After 236 days, the Cavaliers are back in John Paul Jones ready to make an impact. A team led by a new coach, Ryan Odom, with a starting five containing three first-years, this home opener provided the perfect opportunity for the Hoos to show fans what they are made of — they did not disappoint. A masterclass of offensive output in combination with consistent clamps on defense showed a great look at what’s to come this season.
The first half began well for the Cavaliers. Their aggressiveness defined the playstyle. Constant defense left Rider (“The Broncs”) with not many great looks. With few open shot opportunities, the Broncs were forced to try to pass around the arc, leading to the Cavs recording five steals in the first half and only eight points in the paint from Rider.
Meanwhile, the Hoos were hot within the arc. Shooting 12 for 16 from two, the Hoos scored all 24 of those points from the paint. First-year Thijs De Ridder was getting consistent looks under the rim, scoring 12 points with five rebounds all in the first half. De Ridder went on to finish with a double-double later the night, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers outbound the Broncs 25-10 and put up 11 more shots.
One thing some might argue about the Cavaliers’ first half was the efficiency of offense, especially on the threes. In the first half, the Hoos only recorded two successful threes of 19 attempts. This shooting brought the field goal percentage from 75% inside the arch to only 40% overall. The Hoos made up for this in pure output, shooting 35 total shots to the Broncs’ 24. However, seeing the great defensive ability followed by as many as four missed three-point attempts in a single possession was slightly disheartening. Yet, despite the struggle, the Hoos still finished with a commanding 45-32 lead going into halftime.
What some might not have expected to witness was the absolute misery the Cavaliers inflicted on the Broncs throughout the entire second half.
At the start of the second, the Cavaliers transformed their already tough defense into absolutely suffocating. For the first seven minutes of the game, the Broncs went zero-for-eight from the field, at one point recording three turnovers in three minutes and a shot-clock violation due to being physically unable to get a shot off. The Cavaliers were all over the Broncs in the half, recording three more steals and 15 defensive rebounds. Rider’s field goal percentage dropped from 41.7% in the first half to 24% in the second, hitting only one of seven attempts from three-point range. Any hope left from Rider was completely drained.
But, for some reason, the Cavaliers’ offensive rebounds dropped from 14 in the first to only six in the second. The reason? Our offense transformed from pretty good to lights out.
Shooting like men possessed, the Cavaliers shot 16 for 29 from the field. 55.2% is remarkable, but what’s staggering is that 11 of those shots were threes and the Cavaliers drained six of them. To put that into context, Steph Curry’s career three-point-percentage is 46.7%; the Cavaliers in the second-half shot 54.5%. For 20 minutes, the Cavaliers were shooting better from three than Stephen Curry.
The Cavaliers dominated start to finish, putting up 42 in the first half and 45 in the second. However, simply comparing these two numbers fails to entail an important detail: the offensive efficiency in the second. When playing against mid-tier teams, the Hoos have the opportunity to take second-chance, third-chance, even fourth-chance, shots. But against a top 25 opponent, the strategy of quantity over quality may fall apart. The first-half Hoos were great, but the second-half Hoos were dangerous. UVA might have a chance to make a huge wave this season, especially if we can consistently play at the rate we played in the second-half. And the fans agree.
“I was really impressed with the team’s energy and full court press all game,” first-year fan Rocco Schnabel comments, “I thought the atmosphere was electric, a great kickoff to the season. The team looked good and played hard and I’m definitely excited to see what they do this season.”
The team is showing incredible output and the fans are pumped to see it. The Cavaliers will hope to continue their momentum this Friday, November 7th, with another home game against North Carolina Central. Pop out to John Paul Jones Arena this Friday at 7 p.m. Keep up the school spirit, and WAHOOWA!
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