Takeaways From Virginia’s 65-55 Win Over Georgia

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Virginia beat Georgia 65-55 on Monday night in the Roman Legends Classic. The Hoos will now play Providence, who beat Northwestern, for the right to be crowned champion.

Was it a perfect game? No. Is Georgia a good team? Not really. But was it the most complete UVA basketball game this season? Yes, it absolutely was.

Takeaway Time…

-Over the first few games, you’ve seen a team that hasn’t played much together just working things out in real time. The phrase growing pains comes to mind. As it’s evolved, a sector of UVA basketball fans have dove firmly into “In Tony We Trust” mode; they’ll figure it out as time goes on. I’m in that camp, and the Georgia game was a micro version. The Hoos buckled down in the second half and GOT STOPS when they needed them. The Bulldogs, who only scored 21 points in the second half, managed seven points in the game’s final seven minutes.

-Let’s talk about growth. Kadin Shedrick had the most impressive and impactful three-point performance in a while. He was a monster on defense (four blocks) and was always in the muck on the offensive glass (seven boards total). We need that grit this season. That dog mentality. Gotta love it. Speaking of growth, can you picture how good Igor Milicic Jr. can be next year or as a third-year go-to guy?

-Reece was aggressive and that’s potentially the biggest takeaway personally. It was his first-ever game with double-digit field goal attempts and even though they’re not falling, they will at some point. He wasn’t getting a ton of respect from Georgia defenders but he can get to the cup pretty regularly. His outside shot will eventually fall.

–Carson McCorkle looking like Kyle Guy out there for a second! Coming off a screen and burying a trey while the Georgia defender didn’t know what hit him. Dude didn’t play for the first 25-30 minutes and then comes in and immediately takes a shot like that.

-The Hoos didn’t turn the rock over much last season or during their national title run but this season they’ve shot themselves in the foot with some sloppiness. That went out the window vs. UGA; they only committed four turnovers all game. In Tony We Trust. On to Providence

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