Tag: Virginia Basketball

UMBC’s Twitter feed rubbed it in with Virginia after Furman’s shocking March Madness upset

The Retrievers are probably the LAST team Virginia wanted to hear from.

It was a tough day at the office for the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team.

After starting their 2023 NCAA tournament run as a No. 4 seed in the South Region, Tony Bennett’s bunch blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost 68-67 to the Furman Paladins. With the Cavalier men missing last year’s tournament, the loss to potential NBA lottery pick Jalen Slawson and Co. is undoubtedly an even bigger disappointment.

One team that Virginia probably wanted to hear from the least after its defeat was UMBC. Five years ago to the day, the Retrievers pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the men’s NCAA tournament when they beat the No. 1 Cavaliers as a No. 16 seed.

So, the sassy UMBC Athletics Twitter account simply couldn’t help itself but rub in Virginia’s latest upset loss once it went final:

A GIF has never screamed, “it happened again, huh?” more than UMBC’s usage here. March 16th continues to be a notorious day in the calendar for Virginia men’s basketball.

Kevin Harlan’s call of Furman’s game-winning shot against Virginia is an instant classic

Kevin Harlan’s call of the Furman game winner against Virginia is INCREDIBLE.

Leave it to Kevin Harlan to give the perfect call for the game-winning shot of a March Madness upset.

As No. 13 seed Furman stunned No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the South Region in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Harlan couldn’t help but toss out an instantly iconic call of Furman sophomore guard JP Pegues’ incredible 3-pointer.

On the crucial sequence, Furman got a last-second steal, and Pegues was in perfect position to knock down the trey that gave the Paladins a 68-67 win over the Cavaliers.

It’s the kind of bracket-busting upset game that instantly anoints a Cinderella, especially if the team can make it out of the round of 32 this weekend.

Harlan’s call will give you goosebumps.

You can hear the pivotal Furman shot called beautifully by Paladins radio, too.

Harlan also underscored the upset victory with the right amount of gravitas with Furman’s win coming on its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 43 years.

Furman’s upset victory helped bettors hit the +5.5 spread, the 130.5 over and the +200 moneyline.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Pegues didn’t at all seem afraid in what was sure to be the biggest basketball moment of his career so far.

As for the Cavaliers, the loss highlights Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s struggles in the tournament. Even though Bennett led the Cavs to an NCAA championship in 2019, his team hasn’t fared quite as well in other seasons.

His Virginia teams have especially struggled with underdogs as of late.

No matter what, Pegues’ game-winning bucket and Harlan’s incredible call will mark what will certainly be a “One Shining Moment” highlight this year.

The special moment also demolished most of the 2023 bracket predictions.

Is Virginia’s Reece Beekman better when he goes without a t-shirt?

An in-depth and very serious investigation into Beekman’s stats with and without a tee in ACC play.

It was evident early in the ACC tournament quarterfinal between Virginia and North Carolina on Thursday night that Cavalier guard Reece Beekman was going to have himself a game. The 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year was in his bag early with three steals and eight points in the first 13 minutes of the game.

Beekman finished with a stat line that included 15 points, five assists, five steals and no turnovers, something that hasn’t been done in the ACC tournament since 1997.

For teammates like Jayden Gardner, it’s easy to tell when Beekman is going to have one of those games. “When he’s playing in the passing lanes and getting a lot of steals and dunking it, you know,” Gardner said after Virginia’s nine-point win over the Tar Heels.

“I know he’s going to cook every game,” first year shooter Isaac McKneely said with a smile as fellow freshman Ryan Dunn chimed in with a chorus of “Buckets. Just buckets.” from the locker next to him.

Beekman had a slightly different reasoning for his big performance. “It’s usually when I don’t wear an undershirt. That’s a key sign right there of a good game for me.”

After saying that in Virginia’s open locker room post game, fifth year Kihei Clark chimed in from a couple spots over. “You should do that more often.”

“My roommate Leon [Bond] was like, ‘I don’t think you should wear a shirt today,'” Beekman continued as he laughed. “I said, ‘Really?’ and just stuck with it.”

Based on some very in-depth research [read: skimming box scores and deep-diving into the team Instagram], Beekman might be overselling the tee-less performances. He wore no undershirt just four times in ACC play, and all on the road at Syracuse, Wake Forest, Florida State and Pitt. Virginia went 3-1 in those four games, with the lone loss coming at Pitt.

In those games, he went a combined 11-for-29 (38 percent) from the field, but 8-for-15 (53 percent) from three with 13 rebounds, 15 assists, four turnovers, one block and one steal. If you add in Thursday night’s performance, his shooting bumps up to 16-for-40 (40 percent) from the field and dips from three to a still solid 9-for-19 (47 percent) with 16 rebounds, 20 assists, four turnovers, one block and six steals.

So does he actually play better sans tee shirt? In the other 16 ACC games where he was burdened with sleeves, Beekman his stats per game for rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks are pretty comparable. His shooting from the field — 48-for-125 (38 percent) — is a hair below the average set in that five game sample, but his three-point shooting is a dismal 8-for-32 (25 percent) in ACC games where he covered his shoulders.

After conducting this VERY (not very) scientific research, it feels fair to say Beekman needs to let the arms breathe for the postseason if the Hoos want to see that three ball go through.

Virginia plays Clemson on Friday evening in the ACC tournament semifinals. The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

UNC’s title odds went from preseason best to life support after ACC quarterfinals loss

So much money was riding on the Tar Heels.

We’re almost a full year removed from North Carolina’s loss in the NCAA national title game, and just a few months removed from a preseason poll that gave the Tar Heels a fair shot to make it back.

UNC was ranked No. 1 in October’s AP poll and also tied for the best betting odds to win this year’s title at +1000. Bettors were believers, making UNC one of the most bet on teams to make a deep tourney run this season.

In a stunning twist that unfolded all season but was expected to turn around at some point, the Tar Heels are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament altogether after Thursday’s ACC quarterfinals loss. Their title odds are all the way down to +12500 at BetMGM.

After languishing through a 19-12 (11-9 ACC) regular season, North Carolina was already on the bubble entering the ACC Tournament. But with the talent from last year’s Final Four run still largely in place, no one put it past UNC to earn an automatic bid by winning the tournament.

So much for that.

The Tar Heels lost to No. 13 Virginia in the quarters, leaving their tourney hopes in the hands of the selection committee. With a 1-8 record in Quadrant 1 games, their chances to make the big dance and make good on all those bets are on life support.

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UNC struggles late and sees ACC Tournament run end to Virginia

The UNC basketball program struggles late and falls to Virginia, ending its ACC Tournament on Thursday.

It was another must-win game for the UNC basketball program on Thursday night against Virginia but the Tar Heels were unable to make key plays late, falling 68-59.

After a strong start, albeit low scoring, it was an 11-0 run by the Cavs late in the first half that led to a lead that would stay the rest of the game.

Despite just a one-point deficit going into halftime, Virginia scored on its first six possessions of the second half and would stretch the lead to six, where the lead would stay for the majority of the final 20 minutes.

Throughout the second half, UNC would find itself on mini runs to trim any deficit back to two possessions, but were rarely able to get down to one possession.

The entire night, it was RJ Davis leading the charge, finishing with a game-high 24 points and four 3s.

Time and time again, however, it was turnovers that halted any significant UNC run. On the night, Virginia outscored North Carolina 14-2 in points off turnovers and 11-2 in transition points.

Mental mistakes have cost the Tar Heels all season long and whether it was turnovers, missed free throws or mental lapses on defense causing an open look for the Cavs, Thursday night was just another example of that.

The Tar Heels got into the bonus at the 11:25 mark of the second half, but it was two missed free throws from D’Marco Dunn that caused UNC to go on a stretch of 6-of-10 from the line up until the 1:59 mark. At that point, it was just a two-point game.

North Carolina would miss its next six shots, seeing a two-point deficit turn into 11 with just 27 seconds remaining and ending the game.

Armando Bacot, who left the first half of Wednesday’s win over Boston College with an ankle injury before returning, struggling all night, clearly not 100 percent. He played just 21 minutes and finished with four points on 2-of-3 from the field and three rebounds.

Caleb Love had 11 points, all in the second half, but on 3-of-15 from the field.

The Tar Heels had no answer for Jayden Gardner in the second half as he had 13 of his team-high 17 points after halftime. Reece Beekman had 15 points, five assists, five steals and zero turnovers in 39 minutes.

UNC now has to wait and see what happens for the next three days until Selection Sunday. Coming into Friday, the Tar Heels were still among the ‘First Four out’.

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UVA’s cheap rebound on a game-ending heave was one of the most unbelievable bad beats

With 0.1 on the clock!

Bad beats come in many forms, some more anticipated than others. As for the one that happened at the buzzer of Virginia’s game against Clemson on Tuesday, nobody could have seen that coming.

That’s because it happened at the buzzer — only it wasn’t the typical bad beat on a game-winning shot.

This bad beat involved a player’s rebounding prop, suggested hours earlier by Action Network analyst Sean Koerner on the Green Dot Daily! show. He predicted Virginia forward Ben Vander Plas would fall under 6.5 rebounds.

That pick was right up until the final tenth of a second when Vander Plas caught rebound No. 7 on a pointless half-court heave by Clemson.

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Koerner and everyone who tailed him felt that one in the gut.

What makes it worst is Vander Plas didn’t need to catch it. The clock still would have struck zero before the ball hit the ground had he let it go. But no player is passing on that opportunity to pad the ol’ stat sheet, so he caught it over the shoulder like a receiver in the end zone — almost like he knew the stakes of the rebound.

Koerner called it one of his worst beats.

Yeah, it’s pretty hard to top that.

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Virginia beats Clemson, helps USC on the bubble

Clemson must win its next two games, and it might need to win three. #USC leads the Tigers by several spots on the bubble.

Not every bubble result is breaking USC’s way, but most bubble results are. Some bubble teams are playing their way into the NCAA Tournament field, such as Memphis, Boise State, and West Virginia. All three teams have won big games this week to solidify themselves in the field. However, many more bubble teams are failing to make the decisive move and win the tipping-point game which can put them in the bracket.

Another example emerged on Tuesday night as February came to an end. Clemson Wire has more details on this story.

The Clemson Tigers, viewed by many as a “First Four Out” team heading into Tuesday’s slate, lost 64-57 at Virginia. The Tigers have multiple atrocious losses on their resume and are outside the cut line for that reason. They really could have changed the equation by beating a Virginia team which is probably going to get a No. 4 seed for the NCAA Tournament, but they fell short.

Here’s the bubble outlook for Clemson: The Tigers have to beat Notre Dame at home this coming weekend, which they are very likely to do, and then win at least one game at next week’s ACC Tournament. That’s two wins Clemson must have. If the Tigers don’t win each of their next two games, they’re done and will go to the NIT. The real question is whether Clemson can get in with only two wins, or if it will need three (meaning a second win at the ACC Tournament).

USC fans will be watching this and other bubble storylines next week.

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Bettors suffer outrageously bad beats as controversial no-call forced Duke-Virginia overtime

Talk about some bad beats!

The Duke men’s basketball team landed one of the worst bad beats you’re likely to see anytime soon.

The Blue Devils’ 69-62 overtime loss to Virginia on Saturday cratered any hope for bettors that the team would hit on the moneyline (+215) and cover the spread (+6).

The overtime result also cashed the over (127.5), making anyone who bet on Duke or the under likely throw their phone at the wall. What’s even more maddening about the betting fiasco is how overtime came to be in the first place.

With the game tied at 58, Virginia’s Reece Beekman looked to have fouled Duke’s Kyle Filipowski as he was going up for a game-winning bucket with time expiring in regulation.

If the called foul would’ve stood, it would’ve sent Filipowski to the line for potential game-icing free throws.

However, because the referees reviewed the play and determined the foul actually happened after the buzzer, they overturned the call. That controversial decision put the game into overtime.

Wow, talk about a bad beat for the ages. The refs wiping away the foul gave Virginia a new lease on the game and put Duke betters in a bind.

While the Blue Devils still could’ve won in overtime, Duke fans would argue the game shouldn’t have gone there if Filipowski had hit at least one of his free throws. Such is life, and such is betting.

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Virginia basketball coaches sport hand-painted sneakers in support of Shoes for Hope

There were some special shoes on the sidelines in Charlottesville on Saturday.

If you saw the Virginia sidelines at the men’s basketball against Boston College on Saturday afternoon, you may have noted something unusual. The coaching staff for the No. 7 Cavaliers all sported sneakers and suits for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer partnership between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society.

This year, the sneakers for Virginia were extra special. Fourth-year pre-med student Ben Harold spearheaded Shoes for Hope, an initiative that had young cancer patients at UVA’s hospital hand paint pairs of Nike Air Force Ones. Members of Virginia’s team and coaching staff — along with the Virginia women’s basketball team — joined the event. The coaches then donned the special pairs for Saturday’s game against the Eagles.

“The honor the children, the patients who are battling cancer. They decorated all the coaches’ shoes,” Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said of the sneakers. “We sat with them [the families and patients] … and it was was really powerful to have them come together. It was good for the families and to see this take off.”

The game-worn sneakers will now be auctioned off to raise money to support cancer research.

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It’s time to buy stock in Virginia men’s basketball (again)

Don’t look now, but the Hoos are surging.

Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers are back.

After a one-year absence from the NCAA tournament, the Hoos are in peak form on the hardcourt. Virginia traveled to the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas over the weekend and emerged with victories over then-No. 5 Baylor and then-No. 19 Illinois to claim the title belt.

No, really, it was a literal title belt.

The enormity of the victories cannot be overstated, not just because the impact they’ll have on the season, but because the Cavaliers played with heavy hearts following the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of three Virginia football players — Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry — the night of November 13.

Bennett returned all five of his starters from the 2021-22 squad and added grad transfer Ben Vander Plas (Ohio) and a top-notch recruiting class that ranked No. 14 nationally. The early returns for the Wahoos are encouraging.

Beyond the arc — where Virginia struggled immensely last season — the No. 5 Cavaliers are off to a blistering pace. Through four games, UVA is shooting 46.9%. That’s good for second in the nation, per KenPom. Five players for the Hoos have attempted at least 12 threes this season, and they’re all shooting between 46% and 50% from deep. Armaan Franklin, who finished last season with a 30% mark beyond the arc, is 10-for-22 early (46%).

The improved shooting from outside has done wonders in the paint, opening up more driving lanes for bigs like Kadin Shedrick, Jayden Gardner and Vander Plas. It’s also allowed the Cavaliers to drive the lane and, as a result, draw more free throws. Virginia is currently third nationally in free throw rate — one of Ken Pomeroy’s Four Factors — which “…captures a team’s ability to get to the free throw line.” For reference, Virginia’s best mark in that stat in the last five seasons was 279th in 2019 (when they won the National Championship).

Defensively, the Cavaliers might have the nation’s best on-ball defender in Reece Beekman. One game after Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. went off for 29 points, 10 rebounds and two turnovers against UCLA, the potential All-American put up a paltry nine points with six turnovers and five fouls. The difference? Beekman. The third year guard was getting it done on both ends of the court, too.

Beekman’s emergence means good things for Virginia all over the court. He’s got excellent court vision — Beekman has an assist rate of 42.6%, good for 17th best in the nation — and dished 10 assists against Baylor for a points-assist double-double. He’s not the only one sharing the ball well. The Cavaliers are fourth in overall offensive efficiency and are assisting 72.6% of their made buckets (good for 5th nationally). For comparison, No. 1 North Carolina is 336th with a 39.3% assist rate.

All of this is to say … Virginia is back. They are back to a defensive level that will annoy all of their opponents with individual players who are impactful. Offensively — although early — they’re hitting shots better than they have in recent years while having a lineup that offers depth and variety. It’s a mix of youth — first years Isaac McKneely and Ryan Dunn have high ceilings — and experience (yes, Kihei Clark is still playing).

You can still get great odds on the Hoos for both winning the national championship and taking the ACC. North Carolina has shorter odds to win the conference, but this is the perfect time to get really great value on a team with (seemingly) all the pieces needed to contend for a title.

The Cavaliers are passing the eye test early, have a champion-caliber head coach in Bennett and look to be ready to stay in the top-15 of both offensive and defensive efficiency. If you can jump on those +2000 odds to win the title, you have to do it.

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