Originally Posted by
CDu
We all know UVa by now. They play a super-slow pace. Their offense is extraordinarily deliberate, really working to get the best shot possible. Defensively, they play the pack line defense, which inherently slows the game down as they force you to work extra hard to get good shots. They are still elite defensively, but REALLY bad offensively this year, as they just don't have the weapons they have had in years past. That said, they've been much better in recent weeks than they were in December and early January.
On offense, they don't do much well. Arguably, they don't do anything WELL, and do very little even okay. They systematically don't attack the offensive glass (that's a program philosophy), they don't draw fouls (running their sets, shooting jumpers, and not offensive rebounding tends to mean fewer fouls drawn), and they don't shoot 3s well as a team. And this year they have even become turnover prone. So they rely HEAVILY on the defense.
Defensively, they do EVERYTHING well, except for forcing turnovers. They don't allow you to offensive rebound, they block your shots, and they contest everything. They allow teams to attempt a lot of 3s, but they have held teams to a low percentage on those 3s. They also don't send you to the line at all. And they block a lot of shots. It's a typically great defensive team under Bennett.
Bigs: Jay Huff (7'1", 245lb redshirt junior) is the starting center. Huff is the team's best rebounder and shotblocker, and is pretty mobile for a guy his size. On offense, he has range out to the 3pt line, although he has been a bit underutilized in that role this year. He's not a great free throw shooter, but he doesn't draw a ton of fouls anyway. His backup, assuming Bennett decides to use him, is Francisco Caffaro (7'0", 245lb redshirt freshman from Argentina). Caffaro plays as needed, but he's a work in progress, developmental type. The goal would be a Jack Salt type of player down the line.
Forwards: Mamadi Diakite (6'9", 225lb redshirt senior from Guinea) and Braxton Key (6'8", 230lb fifth-year senior via Alabama) are the primary guys at forward. Diakite is long and lean, with decent shotblocking skills, solid athleticism, and a burgeoning 3pt shot. He's also got a bit of a post game, and is the go-to scorer for the Cavs. Key is sort of a hybrid of Lance Thomas and Josh Hairston, but more utilized and more confident. He is athletic and versatile defensively, and capable of hitting a 3 although he hasn't shot it well this year. Key and Diakite are the most likely to get to the line. Key shoots poorly from the line, Diakite shoots reasonably well.
Wings: Here's where the weakness lies for the Cavs. They have taken a BIG hit in quality on the perimeter. Thomas Woldentensae (6'5", 195lb junior JuCo transfer from Italy via Indian Hills CC) is the primary option on the wing. The guy can shoot, as UNC found out the hard way in their recent home loss to the Cavs. Pretty much the only things Woldentensae does is shoot 3s. He hits 38% of them. Pretty nondescript athletically, and doesn't provide anything off the dribble. Casey Morsell (6'3", 195lb freshman) is the other primary wing. Morsell can shoot it a bit, but is a pure role player at this point. He is tough and plays within the flow of the game, but struggles as a ballhandler and hasn't translated his FT shooting to the 3pt line yet. Lastly, Kody Stattmann (6'7", 200lb sophomore from Australia) is the backup. Stattmann is a little reminiscent in style and even appearance to Mike Dunleavy Jr. He's obviously not nearly as good and not as springy as Dunleavy, but stylistically they are similar. A bit of a do-everything type of wing, but still very much a developmental player.
Guards: The Cavs' offense revolves around Kihei Clark (5'9", 165lb sophomore). Clark is their version of Tre Jones: the guy who never comes out of the game. Clark is a jitterbug of a PG, super quick and lightweight. He handles the ball A LOT for the Cavs, as they are pretty limited off the dribble everywhere else. If they don't get a shot with their first action, the ball typically comes right back to Clark and they try something different. Clark can attack off the dribble, but his size and lack of strength make finishing inside difficult. When he drives, he's usually looking to pass. He's a solid 3pt shooter and terrific free throw shooter, although again he doesn't get to the line frequently. He's a terrific floor general for them... they just need more weapons around him.
It will be interesting to see if Jones and Goldwire can contain Clark. If so, the Cavs will struggle to score 50. Of course, they have shown they can win while scoring less than 50 (3 such wins this year, and they have held 5 ACC opponents to under 50). I'm also interested to see if Carey can get his against the pack line. The matchups with Key and Diakite will be interesting as well. I feel as though we'll win, simply because UVa has so much trouble scoring. But if we play the way we have played recently on the road, the Cavs are certainly capable of beating us.