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A spirited Virginia comeback fell just short, and the Hoos lost 69-65 to Notre Dame. The Virginia deficit was as large as 15 points midway through the second half. It was cut to four with three minutes remaining, but Notre Dame made its free throws and Virginia fell narrowly.

Virginia’s last eight games have gone as follows: win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss. Tony Bennett’s squad has sunken into a frustrating rhythm, unable to string two wins together. The back-and-forth record screams “mediocre,” and that word is a pretty good descriptor for this team. 

Here are three takeaways.

Three-point shooting the difference

Virginia is entrenched in a perpetual struggle from beyond the arc. Against Notre Dame, the Hoos went 3-14 on threes and saw their opponent go 10-23. The three-point disparity has been massive all season, and is the main source of Virginia’s woes.

In this game, it was not so much bad defense as it was Notre Dame doing what it does best. The Irish shoot 41% from deep in conference play, and make over 10 triples per game. Virginia failed to cash in on most of its open looks on the offensive end, but then again, that’s not exactly news.

The ACC Tournament will be held in Brooklyn this year. Joe Harris plays for the Brooklyn Nets. If Virginia’s going to have a shot at winning the tournament, they might need to get Harris in uniform.

The fight was there

The 15-point almost-comeback was one thing, but how about the rebounding margin? Virginia out-rebounded Notre Dame 39-26, and pulled down a shocking 12 offensive boards.

Rebounding has not been Virginia’s strong suit this season. It’s been quite the opposite, in fact. Virginia gives up the 237th-best offensive rebounding percentage in the country, according to KenPom. That basically means the Hoos are the 237th-best defensive rebounding team. 

You wouldn’t have known that from watching the Notre Dame game. The Hoos showed fight as they clawed their way back into the game and fended off a taller Irish team on the glass. 

This team can be elite… next year

Talking about next season when there are still two months left in this one is something I generally try to avoid. But it’s becoming increasingly obvious that next year’s Virginia team has buckets of potential.

There are still a couple questions for next year, the most obvious being the uncertainty as to who will return. Kihei Clark and Jayden Gardner are both fourth-years, but the NCAA extended eligibility because of the COVID season, so both have the option to return for another year.

Gardner’s choice is going to draw the most attention. He put Virginia on his strong shoulders against Notre Dame, recording a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The team’s potential will take a leap if he elects to come back to Charlottesville.

But beyond the decisions Gardner and Clark will face in the offseason, there are a couple other players on this roster who look poised to break out next year. First is Reece Beekman, who had another productive night against the Irish, scoring 13 points and hitting one of Virginia’s three threes. His shooting has improved in leaps and bounds, and against Notre Dame he showed his explosiveness on a powerful drive to the rack.

There’s also Kadin Shedrick, whose lax defense has deservedly drawn some ire from Virginia fans. Offensively, though, he and Francisco Caffaro have been solid this season, and both should improve even more by next season.

And this is all to say nothing of Virginia’s stacked incoming recruiting class, ranked 10th nationally and second in the ACC by 247.

So as the Hoos meander through the rest of this season, likely on their way to the NIT, remember that better days lie ahead.

Virginia is back in action on Tuesday, with a home game against Boston College.

Image – Virginia Athletics

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