Some games, you need the kind of guys that Darion Atkins, former UVA Basketball great, still doing well for himself in a pro league in Israel, says can go out and win a d**k-swinging contest.
That’s what the game down in Dallas against SMU on Saturday was.
The D swingers in the rugged 72-68 road win:
- Malik Thomas, who had 23 points, six makes from three, and a career-high 11 rebounds.
- Thijs de Ridder, who had 17 points, seven in the final 2:33.
- Devin Tillis, with 11 points, including three made threes, after putting up back-to-back-to-back goose eggs.
- Dallin Hall, who didn’t score, missed all eight of his shots, all of them threes, but had nine assists, one turnover, and was the key guy in the effort toward holding Boopie Miller to 12 points, eight under his season average.
ICYMI
That game was an MMA fight masquerading as college basketball.
The zebras only called 29 fouls in a game that featured 62 shots in the paint and 28 offensive rebounds.
The crew – Ron Groover (KenPom: #3), Jeffrey Clark (Ken Pom: #76) and Chase Shaw (KenPom: #94) – called the game like they were double-parked and had a plane to catch.
OT at Bristol Motor Speedway doesn’t have as much contact as we saw today, and the two teams combined for 26 free-throw attempts – and Virginia had just six in the first 37 minutes, before finally getting to the line late.
The biggest lead for both sides was seven points; there were five ties and 13 lead changes.
SMU reversed the final seven-point margin of the early afternoon with a 9-0 run over a 2:18 stretch that put the Mustangs (13-5, 2-3 ACC) up 52-50 with 13:09 to go.
From there, the biggest margin was the final one, which came with a pair of made free throws from de Ridder with 10 seconds left.
The TV crew kept making the feel of the game out to be NCAA Tournament-quality.
I hate to say anything nice about Jim Boeheim, but Boeheim and the other guy, Jay Alter, a Syracuse grad, had it right.
Player notes
- The centers: Johann Grunloh only had two points on 1-of-5 shooting, but he had seven rebounds and a blocked shot, and a +9 rating. Ugonna Onyenso had nine points (4-of-5 FG, 1-of-1 3FG), two boards and a blocked shot in 18 minutes.
- Quiet days for the other guards: Sam Lewis had four points (2-of-6 FG in 23 minutes); Chance Mallory had three points (1-of-3 FG, 1-of-2 FT) and four assists in 23 minutes; and Jacari White had three points (1-of-1 3FG) in eight minutes.
Team stats
Shooting
Virginia: 25-of-60 FG, 12-of-31 3FG
SMU: 26-of-61 FG, 5-of-13 3FG
Rebound rates
Offense
Virginia: 44.4% (16-of-36)
SMU: 33.3% (12-of-36)
Defense
Virginia: 66.7% (24-of-36)
SMU: 55.6% (20-of-36)
Shooting zones
Paint
Virginia: 12-of-25
SMU: 16-of-37
Midrange
Virginia: 1-of-4
SMU: 5-of-11
Three
Virginia: 12-of-31
SMU: 5-of-13
Free throws
Virginia: 10-of-12
SMU: 11-of-14
Odom Ball
Points off turnovers: Virginia +3 (Virginia 11-8)
Second-chance points: Virginia +8 (Virginia 22-14)
Points in the paint: Virginia -86 (SMU 32-24)
Points from threes: Virginia +21 (Virginia 36-15)
Free throws: Virginia -1 (SMU 11-10)
Video: Virginia-SMU broadcast highlights
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Chris Graham
