The Virginia Cavaliers opened the Ron Sanchez era with a 65-56 defeat of the Campbell Fighting Camels on Wednesday night in John Paul Jones Arena.
Freshman Jacob Cofie led Virginia in scoring with 16 points with Isaac McKneely (11 points), Elijah Saunders (11), and Blake Buchanan (10) also finishing in double-digits. The ‘Hoos shot 46.2% (6-for-13) from deep and 57.1% from the field (24-for-42) while holding Campbell to 0.98 points per possession.
With the win, we have five takeaways for the Wahoos.
Virginia scrapes by in first game post-Tony Bennett
This wasn’t the feel-good, blowout victory Wahoo fans were reasonably hoping for in the first contest since Tony Bennett’s retirement.
Virginia controlled the game but struggled to pull away from Campbell as the Fighting Camels kept hitting shots to keep themselves in it late. UVA couldn’t deliver the knockout blow until the final moments which is a bit of a head-scratcher given the quality opponents the ‘Hoos will face before long.
Ultimately, though, a win is a win. Bennett’s retirement was a shocker that surely took time for the players and staff to stomach. This is a new team to its core which will have to play the long game this year. The Wahoos checked the box of avoiding an embarrassing upset in the season opener and get to build on a few encouraging performances from young pieces.
There’s work to be done. Fortunately for Virginia, it can be done while 1-0.
Jacob Cofie is the real deal
True freshman forward Jacob Cofie put on an absolute show in his collegiate debut.
The Seattle native scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and registered a steal and a block as he anchored the Virginia frontcourt. His 2-for-3 shooting from three was particularly impressive. Cofie’s only miss of his 7-for-8 shooting performance came on a late-clock heave. He was the Cavaliers’ most consistent source of scoring in the first half and was nearly flawless defensively guarding both fours and fives.
Cofie has appeared to be on the rise in recent weeks and he displayed just how ready he is to be a year one contributor on Wednesday night. Now, the question is what his role will be for the Wahoos this season.
He was the first guy off the bench against Campbell. Given his flexibility to play either frontcourt spot, that allows UVA to be versatile in how they use him alongside starters Elijah Saunders and Blake Buchanan. Buchanan struggled early before coming on in the second one while foul trouble limited Saunders’ impact.
Playing Cofie at the five opens the floor on offense. The way he demanded the ball on the perimeter was a sight for sore eyes as he gave Virginia’s guards space to operate and then capitalized when they forced his defender to help off of him.
Playing him at the four adds size to what are already big lineups. He and Buchanan showed flashes of working well together on offense, and their length defensively made backside rotations easier.
No matter how exactly he’s used, Cofie projects to be a useful piece for Sanchez this season. Yes, it’s only one game against Campbell. But the tools are unquestionably there, and that’s an exciting development for Virginia.
Virginia is running a different offense
Following an offseason of teasing a revamped offensive scheme, the ‘Hoos rolled out their fundamentally different offense.
Many of the base principles of attacking from the wings and being methodical to find the best shot remain in place. But the scheme is far more perimeter-based and less predictable. There are read-and-react actions that allow players to make decisions based on how the defense plays them with more cutting and less continuous motion.
There was certainly some clunkiness and indecision for stretches of this one. But the vision was there for a scheme that generates more outside shots and fewer long two-pointers.
Buchanan in particular improved as the five in the offense in the second half. He was effective at making plays with the ball in his hands as Virginia asked him to be involved in dribble hand-offs and short rolls where he had to make decisions on where to feed the ball. He finished with five assists and just one turnover in an altogether encouraging performance for the sophomore center.
Saunders also flashed in the post when he was out there. UVA looks more willing to pinpoint and attack individual matchups they like, and he was the most consistent benefactor with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
Overall, Virginia scored 1.18 points per possession. That’s so-so given the opponent.
UVA’s defense is still susceptible to hot shooting
This contest was more competitive than most Virginia fans would’ve hoped predominantly because of how the Fighting Camels teed off from deep.
After Campbell shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) from three in its season opener against D-III opponent Pfeiffer University, the Camels shot 11-for-29 (37.9%) against the Cavaliers. Some of those makes were good shots that they hit with a hand in the face. Others were results of defensive breakdowns and the reality that the packline is going to give up looks from deep.
In 2023-24, Virginia’s defense allowed the 18th lowest three-point shooting percentage in the country at 30.5%. That, largely, was a byproduct of having two All-ACC defenders including two-time ACC defensive player of the year Reece Beekman and one of the best NBA defensive prospects in years in Ryan Dunn.
With Dunn and Beekman gone, UVA has a lot of average defenders without a certified stopper. Saunders could be that guy – his foul trouble surely didn’t help matters. But without him for much of the game, it was down to Buchanan and Cofie to clean things up at the rim. They did their best with four combined blocks. But the rotations to the perimeter leave room for improvement.
Andrew Rohde is Virginia’s surprise starter at point guard
When Jalen Warley announced his decision to transfer away from Virginia less than two weeks before the season, there was a common assumption that the move was motivated by the coaching staff’s preference for Dai Dai Ames as the starting point guard. In fact, in the “potential starting lineup” UVA released earlier this week, Ames was listed as the starter.
Yet it was Andrew Rohde starting at the point when the Cavaliers took the floor against Campbell. Rohde had a rough first year with UVA last season playing alongside McKneely and Beekman in the backcourt. His 34.7%-25.7%-43.8% shooting splits from field goal range, three, and the free throw line were hardly pretty.
Rohde was up-and-down against Campbell. He didn’t score a point until the final minute, dished out five assists, and had four turnovers. That’s not an inspiring first stint as the Beekman successor. How he, Ames, or redshirt freshman Christian Bliss – who missed the game with an injury – perform as Virginia’s lead guards could determine the team’s ceiling in 2024-2025.
