Another slow start out of the gate – Ohio State led 17-6 six minutes in. Another night with turnovers being an issue: Virginia was outscored 16-4 in the points off TOs department.
I wouldn’t be surprised that, as I’m writing this, UVA Basketball coach Ryan Odom is telling the reporters in Nashville some version of, We haven’t played up to our potential yet this year.
Which is crazy for a team with a 22-3 record, but, it’s 100 percent spot on.
ICYMI
The 70-66 win over the Buckeyes on Saturday night was the sixth in a row, but in the process, the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament resume has actually taken a hit.
The average rating in the nine that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses as guides was at 17.5 after the 100-97 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 27; it’s at 18.2 after the win tonight.
Which, yeah, that’s weird; maybe you’re better off losing a couple of games, right?
I keep saying, these kinds of wins – having to fight off a guy, tonight, Bruce Thornton, who goes off; Thornton had 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting, though, notably, he had nothing in the final five minutes.
Ohio State (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten, NET: 40), in desperate need of a Quad 1 win, with the bracketologists agreeing that their resume is, at the moment, of the First or Next Four Out variety, came out of the locker room two times about as on point as you can be.
That 17-6 lead six minutes in was fueled by a 7-of-11 start from the field; in the second half, the Buckeyes started 10-of-16 from the field.
Would’ve been easy, either time, to throw in the towel, fold up the tent, warm up the bus.
Which isn’t what happened.
I know, I know, I’d enjoy a comfortable win at some point soon.
This isn’t the time of year for comfortable wins.
I think I ruined Thijs de Ridder
Back when the media release was sent out about Thijs de Ridder being named the ACC Player of the Week, back on Feb. 2, I wrote a piece looking at our guy’s NBA chances, which concluded: they’re not good.
His four games since: 8.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game (at least he’s still working the boards), 35.3 percent from the floor (12-of-34), 1-of-12 from three, 9-of-14 at the line.
Tonight: six points, 2-of-7 FG, 0-of-2 3FG, 2-of-3 FT, six boards.
TDR was Superman for the first three months of the season.
My article on him may have been his Kryptonite.
I need to reverse the mojo somehow.
Defense!
Ohio State went up 59-53 on a Thornton layup with 10:06 to go.
Over the next 9:33 of game time, the Buckeyes made just one shot from the floor, a Thornton jumper at the 5:08 mark that tied the game at 61.
It doesn’t feel right to call it a 13-2 run, because Virginia scoring 13 points in nine minutes isn’t exactly running wild.
Either way.
Left too many points at the free-throw line late
This game had no business being tight in the final seconds; Virginia left the door open at the line.
Chance Mallory missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:44 to go; that’s two points.
Dallin Hall was 1-of-2 with 41 seconds left; one point.
Sam Lewis was 1-of-2 with 31 seconds left: one point.
Lewis did make both ends with 12 seconds left.
Then Mallory missed the front end of a two-shot foul with 1.8 seconds left, and the margin still sitting at three.
Five points left off the scoreboard in the final 1:44 there.
No Hattie B’s for any of those guys on the flight home.
Speaking of the free-throw line
Ohio State attempted nine free throws.
Some of that could be, even though the Buckeyes had 15 shot attempts at the rim, and just 14 attempts from three, man, they shoot a lot of midrange jumpers.
Unofficially, I had them 3-of-15 in the midrange.
You’re not going to get sent to the line a lot on those shots.
Let me soapbox for a moment: midrange jumpers, bad, because they’re usually contested, thus, are lower-percentage shots, and if you make them, you only get two points.
Either get closer to the basket, for a higher-percentage shot or a foul, or kick it out to a shooter behind the line for a shot that can get you 2+1.
Tonight’s MVP
I’m going with Ugonna Onyenso, acknowledging that his plus-minus was -4.
He only got credit for +3 after subbing in at the 6:52 mark, with the score tied at 59.
One thing plus-minus doesn’t register: as Virginia struggled on the offensive end, Onyenso was busy preventing.
The seven-footer blocked three shots, including swatting away a Thornton paint jumper with 17 seconds left, Virginia up three.
And anyway, if the guards make their free throws, he’s back over the Mendoza Line on plus/minus.
Counting numbers for Onyenso on the night: eight points (2-of-5 FG, 4-of-7 FT), 10 rebounds, four blocks, 23 minutes.
This one makes it five straight games now in which Onyenso has gotten 50 percent-plus of the minutes at the five spot.
Over his past five, Onyenso is averaging 22.8 minutes per game – and 6.8 points (on 56.5 percent shooting), 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots.
The starter, Johann Grunloh, over the past five: 17.2 minutes per game, 5.2 points (on 47.1 percent shooting), 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocked shots.
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Chris Graham
