First-Quarter UVA Basketball Report Card & More

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Tony Bennett has tinkered with the rotations a lot, mixing and matching different guys against different looks throughout the first eight games. As he’s figured his recipe out, the Hoos have begun playing better. They dropped two of their first three but are playing their best basketball — minus the first half against Iowa — as they head into their first conference game against Pitt on Friday.

Thoughts, stats, and grades below for the first eight games (or first quarter of the season). I’m not big on grading but wanted to do some sort of wrap-up before ACC play kicks off.

Results:

  • 11.9: Navy 66, Virginia 58
  • 11.12: Virginia 73, Radford 52
  • 11.16: Houston 67, Virginia 47
  • 11.19: Virginia 68, Coppin State 52
  • 11.22: Virginia 65, Georgia 55
  • 11.23: Virginia 58, Providence 40
  • 11.26: Virginia 61, Lehigh 42
  • 11.29: Iowa 75, Virginia 74

starting lineup grades / stats / notes

#0 Kihei Clark

Less frustrating this year, particularly on drives to the basket. He’s more decisive and not getting hung up as much once he hits the second level. Shooting a career-best 42.4 percent from deep on a career-most 4.1 three-point attempts per game. He worked on his shot in the offseason and he’s getting calls as a spot-up shooter. Much more confident. Also has taken on a leadership role. The camera has caught him helping teammates out defensively or getting in their ass a few times. Grade: A

stats to know: 34.6 mpg /10.9 ppg / 4.0 apg / 42.4 3p%
season plus/minus: +56

#1 Jayden Gardner

Really good post player. Strong with the ball and not afraid to get physical. Relentless on offensive glass, especially. Tied for second in ACC with 22 offensive boards. A little undersized for the four but Kadin’s emergence as a shot-blocker has helped. Kihei said after the Iowa game that it’s “pretty much like he’s a freshman learning the defense” so growing pains are expected. Example: Jayden sat for the last four minutes against Iowa after a few rough possessions, including a missed rotation. “I can’t remember seeing Tony Bennett madder,” Chris Graham wrote.

He can get you a bucket and has a scorer’s mentality, which is key for this team, and has the most win shares through eight games (1.2) per Sports-Reference. But there’s obviously a bigger focus on D at Virginia compared to ECU. He’s about as advertised. Grade: B

stats to know: 28 mpg / 14 ppg / 8.3 rpg
season plus/minus: +48

#2 Reece Beekman

Has made a big jump this year offensively. Against Iowa, the game flipped when he basically took over and attacked. Was able to finish at the rim or dish to shooters. Perimeter defense is still ELITE. Tied for most steals in ACC (20). The outside shot will come; he’s willing to work. Has the highest plus/minus of anyone on the squad. Grade: A

stats to know: 33.5 mpg / 7.3 rpg / 4.4 apg / 2.5 spg
season plus/minus: +70

#4 Armaan Franklin

Doing a lot of things well but his main role is that of wing scorer. On a select few nights he’s been a stud; other nights he’s been a good piece but ice cold from outside. Streaky as all get out, it seems. For example, if you take out the Radford (5-for-8) and Providence (4-for-6) games, he’s 2-for-28 from three. Besides outside shooting, there’s not much to complain about. He’s fit right in and has a nose for the ball. Like Gardner, about as advertised. Grade: B

stats to know: 29.1 mpg / 11.8 ppg / 1.4 spg / 26.2 3p%
season plus/minus: +61

#22 Kadin Shedrick

Has only had one game this season with a negative plus/minus (Houston). He’s the only one who can say that. Virginia as a whole is constantly developing in hopes of playing their best ball down the stretch. Kadin is the poster boy for development. He’s a legit rim protector and difference-maker right now and only getting better. Grade: A

stats to know: 22 mpg / 6.9 ppg / 6.3 rpg / 3.0 bpg
season plus/minus: +57

bench mob grades / stats / notes

#22 Francisco Caffaro

Caffaro is firmly in the rotation but it’s going to be a case-by-case basis. Providence has a 6-foot-10 monster with skills, play Papi. Iowa goes small? Not so much. It’s pretty straightforward what he’ll provide when he plays — solid screens, rebounding, and toughness. Kadin is rounding into form and some of the younger guys are evolving so I think he’ll stay in the 12-16 minute range the rest of the way. For what it’s worth, his plus/minus is -29 in UVA’s three losses (minus-12 vs. Navy, minus-7 vs. Houston, and minus-14 vs. Iowa). Grade: B

stats to know: 15.3 mpg / 3.1 ppg / 4.3 rpg / 50 fg%
season plus/minus: +6

#23 Kody Stattmann

Comes with more experience than most of the roster and Tony trusts him. Low ceiling, high floor. He’s not going to kill you out there but he’s not going to make a ton of eye-popping plays either. Played a season-low seven minutes against Iowa, the fastest-tempo team Virginia has played this year. Lowest plus/minus through eight games. Shooting 50 percent from three, however. Grade: B-

stats to know: 13.1 mpg / 2.6 ppg / 50 3p%
season plus/minus: -14

#10 Taine Murray

Had a breakout game against Iowa and it was impressive to see Tony let him roll. He had some tough defensive possessions but made up for it on offense. Got burnt on the wing a few times. Plays pretty good post defense, though. Has a ton of dog in him, probably my favorite part of his game. It was only one game and I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I think he will be a real piece. Grade: B-

stats to know: 8.5 mpg / 3 ppg / 71.4 3p%
season plus/minus: -3

#24 Igor Milicic, Jr.

I think Igor has a higher ceiling than Taine, even though we haven’t seen nearly enough from either one. He’s just a real smooth operator. Makes it look effortless on offense even though he’s probably not where he needs to be system-wise. For the short time he’s been here, he’s shown a lot and is working to get better. Grade: B

stats to know: 7.6 mpg / 2.7 ppg / 1.1 rpg / 36.4 3p%
season plus/minus: +7

#11 Malachi Poindexter

With the strength of the team coming from Reece and Kihei, there’s not a lot of minutes to go around for reserve guards. That said, Poindexter has played himself into meaningful minutes, not just garbage time. He entered the Iowa game midway through the first half to give Reece a blow and looks like he belongs. You can never have too many solid ballhandlers. Plus, it’s awesome to see a local guy out there. He was born in Charlottesville and went to St. Anne’s Belfield. According to his bio, he had interest from smaller D-1 programs (ie: VMI, Howard) but chose walk-on at UVA. He’s been a pleasant surprise on a few different levels. Grade: B

stats to know: 6.7 mpg / 0.8 ppg / 33.3 3p%
season plus/minus: -10

#33 Carson McCorkle

The verdict is still out and that’s alright. As a four-star kid, a lot is expected, but he’s not getting the minutes to completely know what’s up. You can’t blame Tony either because there aren’t a ton of minutes to go around for reserve guards and I’d lean Mal for defense. Carson can stroke it though, man, and it’s pretty to watch. He’s looked like Kyle Guy a few times this year flying around screens and letting it rip. As an aside, the playing time thing is a little worrisome; the portal could look tempting. That said, with Kihei finishing up, he could be a guy that gets major burn the next few years. Tony challenged him “to have grit” earlier this year and that’s a big question mark. Grade: INC

stats to know: 6.3 mpg / 1.1 ppg / 22.2 3p%
season plus/minus: +7

Coaching Staff

For 90% of the roster, I feel better now compared to the first game. That credit goes to the players improving but also the coaching staff. Tony has given opportunities to guys regardless of experience level or status, and good things are happening. The fanbase has gone crazy for brilliant flashes from Taine and Igor, and each has notched a double-digit scoring performance already. The circumstances were different last year, of course, but four-star Jabri Abdur-Rahim only had a handful of points total by the time conference play started. In Tony We Trust. Grade: A

JPJ

While it’s been good just to be back at JPJ, it took until the Iowa game for it to really feel like a legit college basketball atmosphere. Hoping the place packs out when ACC teams start rolling in. Grade: B

Overall

After the Houston debacle, the wheels came off for the fanbase a little bit. Many, including myself, clung to the ‘In Tony We Trust’ theory. They told us it was a work in progress before the season so we should have expected it. Good news is they continuously improved after H-Town — most notably winning the Roman Legands Classic in Newark — and it appears they’ll be hitting their stride when it matters most.

They’re currently right in line defensively (KenPom #38) from where they finished last year (#36), and they have the right mentality, for sure. It was proven in the second half against Iowa. It was a tough loss but they definitely found another gear in that 20 minutes. It’s hard not to feel good about this squad right now. Grade: A-