Game 2: UVA vs. Florida

CHARRLOTTE, NC- UVA (-0.5) VS. FLORIDA

The Commonwealth of Virginia was well represented in the Hall of Fame Series in Charlotte. UVA kicked things off with a battle against Florida, then the Hokies capped the night off against South Carolina. At the end of the night, UVA was the only team who TRULY represented the Commonwealth well though as they beat the Gators 73-70 and Virginia Tech fell just short against USC 79-77. Bummer!

Given that it is only game two of a thirty game season, I was very impressed with the Hoos on Friday night. I think we learned a lot more about what this team will look like, how Tony Bennett plans to attacked this season and who he intends to do that with. Seven guys played over 15 minutes, all of those guys scores six points or more, three of them scored double digits, and every single one of them had at least one assist. This team is learning how to play together very quickly and it is a beautiful thing to witness.

Play of The Game: Reece Beekman should be the favorite for Defensive Player of The Year. I became confident UVA was going to win this ball game when I saw Reece guarding Walter Clayton Jr. as the time was winding down. There was a zero percent chance Reece was going to give him even an inch of space.

Player of the Game: Blake Buchanan. The 6'11 true freshman is a BEAST, and according to Jon Rothstein, you better buy stock in him now.

18 points, 7 rebounds, and getting to the line 16 times. He was knock down from mid-range, and aggressive in the paint. There were a couple shots around the rim I thought he could have finished when he didn't, but Blake wishes the same. I couldn't help but smile when he missed a layup that he got fouled on and said "I need to finish those." He will be a key piece for UVA as the season progresses.

Areas for Improvement:

Rebounding.....Again: This is beginning to scare me a little! Florida has a very tall team their is no denying that, but UVA will continue to see teams this year as they enter conference play that will be bigger than them. They have to find a way to LIMIT the offensive boards they give up. Allowing 21 offensive rebounds is unacceptable, and Tony Bennett is well aware of that.

Free Throws...Again: I can't emphasize how big of a problem this is. 14-24 (58%) on Friday night and 24-39 (61.5%) in their first game. They are getting to the stripe a lot, which is great, but shooting below 60% will not get you very far once March comes around.

UVA is extremely talented there is no denying that. HOWEVER, losing the rebounding battle, and being a bad free throw shooting team will halt any chance of success. Luckily, it is very early in the season and I trust Tony Bennett to get a grip on these issues!

2-0. Go Hoos.

Next Game: Tuesday 11/14 vs. North Carolina A&T @ 7pm.