Three takeaways from Virginia’s spirited victory over Michigan

Jayden Gardner’s vaunted midrange jumper was broken. Dysfunctional. Ailing. 

Then, with the game teetering in the balance, it shuddered back to life. 

Gardner caught the ball on the right elbow, flowed swiftly into that familiar motion, released. Silence descended on the Crisler Center as the ball approached the rim, silence as 12,200 people drew a collective breath. 

Gardner was already backpedaling. 

He knew it was in. He knew he had delivered Virginia two vital points with 40 seconds to play, propelling the Hoos to a lead they would never relinquish in a 70-68 road victory over Michigan.

But there were still some free throws to make and some defense to play. Reece Beekman, he of the injured ankle and the indomitable competitive spirit, made a massive steal to foil Michigan’s attempt to retake the lead. Then Beekman and Gardner combined to thwart Jett Howard’s attempt at a winning three.

The game’s enduring image will be Gardner dancing away, a cheeky grin splitting his face, skipping back toward the Virginia bench. Behind him, Michigan fans stood frozen, hands on heads, booing incredulously.

The Big Blue faithful couldn’t believe they’d lost. Understandable. When you think about the hurdles thrown in Virginia’s way, the entire affair assumes a sheen of absurdity. There was the 11-point halftime deficit, the injured ankle, the bloody face. 

But, yep, Virginia did that. Virginia played its first true road game of the season on a night when its opponent executed flawless first-half basketball and received lenient second-half officiating—and the Hoos won.

Here are three takeaways.

Reece Beekman ascends the throne

This is Beekman’s team. He destroyed any doubt about that when he dropped 15 points in the first half, slicing through Michigan’s soft defense and finishing at the rim with aplomb. The Wolverines stepped out to protect the three-point line, and that gave Beekman and Kihei Clark space to get to the rim.

Beekman punctuated the dominant first-half display with a vicious two-handed slam, hammering the ball home as two Michigan defenders closed on him like double doors slamming shut. 

But, early in the second half, something happened. An ankle tweak. Beekman limped to the bench, into the hands of trainer Ethan Saliba. The roll of tape came out, winding around Beekman’s ankle, and teeth clenched in fear across the fanbase. 

He stepped back onto the court, ankle wrapped, first step diminished, short of full capacity. But he played 18 second-half minutes, even with the crutch. Of course he did. This is his team.

Beekman only shot three times in the second half, though he made 4 assists. His biggest play, though, came late, after Gardner’s bucket. Virginia led, 30 seconds remained, Michigan had the ball with a chance to win.

But there came Beekman, flashing forward to intercept a pass, poking the ball away, surging ahead, getting fouled from behind. Game.

His team.

The rotation tightens—slightly

Depth, came the shout. Depth, we hollered with glee. Depth—this Virginia team appeared to own it in abundance.

The rotation appeared nine deep early on, and when Virginia went to Las Vegas to play Baylor and Illinois, that held up. 

This game said otherwise.

Francisco Caffaro played 4 minutes, committed 3 fouls, made 1 turnover and missed his only shot. Ryan Dunn played 5 minutes and made 1 rebound. Isaac McKneely played 10 shaky minutes, made 1 turnover and missed his only shot. 

The trio played underwhelming basketball, and Tony Bennett cut their minutes accordingly. Neither of the three has been impressive of late. Each will continue to play, and each will improve, but for now Virginia appears to have a fairly narrow rotation.

Dunn and McKneely, of course, will blossom as their first year progresses. But, for now, the rotation is tighter than the early-season mirage suggested.

A great win, but let’s contextualize

Twitter’s usual offering of gloating post-win tweets revealed a troubling misconception. Fans lauded Virginia for beating Michigan, “a great team.”

Um, no. 

Michigan is a good team, yes, one that on Tuesday night played its best game to date. Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard are fabulous. The Wolverines shot incredibly in the first half. 

But let’s not mistake a good performance for a great team. 

Before Tuesday, Michigan had done nothing remotely impressive this season. Their most impressive wins came against Eastern Michigan and Pittsburgh. They lost by 25 to Arizona State. Not exactly inspiring. 

The Wolverines cruised through the first half but stumbled through the second. Part of it was Bennett’s halftime adjustments and Virginia clicking into gear. But part of it was Michigan wilting, regressing to its previous form.

This is not to diminish Virginia’s achievement. A 30-point blowout would have been less stirring, less impressive, less confidence-boosting.

The close victory spoke volumes about Virginia’s mettle. 

Virginia next plays on Saturday at 2 p.m. at JPJ against Florida State. The game will air on ESPN2.

Image – Virginia Athletics