Isaiah Wilkins knows his Virginia teammates are frustrated. Three consecutive losses will do that.
But Wilkins doesn?t think the Cavaliers are losing confidence, despite their recent struggles.
?I think these are the most confident group of young guys that we?ve had since I?ve been here,? Wilkins said after U.Va. got dismantled 65-41 on Saturday at North Carolina. ?I think they?ll be fine.?
That?s why, as the reeling Cavaliers (18-8, 8-6 ACC) get set to host Miami tonight, Wilkins remains convinced Virginia can right its ship and get rolling again.
?No doubt about it. I?m confident,? Wilkins said. ?I?m really confident in this team. I love these guys. A lot of these guys are proven. I?m not questioning nobody?s confidence. I feel like everybody can do it. We just have to get back on the same page.?
The problem, of late, has been offense.
Virginia ranks last in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 67.7 points.
The team lacks an inside scoring presence and relies heavily on outside shooting. That hasn?t been there for the past two games. The Cavaliers have gone 36 for 111 from the floor the past two outings, losses to Duke and North Carolina, including a 7-for-40 showing from beyond the 3-point arc.
?It?s no mystery we don?t score a ton inside,? Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. ?So when we?re missing some perimeter shots ? some were pretty good shots ? that puts a lot of pressure on us defensively.?
Against the Tar Heels on Saturday, Virginia went 15 for 54 from the floor, and hit just two of its 20 3-point attempts.
?I felt like we had some good looks,? senior point guard London Perrantes said. ?Some good looks, some not so good looks. They just didn?t go in, so it really doesn?t matter.?
As the shots failed to go down, the Tar Heels pulled further and further away. Perrantes tried to stem the tide by driving to the basket and drawing fouls, but that wasn?t enough.
?Points are hard to manufacture for us if we?re not hitting those outside shots,? Bennett said. ? ? We?re not playing great basketball. I wish we could find easier ways to get some buckets just to give us a little more cushion.?
The Cavaliers expected to have a considerable offensive threat in Memphis transfer Austin Nichols. But Bennett dismissed him from the team in the first month of the season for off-court reasons.
Even before Nichols? dismissal, Virginia was replacing four key players off last year?s Elite Eight team. One of those, guard Malcolm Brogdon, will be back in John Paul Jones Arena tonight. The Milwaukee Bucks? rookie is having his number retired.
?I?ve been with Malcolm since high school,? Wilkins said. ?He had a day at my high school when they retired his jersey, so it?ll be a cool experience.?
Brogdon ended his college career ranked ninth on Virginia?s all-time scoring list with 1,809 points. He was a part of 110 wins during his Cavaliers? career, the most in program history.
Brogdon was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior, the season he became the first player to be named ACC player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same year. He was a three-time first-team all-conference selection.
The Hurricanes (18-8, 8-6) have won four of their past five games and are tied with U.Va. and Syracuse for sixth in the conference.
After Saturday night?s defeat, Bennett delivered a message to refocus his team.
?When you get smacked in the face like that, you can lay down or you can get back up and try to fight,? Bennett said he told his players. ?We play a good Miami team with a quick turnaround. This will be our fourth game in a short amount of time. We have to somehow, someway find ways to improve, tighten up in those areas.?
Like Wilkins, Bennett thinks the Cavaliers have the mettle to respond.
?We?ve got a good group of guys,? Bennett said.
But Wilkins doesn?t think the Cavaliers are losing confidence, despite their recent struggles.
?I think these are the most confident group of young guys that we?ve had since I?ve been here,? Wilkins said after U.Va. got dismantled 65-41 on Saturday at North Carolina. ?I think they?ll be fine.?
That?s why, as the reeling Cavaliers (18-8, 8-6 ACC) get set to host Miami tonight, Wilkins remains convinced Virginia can right its ship and get rolling again.
?No doubt about it. I?m confident,? Wilkins said. ?I?m really confident in this team. I love these guys. A lot of these guys are proven. I?m not questioning nobody?s confidence. I feel like everybody can do it. We just have to get back on the same page.?
The problem, of late, has been offense.
Virginia ranks last in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 67.7 points.
The team lacks an inside scoring presence and relies heavily on outside shooting. That hasn?t been there for the past two games. The Cavaliers have gone 36 for 111 from the floor the past two outings, losses to Duke and North Carolina, including a 7-for-40 showing from beyond the 3-point arc.
?It?s no mystery we don?t score a ton inside,? Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. ?So when we?re missing some perimeter shots ? some were pretty good shots ? that puts a lot of pressure on us defensively.?
Against the Tar Heels on Saturday, Virginia went 15 for 54 from the floor, and hit just two of its 20 3-point attempts.
?I felt like we had some good looks,? senior point guard London Perrantes said. ?Some good looks, some not so good looks. They just didn?t go in, so it really doesn?t matter.?
As the shots failed to go down, the Tar Heels pulled further and further away. Perrantes tried to stem the tide by driving to the basket and drawing fouls, but that wasn?t enough.
?Points are hard to manufacture for us if we?re not hitting those outside shots,? Bennett said. ? ? We?re not playing great basketball. I wish we could find easier ways to get some buckets just to give us a little more cushion.?
The Cavaliers expected to have a considerable offensive threat in Memphis transfer Austin Nichols. But Bennett dismissed him from the team in the first month of the season for off-court reasons.
Even before Nichols? dismissal, Virginia was replacing four key players off last year?s Elite Eight team. One of those, guard Malcolm Brogdon, will be back in John Paul Jones Arena tonight. The Milwaukee Bucks? rookie is having his number retired.
?I?ve been with Malcolm since high school,? Wilkins said. ?He had a day at my high school when they retired his jersey, so it?ll be a cool experience.?
Brogdon ended his college career ranked ninth on Virginia?s all-time scoring list with 1,809 points. He was a part of 110 wins during his Cavaliers? career, the most in program history.
Brogdon was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior, the season he became the first player to be named ACC player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same year. He was a three-time first-team all-conference selection.
The Hurricanes (18-8, 8-6) have won four of their past five games and are tied with U.Va. and Syracuse for sixth in the conference.
After Saturday night?s defeat, Bennett delivered a message to refocus his team.
?When you get smacked in the face like that, you can lay down or you can get back up and try to fight,? Bennett said he told his players. ?We play a good Miami team with a quick turnaround. This will be our fourth game in a short amount of time. We have to somehow, someway find ways to improve, tighten up in those areas.?
Like Wilkins, Bennett thinks the Cavaliers have the mettle to respond.
?We?ve got a good group of guys,? Bennett said.
