
Virginia closed on a 13-0 run in the final 3:42.
The ‘Hoos were 9-of-33 from the floor, but made five of their last seven – with second-chance buckets on the two misses.
After going roughly 12 minutes with little semblance of offense, they got back to the middle third action that spread the floor and created lanes for drives and kickouts.
It says something about the defense from this team that it was enough to keep them in it while starting 4-of-26 from the floor.
Maryland was 5-of-24 for the half with 10 turnovers on 27 possessions.
Update: Game tied at 33, 15:56/2nd
Virginia scored the first four points of the second half. Buzz Williams called a TO, and gave the game to his point guard, David Coit, who has eight points, on two threes and a layup, and an assist for another three.
Maryland is on a 14-5 run to tie the game.
Update: Virginia 40-35, 12:46/2nd
Quick 7-2 fun fueled by defense and rebounding.
Update: Virginia 43-37, 11:57/2nd
Jacari White has entered the chat: back-to-back threes.
Chance Mallory has left the game and left courtside with an ankle injury.
Update: Virginia 57-47, 6:47/2nd
It’s an uneasy 10-point lead. Maryland is still hanging around, and give them credit, they’re playing tough.
Not necessarily smart, but tough.
Dallin Hall has 12 points on 6-of-6 FG with four assists in 18 minutes.
Mallory returned; he hasn’t scored, but has six assists, five steals and four rebounds.
Update: Virginia 68-54, 3:55/2nd
Dallon Hall has 19, Jacari White has 15: Hall has 17 in the second half; White has 12 in the second half.
Hard to remember that this team was 4-of-26 from the floor at one point.
Since: 22-of-36.
Final: Virginia 80, Maryland 72
Recap to follow.
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Chris Graham
