Watch the video linked here on VirginiaSports.com to see the full postgame press conference with UVA basketball interim head coach Ron Sanchez following Virginia’s 87-69 loss at No. 13 Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night and follow along with the following transcript to read everything Sanchez said after the game.
On Virginia’s turnover issues:
RON SANCHEZ: Definitely give Florida their credit. That’s a top 25 team in the country for a reason. They have athleticism and length. They are very physical defensively. They rebound the ball at a high level. They got good shooters all around and they got some legit size on the inside. I think that Todd’s doing a really good job with a very good team. Some of our turnovers were some some physical toughness. Credit to their defense. And you have to be able to match that. Some of them were also, you know, kind of sloppy ball handling and poor screening. So I think it’s a combination of the two. I’ll know more when I watch the video.
On the challenge of defending Walter Clayton Jr.:
RON SANCHEZ: Walter is an excellent basketball player. I mean, obviously, you know, he had 27 points tonight. He’s got a beautiful stroke. He shoots the ball really well from the perimeter. He’s got hesitation moves, he can get in the lane. He’s a good passer. He’s very complete. When you got a weapon that’s legit, you know, that three point ball with with so much range, because I think he’s in range when he crosses half court, it’s definitely something that attracts your attention. And Coach is doing a really good job of flying him off screens, and he’s doing a good job of really using those opportunities to showcase his talents. Ken right coach, about Alex COVID on the inside from Florida,
Key Takeaways From UVA Basketball’s 87-69 Loss at Florida
On trying to defend Alex Condon in the paint:
RON SANCHEZ: As I started at the beginning, this team is really big, and physical and athletic and strong on the interior. They seal you. They’re physically mature. Sometimes hard to get around when you got some young guys trying to match that physicality. But their physicality showed today, both on the glass and on their seals. And again, I think he’s got a really good interior core here.
On what led to Virginia’s scoring drought in the first half:
RON SANCHEZ: I think I’ll know more when I watch. I think then when you’re missing open shots, it impacts it. That defense picked up. They got offensive rebounds. Overall, I think we played a really good first half of basketball. We went on a little drought. We matched it. We ended up being down four at half. Made up for some mistakes that we created, but ended up making enough shots to be in the game. So as far as it wasn’t an offensive thing, I think it was more of a defensive presence. When Dai Dai got in foul trouble, it limited some of our ball handling, and they picked up their pressure, and we could feel that, as a group, you know, we’re handling the point by committee, and when you have one of those guys out, it makes it a little harder to execute your offense. But I think overall, I’d say very, very pleased with the first half. I think that we handled adversity well. This group is on its way of becoming who they’re going to be. And this is the beauty of these games in December and November, where you get some legit exposure to high level talent that allow you to grow. It’s painful growth, but you grow nonetheless.
On if he thinks Florida has what it takes to be a championship team:
RON SANCHEZ: That’s a great question. I wish that I studied them more. I do believe that when you have enough shooting and really good point guard play and athleticism on the interior, one on one players on the interior and your big guys are good passers and good shooters, you definitely give yourself a chance. We wanted to make them play in the half court, and we did a pretty good job of that in the first half. We did a poor job of that in the second half, because Florida creates offense away from their offense. They create offense via second chance, points and transitions, and they have guys that can make shots, and they also have guys that have played in some pretty high level games. Alijah Martin, we haven’t talked about him, but I’m really familiar with him. And he’s a guy that helped Florida Atlantic get to a Final Four. So you’re talking about experience, maturity, and physicality. I think he does have a really good team and I do think that it’s a team that could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
On the play of Elijah Saunders:
RON SANCHEZ:
This is the reason why we wanted to recruit Elijah. I think versus this level of competition for him to perform like this is definitely something that we expected. he’s had a couple of tough games, and tonight, I thought he was physical. He shot the three. He made some good plays. We put him in position to be successful. Elijah is a good player. I’m hoping that he can continue to do this and play as well as he did today. We just need other guys to kind of pick up their play and kind of catch up.
On what makes it so difficult to guard Walter Clayton Jr.:
RON SANCHEZ: As I said earlier, when you have the ability to shoot the ball with such range, you make defenses pull out. Like I said before, he’s in range when he crosses half court, so you gotta know where he is. He’ll do a great job of pushing the ball in transition if you don’t find him in transition early, most likely, if his feet are set, he’s gonna make a shot. So I think his ability to run the floor and shoot the three is one of his biggest weapons, and it makes him a legit threat.
On the turnovers and points off of turnovers:
RON SANCHEZ: The ball handling was an issue tonight. Too many turnovers for second chance points, I mean, for transition points. And too many offensive rebounds for second chance points. When I watch the video, I’m sure that I’m going to find enough breakdowns. We didn’t keep the ball out of the paint. They executed their offense at a high level. We did not respond in the second half again. Definitely pleased with what we did in the first half, and I’m hoping that we can replicate what we did in the first half for the future as we continue to improve as a team.
Key Takeaways From UVA Basketball’s 87-69 Loss at Florida
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