But like all things, life goes on. Named the Interim Head Basketball Coach of the Hoos was assistant coach Ron Sanchez who previously had Head coaching experience at Charlotte. He also served nine seasons under Bennett so he’s familiar with his philosophy on coaching a team – should he decide to follow it.

If the first half of the Hoos season proved anything, it was their inability to consistently play at the same level of their competition – namely Tennessee, St Johns, Florida, SMU, and Memphis. All nationally ranked teams. They were outscored on average 72 – 56, a sixteen-point difference.

There’s No Place Like Home

It would have been nice if the Cavs played all their games within the confines of John Paul Jones Arena because they compiled a 6 -1 record there.

Overall, the Hoos did manage to finish the first half of their season with a 7 – 5 record heading into Conference play.

Defensively, they remain solid, giving up only 60 pts per game which is par for them.

But offensively, they need to score more points if they are going to be competitive against ACC opponents.

One area of concern are the turnovers. They averaged twelve per game in the first half of this season – four more than their average last year.

Go Hoos!

Now that they’ve had a dozen games under their belt, let’s hope the Cavs can build off that experience and be a contender rather than play a spoiler’s role in their Conference. 

The post UVA First Half of the 2024-2025 Basketball Season appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

The Wahoo’s began February on a Rocky Mountain high by winning their first three conference games.

They were now in contention for the ACC top spot. But then the unthinkable happened – their offense began to unravel.

In the next four games they averaged just 49 points per game which resulted in three loses.

For the month, they finished 5-3 chasing both North Carolina and Duke in the Conference.

There are two more regular/ conference games left in March before the league playoffs begin.

Although the Cav’s overall record stands at 21-8 – as of this writing – they took their defeats on the chin. Some of their eight loses were frustrating to watch because they were uncharacteristic blowouts.

This team is too good to have these kinds of lapses so it is a concern for Bennett going forward.

Let’s hope they can play winning basketball throughout March because March is when the men from the boys get separated.

Go Hoos!!

The post February’s UVA Basketball Summary appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

College basketball season will soon be upon us, and we look forward to seeing our Hoos back on the court beginning November 6th against Tarleton State.

This season promises to be an interesting one because of several unknown factors.

The pivotal players will be Beekman, Dunn, and McKneely. Then there are several transfers who Bennett hopes will make an immediate impact on the court. 

Beekman is one of the better defensive players in the country notwithstanding his overall contribution to the team.

McKneely, who is only a sophmore, as is Dunn,  is already being compared (statistically) to Kyle Guy while one writer has Dunn being a second coming of De’Andre Hunter. 

Off the bench, there is an experienced junior in Taine Murray. If he plays up to his potential he can most certainly earn a spot on the starting five. 

With that being said, Bennett has to find playing time for those who transferred into his program as well as Leon Bond III, a red-shirted freshman, and true freshman Elijah Gertrude.

As we know, Tony Bennett’s side of the ball is defense. If this year’s team can limit their opponents to under 55 points a game, they may very well contend for the ACC title.

Let’s go Wahoo’s and surprise the critics. 

Jerry Corsaletti

The post IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME…….. appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

We witnessed UVA basketball at its best this month. They vaulted from fifth place in the ACC to second place in what is arguably the best/toughest conference in all of college basketball.

They finished the month of January with an impressive 8 – 1 record…. all against ACC opponents.

Overall, the Cavaliers are 17 – 3 for the 2022-2023 season and are currently ranked #6 in the nation.

January’s victories proved to be a team effort. The stalwarts, Clark, Gardner, Beekman,  Franklin, and Vander Plas had more than enough help from off the bench.

Freshman Isaac McKneely continues to impress as does Ryan Dunn.

The two goals going forward are winning the ACC title, and being a number one seed in the NCAA tournament…all within their reach should they continue their winning ways.

Go Hoos!!

-Jerry Corsaletti

The post January UVA Summary appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

Houston and Miami proved to be stumbling blocks for the Wahoos in December. However, on the plus side, they defeated two ACC teams, they being, Florida State and Georgia Tech. Overall, they recorded a 4-2 record for the month.

As of this writing, the Wahoos are ranked #11in the AP/Coaches polls and fourth in the ACC standings.

In January, things are not going to get any easier because they will be facing all ACC teams which is the heart of their schedule.

The combined win-lost record for those eight teams in January is 60-39. Not too shabby seeing that Florida State alone contributed eleven of those losses.

Statistically, Jayden Gardner leads the team in average points per game with 12 followed closely by Kihel Clark with 11.5 points.  

Overall, the team is averaging 70.2 points per game while allowing just 58.3 points.

Let’s hold on to our seats because January (and February) is going to be barometer to see just how good Bennett’s team is. Needless to say, they will have to bring their “A” game to each court.

-Jerry Corsaletti

The post Wahoos December Recap appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

As one sports writer put it, “Tony Bennett’s team passed all its tests in the opening month of the season.”

They certainly did!

The “Hoos” opened the college basketball season ranked sixteenth in the nation. But by the end of November, they worked, and won their way to number three. What a phenomenal achievement!

Along the way, they defeated two top twenty teams; #5 Baylor and #19 Illinois, which catapulted them to the Continental Tire Main Event title in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the process, UVA became the first ACC team to accomplish that feat.

To finish out their November schedule they traveled to Michigan and beat the Wolverines 70-68 after trailing by eleven points at half-time. That’s the character of this team.

Currently, they are the only undefeated team is the ACC. Who would have thought that since North Carolina was predicted by the experts to win not only the ACC Title but also the National Title in College basketball.    

Bennett’s team, known for their defense prowess, is also showing they can score points, averaging 77 points per game while allowing just 59 points per game.    

December promises to be another exciting month for the Hoos because they entertain Houston (6-0), the current #1 team in the nation, and also Miami (6-1) on their home court.

Let’s hope they stay healthy and continue their winning ways.

Go Hoo’s!!

-Jerry Corsaletti

The post UVA Men’s Basketball November Recap appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..