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 SabreMail - Nov. 11, 2013 |
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O-Boards Play Role In Opening Win The Virginia men's basketball team opened its season with a 61-41 victory over JMU on Friday. With plenty of storylines to go around, one big piece of the puzzle proved to be offensive rebounding. The Cavaliers snared 14 offensive rebounds and that led to 10 second-chance points. Madison had just 2 O-Boards and 0 second chance points.With an advantage on the front line, the disparity wasn't too surprising but it could be a sign of things to come. Coach Tony Bennett had mentioned frequently in the offseason months that free throws and offensive rebounds are one way to maximize possessions and score more points. In the opening game, there appeared to be a more concerted effort to send players to the offensive glass. Instead of dropping 3.5 to 4 players back in transition defense, the Hoos appeared to be comfortable sending 2 players to the backboard and dropping 3 on D. The results were positive in that UVa grabbed 14 O-Boards on 35 missed shots, an offensive rebounding percentage of 28.1%. It is an incredibly small sample size obviously with just one game in the books, but that rate would be the highest of the Bennett era (27.4%, 24.6%, 25.0%, 26.3% in order his first four seasons). Darion Atkins led the Hoos with 4 offensive rebounds, while Mike Tobey added 3. "[Darion] really got some nice offensive rebounds. That is one of our strengths when you look at those four guys that I'm playing in those front-court spots," Bennett said. "They're all different, but three of them are very lively and aggressive and Mike's got the size and goes to the offensive glass. If you're not going to be a light's out shooting team, if you're going at times look a little rugged and crude, well get on the glass and get second-chance points. ... That's important for us and I think we'll have to do it. When I talked to you guys before, if we can get to the line more - hopefully make more - and get some more offensive rebounds, that's an important stat for us. I think our team is better and more improved at that. That's going to be tested as we go, but that's a way to offset poor shooting or shaky offense at times." It will be interesting to see what the offensive rebounding percentage numbers look like over the course of the season and particularly in this week's marquee match-up with No. 14 VCU. The Rams like to get out and push the tempo. Will the Cavaliers be more conservative with crashing the glass in a trade for transition defense? Stay tuned. Worth Quoting "We're not as good as all of you guys are saying and all of the people are this and that. We've got work to do. We have a chance collectively to be good, I believe that, but all of this hype and all of this stuff, you can't just show up and expect it to happen every time. We've got to get better. I know where our team's at, our players know where our team's at, and we know what we can do when we play well, but the reality is when you don't, you're very susceptible. I think that's obviously the case with most college teams." - Coach Bennett |
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| Recruiting News |
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This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne Altavista coach Mike Scharnus confirmed the standout junior's commitment, and this week I plan to have much more on Virginia's first recruit in the class of 2015. Thornhill committed last Thursday. On Sunday, Varina (VA) senior wide receiver/cornerback Donovan Dowling pledged to coach Mike London while on Grounds on an unofficial visit. Dowling, a 6'1", 200-pound prospect, received a scholarship offer from London earlier in the week. There is a full report on Dowling and his decision up on the EDGE. In the article, Dowling, who was just named 2013 Capital District Offensive Player of the Year, reveals that he likely will start out his Cavalier career at wide receiver. Dowling becomes the 12th recruit in Virginia's class of 2014. He is the fourth Varina (VA) recruit in Mike London's tenure at UVa, joining Maurice Canady, Tyrell Chavis, and Tim Harris. On the basketball recruiting front, the Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday and lasts one week. Virginia is expected to officially welcome three recruits - guard BJ Stith, combo forward Isaiah Wilkins, and center Jack Salt - to the fold during this time. I plan to catch up with UVa's recruits after they sign on the dotted line. Also this week, I'll have the latest on those recruits in attendance for the Virginia/VCU game at the John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday.  Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for EDGE subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an EDGE subscription, please check out the Sabre EDGE Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an EDGE subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.
Recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ... |
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2013 UVa Basketball Fan T-Shirt
The 2013 UVA Basketball Fan T-shirt features a full front chest imprint. Virginia Basketball is imprinted below the Rockin the Rim logo. Price: $10-$12. |
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To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com. |
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