By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) For a team that puts so much energy and effort into defense, Florida's performance against Virginia was as close to perfect as possible.
Devin Robinson had 14 points and 11 rebounds, the fifth double-double of his career, and the fourth-seeded Gators handled the No. 5 seed Cavaliers 65-39 on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Justin Leon added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Gators (26-8), who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the 11th time in school history and fifth in the last seven years. They will play No. 8 seed Wisconsin in the East Regional in New York City on Friday.
They can thank stingy defense and a ridiculous run spanning halftime for this trip to Madison Square Garden.
"That's about as well as we've played defensively," Florida coach Mike White said. "We put a lot of it together tonight."
Florida held Virginia (23-11) to a season-low 17 points in the first half and 29.6 percent shooting on the night. The Cavaliers hadn't scored fewer than 40 points since December 2013, a 48-38 loss to the Badgers.
The turning point in this game came late in the first half, when the Gators started a 21-0 run that was their most lopsided of the season. Speedy guards Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza repeatedly broke down Virginia's "pack line" defense, creating open looks for Leon and Robinson.
"We just had had to get them uncomfortable and play our tempo," said Robinson, who scored 24 points in his NCAA opener. "We knew if we played at their methodical tempo, it would have been a tough game for us. We tried to stay aggressive on defense and get in transition as best as we can, and that turned to great offense."
Florida closed the first half with a 12-0 spurt and built a 14-point lead at the break. The Gators came out of the locker room with the same intensity, scoring nine straight points that included two 3-pointers from Leon.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett called time out, but it was too little, too late.
The Gators were up 23 points against a team that has dealt with offensive challenges all season.
"If we're not shooting well, it's hard for us," Bennett said.
It surely didn't help that the Cavaliers played without forward Isaiah Wilkins, who missed the game while dealing with strep throat.
Wilkins leads the team in rebounds, blocks and steals, and Bennett called him the "heart and soul of our defense." Without him, the Gators attacked the post regularly, with Leon and Robinson benefiting.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia: The reason the Cavaliers failed to advance was obvious. Even they knew they would be doomed if leading scorer London Perrantes and fellow guard Marial Shayok stopped making shots, and they were. Perrantes was 2 of 12, and Shayok 2 of 9.
"We were trying to get something going, but it was one of those days where we couldn't do anything to get the shots to fall," Shayok said. "Obviously their defense bothered us, but we missed easy shots, wide-open shots. We missed a lot of shots we usually make. Nobody wants to lose like that. That was not good."
Florida: The Gators might be a handful moving forward because of their defensive prowess and number of scoring options.
GOING SHIRTLESS
There's little doubt that Leon is done wearing an undershirt. In an attempt to end a shooting slump, the senior went without a T-shirt under his jersey for the first time in two years at Florida.
"I was trying to find something different," he said. "So I did it, and hey."
PROMISING PART
Here's maybe the most promising part for Florida: Leading scorer KeVaughn Allen and Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year Canyon Barry were quiet again. Allen had four points on 2-of-10 shooting, and Barry finished with seven points during a 1-for-4 night.
BOILING OVER
Perrantes chucked the ball at the scorer's table in frustration in the second half, but avoided a technical foul.
UP NEXT
Florida plays Wisconsin on Friday in Madison Square Garden.
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Perrantes, Shayok carry Virginia to 76-71 win against UNCW
By MARK LONG
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Defensive-minded Virginia showed it can play with a little offensive tempo, even using five guards to outpace UNC Wilmington.
London Perrantes scored 24 points, Marial Shayok added a career-high 23 off the bench and No. 5 seed Virginia rallied from 15 points down to beat 12th-seeded UNC Wilmington 76-71 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Perrantes scored 19 points in the second half as the Cavaliers (23-10) got their slow-paced offense going. His biggest bucket was a driving bank shot with 1:37 remaining, which put the Cavs up 71-66.
UNCW (29-6) wouldn't go away, though. Chris Flemmings drained a 3-pointer from the elbow and then Devontae Cacok hit a layup to make it 73-71 with less than a minute to play. But Shayok answered on the other end, banking in a runner that gave the Cavs some breathing room in the closing seconds.
"I just wanted to provide energy off the slow start," Shayok said. "Personally, I just didn't want to go out like that, and I knew my teammates didn't either. So I just wanted to come out and provide what I could on both ends and just bring a spark."
Virginia advanced past the first round for the fourth consecutive year and won as a No. 5 seed for the first time in four tries. The Cavs can thank Perrantes and Shayok for making it happen.
Perrantes was 9-of-14 shooting, and Shayok was 8 of 14. The guard duo set the pace late after Virginia trailed big.
The Cavaliers closed the first half with a 16-1 run that erased the double-digit deficit.
"In the game we tried everything to stop their run," UNCW guard Ambrose Mosley said. "It's hard because you want to win every game; especially having an easy lead like we did in the first half."
UNCW was nearly perfect early, with Mosley, Denzel Ingram and Cacok hitting every shot they took.
The result was a 15-point lead for the Seahawks. They controlled tempo, were seemingly first to every loose ball and looked like they would become the latest No. 12 seed to win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the previous five years, half of the 12 seeds (10 of 20) have bounced No. 5 seeds.
But Perrantes and Shayok didn't let it happen again.
"I think we had the last run," Perrantes said. "Obviously, we knew at the beginning that they were going to make some tough shots. The point guard made some big shots with a hand in his face. Everybody seemed to have made shots. So I kind of just knew that, hopefully, they were going to start missing and we were going to start making them."
BIG PICTURE
UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks, who averaged 85.2 points a game this season, wanted a high-scoring affair and surely would have liked their chances with it in the 70s. But their inability to slow down Perrantes and Shayok, a big guard combination, proved to be the difference.
Virginia: Maybe the Cavs can score enough to be a factor in the tournament. Many believed their defense-first philosophy would be problematic, but if Perrantes and Shayok keep making shots, there's little doubt this team can keep winning.
OFF NIGHT
UNCW's leading scorer, guard C.J. Bryce, struggled in every aspect of the game. Bryce was 2-for-11 shooting, including 0-for-2 from behind the arc, and even missed three free throws. He finished with eight points, ending his streak of scoring in double figures at nine games.
"I didn't have my best game," Bryce said. "Some shots didn't drop for me and my teammates. ... I took a couple tough shots early, (and) that affected my touch throughout the game. I tried to start getting to the line more, but they just didn't drop for me tonight."
UP NEXT
Virginia: Plays the winner of No. 4 seed Florida and 13th-seeded East Tennessee State on Saturday.
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Defensive-minded Virginia showed it can play with a little offensive tempo, even using five guards to outpace UNC Wilmington.
London Perrantes scored 24 points, Marial Shayok added a career-high 23 off the bench and No. 5 seed Virginia rallied from 15 points down to beat 12th-seeded UNC Wilmington 76-71 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Perrantes scored 19 points in the second half as the Cavaliers (23-10) got their slow-paced offense going. His biggest bucket was a driving bank shot with 1:37 remaining, which put the Cavs up 71-66.
UNCW (29-6) wouldn't go away, though. Chris Flemmings drained a 3-pointer from the elbow and then Devontae Cacok hit a layup to make it 73-71 with less than a minute to play. But Shayok answered on the other end, banking in a runner that gave the Cavs some breathing room in the closing seconds.
"I just wanted to provide energy off the slow start," Shayok said. "Personally, I just didn't want to go out like that, and I knew my teammates didn't either. So I just wanted to come out and provide what I could on both ends and just bring a spark."
Virginia advanced past the first round for the fourth consecutive year and won as a No. 5 seed for the first time in four tries. The Cavs can thank Perrantes and Shayok for making it happen.
Perrantes was 9-of-14 shooting, and Shayok was 8 of 14. The guard duo set the pace late after Virginia trailed big.
The Cavaliers closed the first half with a 16-1 run that erased the double-digit deficit.
"In the game we tried everything to stop their run," UNCW guard Ambrose Mosley said. "It's hard because you want to win every game; especially having an easy lead like we did in the first half."
UNCW was nearly perfect early, with Mosley, Denzel Ingram and Cacok hitting every shot they took.
The result was a 15-point lead for the Seahawks. They controlled tempo, were seemingly first to every loose ball and looked like they would become the latest No. 12 seed to win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the previous five years, half of the 12 seeds (10 of 20) have bounced No. 5 seeds.
But Perrantes and Shayok didn't let it happen again.
"I think we had the last run," Perrantes said. "Obviously, we knew at the beginning that they were going to make some tough shots. The point guard made some big shots with a hand in his face. Everybody seemed to have made shots. So I kind of just knew that, hopefully, they were going to start missing and we were going to start making them."
BIG PICTURE
UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks, who averaged 85.2 points a game this season, wanted a high-scoring affair and surely would have liked their chances with it in the 70s. But their inability to slow down Perrantes and Shayok, a big guard combination, proved to be the difference.
Virginia: Maybe the Cavs can score enough to be a factor in the tournament. Many believed their defense-first philosophy would be problematic, but if Perrantes and Shayok keep making shots, there's little doubt this team can keep winning.
OFF NIGHT
UNCW's leading scorer, guard C.J. Bryce, struggled in every aspect of the game. Bryce was 2-for-11 shooting, including 0-for-2 from behind the arc, and even missed three free throws. He finished with eight points, ending his streak of scoring in double figures at nine games.
"I didn't have my best game," Bryce said. "Some shots didn't drop for me and my teammates. ... I took a couple tough shots early, (and) that affected my touch throughout the game. I tried to start getting to the line more, but they just didn't drop for me tonight."
UP NEXT
Virginia: Plays the winner of No. 4 seed Florida and 13th-seeded East Tennessee State on Saturday.
N.C.-Wilmington-Virginia Preview
Stats, LLC
After growing up just more than an hour away from the University of Virginia campus, UNC Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts watched closely as Tony Bennett turned the Cavaliers into one of the most consistent programs of this decade.
Back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, Keatts now wants his players to have those same high expectations.
In a game featuring two teams with wildly different styles, the No. 12 seed Seahawks will push their up-tempo attack against the stingy, fifth-seeded Cavaliers in an East Region opener Thursday afternoon at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
“I’ve had the opportunity to follow Tony Bennett and the success that he’s had,” Keatts said. “They have an unbelievable defensive team.”
He can say that again.
The Cavaliers (22-10) featured the best scoring defense in the country during the regular season, limiting opponents to an average of 55.6 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting.
Some of the box scores look like misprints.
Virginia held Grambling to 34 points in one game and Robert Morris to 39 in another. In a win over North Carolina, a team that eventually earned a No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers allowed 43 points.
“You never take it for granted,” said Bennett, whose program has made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to a regional final a year ago.
The winner of Thursday’s game will face either Florida or East Tennessee State on Saturday.
While Virginia leaned on its stifling defense, UNC Wilmington (29-5, 15-3 Colonial Athletic Association) used a barrage of outside shooting to outscore its opponents en route to winning regular season and tournament titles.
C.J. Bryce (17.6 points per game), Chris Flemmings (15.8) and Denzel Ingram (14.5) did most of the damage from the backcourt for an offense that hit 326 3-pointers, good for 14th in the country. Devontae Cacok chipped in with 12.3 points per game for the Seahawks, who were 10th in scoring at 85.2 points per game and should be able to threaten the Cavaliers from many different spots on the floor.
UNC Wilmington put up a tough fight before bowing out to Duke in the first round of the tournament last year.
“We get a chance to play against a very good, well-coached team,” Keatts said.
But Virginia is a team that has struggled at times this season due to its lagging offense.
The Cavaliers lost four straight games in February as their offense sputtered, and the question remains: Can they do enough on that end of the floor to make a deep tournament run?
The answer to that begins with senior guard London Perrantes, who leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. Perrantes is the only player who scored in double figures during the regular season and is also the team’s main facilitator with 3.8 assists per game.
“There’s so much energy and so many different emotions (once the NCAA Tournament starts),” Perrantes said. “Once the ball gets tipped, it’s just another game of basketball.”
It will be a fascinating game to watch and features plenty of questions beforehand.
Can the Cavaliers whose 9.5 turnovers per game were the third fewest in the country grind out another gritty victory by slowing down the pace? Or will the Seahawks control the pace of the game and challenge the Cavaliers to match them offensively?
Those are questions both teams are anxious to find out.
“We’re playing” Perrantes said. “It doesn’t matter what seed we are, who we’re playing against. It’s just a blessing to be able to be in the tournament again.”
After growing up just more than an hour away from the University of Virginia campus, UNC Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts watched closely as Tony Bennett turned the Cavaliers into one of the most consistent programs of this decade.
Back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, Keatts now wants his players to have those same high expectations.
In a game featuring two teams with wildly different styles, the No. 12 seed Seahawks will push their up-tempo attack against the stingy, fifth-seeded Cavaliers in an East Region opener Thursday afternoon at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
“I’ve had the opportunity to follow Tony Bennett and the success that he’s had,” Keatts said. “They have an unbelievable defensive team.”
He can say that again.
The Cavaliers (22-10) featured the best scoring defense in the country during the regular season, limiting opponents to an average of 55.6 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting.
Some of the box scores look like misprints.
Virginia held Grambling to 34 points in one game and Robert Morris to 39 in another. In a win over North Carolina, a team that eventually earned a No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers allowed 43 points.
“You never take it for granted,” said Bennett, whose program has made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to a regional final a year ago.
The winner of Thursday’s game will face either Florida or East Tennessee State on Saturday.
While Virginia leaned on its stifling defense, UNC Wilmington (29-5, 15-3 Colonial Athletic Association) used a barrage of outside shooting to outscore its opponents en route to winning regular season and tournament titles.
C.J. Bryce (17.6 points per game), Chris Flemmings (15.8) and Denzel Ingram (14.5) did most of the damage from the backcourt for an offense that hit 326 3-pointers, good for 14th in the country. Devontae Cacok chipped in with 12.3 points per game for the Seahawks, who were 10th in scoring at 85.2 points per game and should be able to threaten the Cavaliers from many different spots on the floor.
UNC Wilmington put up a tough fight before bowing out to Duke in the first round of the tournament last year.
“We get a chance to play against a very good, well-coached team,” Keatts said.
But Virginia is a team that has struggled at times this season due to its lagging offense.
The Cavaliers lost four straight games in February as their offense sputtered, and the question remains: Can they do enough on that end of the floor to make a deep tournament run?
The answer to that begins with senior guard London Perrantes, who leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. Perrantes is the only player who scored in double figures during the regular season and is also the team’s main facilitator with 3.8 assists per game.
“There’s so much energy and so many different emotions (once the NCAA Tournament starts),” Perrantes said. “Once the ball gets tipped, it’s just another game of basketball.”
It will be a fascinating game to watch and features plenty of questions beforehand.
Can the Cavaliers whose 9.5 turnovers per game were the third fewest in the country grind out another gritty victory by slowing down the pace? Or will the Seahawks control the pace of the game and challenge the Cavaliers to match them offensively?
Those are questions both teams are anxious to find out.
“We’re playing” Perrantes said. “It doesn’t matter what seed we are, who we’re playing against. It’s just a blessing to be able to be in the tournament again.”
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Perrantes, No. 21 Virginia pull away from Pitt, 75-63
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The difference between how Virginia has played during its four-game winning streak as opposed to how it played during the four-game losing streak that preceded it is not that drastic.
Coach Tony Bennett said the Cavaliers have made a few adjustments. They have been hitting a few more shots and taking a little better care of the ball since their February slump. And of course, this being Virginia, there is no problem that can't be solved with defense — especially at this time of the year.
"Our defense is built for March because we're going to play teams with high-powered offenses, but as long as our defense is there night in and night out, we'll be able to give ourselves a good shot to win games," London Perrantes said.
Perrantes scored 13 points in the second half to help No. 21 Virginia pull away for a 75-63 victory against Pittsburgh in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Wednesday night.
The sixth-seeded Cavaliers (22-9) are in the ACC quarterfinals for the sixth straight season and meet third-seeded and No. 22 Notre Dame at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
Jamel Artis led Pitt (16-17) with 18 points and Michael Young had 14. The two seniors were benched for the first 10 minutes of the Panthers' regular-season finale loss to Virginia on Saturday by coach Kevin Stallings.
Just four days after scoring just 42 points against the Cavaliers, Pitt surpassed that number with 13:08 minutes left on a dunk by Sheldon Jeter that cut Virginia's lead to 44-43.
"We certainly had the momentum at that point," Stallings said.
That was as good as it got for the Panthers.
Perrantes made his first 3-pointer of the game with 8:15 left in the second half to make it 54-46. After Artis responded with a 3, Perrantes made it two in a row from long range in a span of 56 seconds.
"It felt like it was one and then it seemed like it was seven or eight real quickly there," Stallings said.
Perrantes, the only senior in Virginia's rotation, is now the first Cavaliers player to advance in four consecutive ACC Tournaments.
"Obviously, it's going to be a grind, but like we said before, our program is built for stuff like this," Perrantes said.
Freshman Kyle Guy scored 20 points to match a career high and carried the Cavaliers until Perrantes, who scored two points in the first half, heated up. Fellow freshman guard Ty Jerome scored 11 and had seven rebounds and four assists.
"They're not afraid of the moment," Bennett said of the newbies.
Mostly, the freshmen try to follow Perrantes' lead.
"Yeah, I basically just do whatever he tells me," Guy said. "So he's been a tremendous leader on and off the court, for me especially, and the rest of the guys. When he tells us that he loves us and he has confidence in us, it's really easy to play free."
BIG PICTURE
Pitt: Hard to believe after the Panthers managed only 105 points in losing twice in four days to Virginia, but this same team hung 88 on the Cavaliers — the most by any Virginia opponent — in early January. Pitt was 12-3 at that point, but with only two reliable scorers (Artis and Young) the offense dried up in ACC play and the Panthers hit the skids.
Virginia: During their four-game slump, Virginia's opponents shot 43.5 percent from the floor. In the four games since, Pitt at 40 percent was the only opponent to crack 35.
UP NEXT
Pitt: The Panthers are done for the season, finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1999-00.
Virginia: The Cavaliers are 5-0 against Notre Dame since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC in 2014, including a victory in South Bend, Indiana, this season.
"Obviously, our defense is a huge part," Perrantes said. "They can spread the floor, just like Pitt. But it gives people trouble. As long as we hang our head on our defense, I guess that's why we've been having a good record with them."
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The difference between how Virginia has played during its four-game winning streak as opposed to how it played during the four-game losing streak that preceded it is not that drastic.
Coach Tony Bennett said the Cavaliers have made a few adjustments. They have been hitting a few more shots and taking a little better care of the ball since their February slump. And of course, this being Virginia, there is no problem that can't be solved with defense — especially at this time of the year.
"Our defense is built for March because we're going to play teams with high-powered offenses, but as long as our defense is there night in and night out, we'll be able to give ourselves a good shot to win games," London Perrantes said.
Perrantes scored 13 points in the second half to help No. 21 Virginia pull away for a 75-63 victory against Pittsburgh in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Wednesday night.
The sixth-seeded Cavaliers (22-9) are in the ACC quarterfinals for the sixth straight season and meet third-seeded and No. 22 Notre Dame at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
Jamel Artis led Pitt (16-17) with 18 points and Michael Young had 14. The two seniors were benched for the first 10 minutes of the Panthers' regular-season finale loss to Virginia on Saturday by coach Kevin Stallings.
Just four days after scoring just 42 points against the Cavaliers, Pitt surpassed that number with 13:08 minutes left on a dunk by Sheldon Jeter that cut Virginia's lead to 44-43.
"We certainly had the momentum at that point," Stallings said.
That was as good as it got for the Panthers.
Perrantes made his first 3-pointer of the game with 8:15 left in the second half to make it 54-46. After Artis responded with a 3, Perrantes made it two in a row from long range in a span of 56 seconds.
"It felt like it was one and then it seemed like it was seven or eight real quickly there," Stallings said.
Perrantes, the only senior in Virginia's rotation, is now the first Cavaliers player to advance in four consecutive ACC Tournaments.
"Obviously, it's going to be a grind, but like we said before, our program is built for stuff like this," Perrantes said.
Freshman Kyle Guy scored 20 points to match a career high and carried the Cavaliers until Perrantes, who scored two points in the first half, heated up. Fellow freshman guard Ty Jerome scored 11 and had seven rebounds and four assists.
"They're not afraid of the moment," Bennett said of the newbies.
Mostly, the freshmen try to follow Perrantes' lead.
"Yeah, I basically just do whatever he tells me," Guy said. "So he's been a tremendous leader on and off the court, for me especially, and the rest of the guys. When he tells us that he loves us and he has confidence in us, it's really easy to play free."
BIG PICTURE
Pitt: Hard to believe after the Panthers managed only 105 points in losing twice in four days to Virginia, but this same team hung 88 on the Cavaliers — the most by any Virginia opponent — in early January. Pitt was 12-3 at that point, but with only two reliable scorers (Artis and Young) the offense dried up in ACC play and the Panthers hit the skids.
Virginia: During their four-game slump, Virginia's opponents shot 43.5 percent from the floor. In the four games since, Pitt at 40 percent was the only opponent to crack 35.
UP NEXT
Pitt: The Panthers are done for the season, finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1999-00.
Virginia: The Cavaliers are 5-0 against Notre Dame since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC in 2014, including a victory in South Bend, Indiana, this season.
"Obviously, our defense is a huge part," Perrantes said. "They can spread the floor, just like Pitt. But it gives people trouble. As long as we hang our head on our defense, I guess that's why we've been having a good record with them."
Sunday, January 29, 2017
No. 1 Villanova defeats No. 12 Virginia
No. 1 Villanova caught fire in the 2nd half and overcame No. 12 Virginia, 61-59 on Sunday.
Mikal Bridges led Villanova with 15 points, and rebounds with 5.
Ty Jerome led Virginia with 15 points.
Villanova plays Wednesday at Providence. The Wildcats have a 46-18 career record against the Friars.
Virginia heads home to play Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
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