Kihei Clark made a floater at the end of the first half to stretch Virginia’s lead to five. Try as Boston College might, the Eagles couldn’t break through that five-point barrier in the second half. Virginia held its opponent at arm’s length and cruised to a 67-55 victory.
With the win, Virginia improved to 7-5 in the ACC and 13-9 overall. The Hoos will look to their game against Miami on Saturday as a chance to win two in a row for the first time in a month. With Virginia in the toughest part of its schedule, every win is critical.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
This is a team of passers
Virginia has the 23rd-highest Assist/FG Made ratio in the country, according to KenPom. The Hoos assist on 60% of their made field goals. Any basketball coach will tell you they prefer assisted buckets over solo buckets.
But while this stat should be considered good for Virginia, it’s also indicative of a problem. Virginia doesn’t have enough playmakers. That was glaringly obvious in the first half, where 6 of Virginia’s 10 field goals were assisted. The only guys on this team who can create their own shot are Jayden Gardner, Armaan Franklin and Kihei Clark.
Of those three, Gardner has been the only reliable option. When the Hoos struggle, their strategy becomes predicated on throwing the ball to Gardner. But he’s struggled shooting the ball at times. Against Boston College, he scored 17 points but only went 5-13 from the field.
Franklin played well, scoring 14 points, but it’s Clark that is the most enigmatic of the three. It took him over 15 minutes to attempt a shot, and he scored just 5 points in the opening period. The second half was a different story. Clark scored 14 points in the second half, attacking the rim and going a perfect 10-10 from the foul line.
It is when Clark embraces his more aggressive side when this team is at its best. Like the rest of the team, Clark is a great passer, but sometimes he needs to function primarily as a scorer.
Shedrick makes a big step
Kadin Shedrick has long been lauded as a player of considerable potential. It’s been visible in spurts this season, but never more so than in his performance against Boston College.
Shedrick’s 13 points were a career high. They came alongside a solid 8 rebounds, 4 of which were on the offensive end. The big man displayed his versatility in the win; he seems to be working on adding a jump shot to his existing repertoire of post moves.
Most importantly, Shedrick managed to stay out of foul trouble. He has an unfortunate tendency to accumulate stupid fouls (20+ feet from the basket) that limit his playing time. By only committing two fouls he was able to play 31 minutes. That, and the impressive offense, are good signs for Shedrick’s future.
Defense was better
Virginia jumped a few spots on the KenPom defensive efficiency rankings by holding Boston College to 55 points. The Hoos are still outside the top 100, a testament to their poor overall defensive play this season, but this was a step in the right direction.
Boston College scored just 0.948 points per possession. Virginia allowed just a few easy baskets after a couple of early defensive breakdowns. Plus, the Eagles had a pair of end-of-the-shot-clock prayers that were answered and added six points. But for those, Virginia might have held its opponent to less than 50 points.
More of the same will be required going forward, especially if Virginia is to keep pace with high-flying Miami and Duke in its next two games. Doing so will be a tough task for a team still figuring itself out, even three months into the season.
Virginia is back in action at home against Miami on Saturday. The game will air at 5 pm on ACCN.
Image – Virginia Athletics
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Great infi
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