Your Commonwealth Cup men’s hoops preview!

#31 R.P.I. Virginia Tech #7 R.P.I. Virginia:

Virginia Tech men’s basketball travels 150 miles -or 241 km’s for you frenchies- for round no.2 of this year Revenue Sports Commonwealth Clash. And after their downright fumbling, bumbling, stumbling, non-VicTory in football? You know Hoo, just cannot possibly wait for round no.2 to go… “ding!”

The Gobblers and the ‘Cavs are set for a rarefied Commonwealth Cup Top-10 hoopology intra-state D-1 rivalry hardwood smash. As the actual SportsWar boss-man, his very own self, Will -freakin’- Stew’ just told yah! So tune in this Tuesday night for an 8 pm kickoff on Raycom and ESPN3/ACC streaming to see what could be a pretty testy contest as these two do not exactly like each other and the stakes could hardly be any higher, here. Nevertheless, you wanna know who is gonna win, right? Read on, to find… out!

Virginia Head Coach: Anthony Guy “Tony” Bennett: Age=49, 303–119 (.718) overall, and 234–86 (.731) @UVA.
$2,430,000.oo

Crooner: Anthony Dominick Benedetto: age=92, with 19 Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 2001) and two Emmy Awards, and was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree. Bennett has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
$200,000,000.oo (est. net worth)

This Tony, known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He is also a painter and the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.

The other Tony Bennett is also a pretty fair to middling basketball coach up at uva. In point of fact, he is basically the Bud Foster of D-1 men’s hoops in defensive terms. His motion-offense is about an efficacious as can be, albeit overshadowed a bit by his much-vaunted pack-line defense. Coach Bennett is the only A.c.c. coach to win 16 conference games in consecutive seasons, and one of three in A.c.c. history to enjoy back-to-back 30-win seasons overall. Coach Bennett is known as a rapport annexing basketball player developer or the coaching (verb) in the truest sense. He has only won nine Coach of the Year Awards at Washington State and UVA combined, and yet curiously enough Coach Bennett only wears three conference crowns to show for it. He does own the single-season win records at both Virginia (31) and Washington State (26, twice). And he does sport a: FIBA Under-19 World Championship gold-medal to boot. As a Christian, coach Bennett is known for the use of his father’s “Five Pillars”: humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness.
Amen!

Baller Bennett, one (retired #25), was a 6′, 175 lb. lowercase shooting-man’s Jeff Hornacek/Jonny Stockton hybrid type of player of a Green Bay Wisconsin Pt.Guard who balled for coach Dick Bennett (his pop’s); and oh yes… Tony Bennet the now elite coach, and formerly ex-baller, is merely the #1, as in first-best all-time in college basketball history for career three-point field goal accuracy, at 49.7%, peaking at 53.3% in 1990–91; wow! i.e. baller Bennett is the best shooter in college basketball history; all-time; ever! He was awarded the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 1992 as the nation’s top player under 6′ in height and was an Academic all-American in ’92 on top of all of that. When Bennett left college he was the Mid-Continent Conference’s all-time leader in both points and assists before being drafted 35th overall in the 1992 NBA draft. Then playing three years for the Charlotte Hornets and several more in Australia and New Zealand, where he started coaching after foot and knee injuries forced the now highly esteemed coach Bennett to suit-n-tie, up.

Daddy Bennett and his wife, Laurel, have two children – a daughter, Anna, and a son, Eli.

Virginia at a glance:

  • #1 in scoring D (51.2 ppg allowed)!
  • #1 in 3-point shooting percentage D (24.5% allowed)!
  • #1 in fewest turnovers (∑=133, t) | and #1 in fewest turnovers per game (8.9 tpg)!
  • #3 in shooting percentage overall D (36.6% allowed)!
  • 4th in Assist:Turnover ratio (+1.68 a/t-pg)!
  • 7th fewest fouls “whistled” against (∑=230 pf’s)!
  • 8th in free-throwing percentage (77.2%)!
  • 10th in 3-point shooting percentage (39.8%)!
  • 27th in Rebounding Margin (+6.7 rpg).
  • 295th in FTA’s total (∑=272 FTA’).
  • Everything else is better than average to very good.
  • 1 injury listed: Coach God bless!

U.Va. Returning Starters=3

Wahoo Strengths:

  • Is this Tony’s best team yet? Statistically -as you can see above- “oui”, as a science-fact Coach Spock case can indeed be made that this is his alpha Zima team.
  • One #5, Kyle Joseph Guy is a 6′3″, third-year oppie (formerly) man-bun (see: below pic) wearing ginger, not Mary-Ann. Kyle Guy is the gem of UVA’s 2016 epic recruiting class. And he only won a slew of 3-point and slam dunk contests along the way to being named Mr. Basketball for the hoops-happy Hoosier state of Indiana. He also won the U.S. Marine Boy’s 3-point championship– so thank you to any member of his family in Service for my freedom(s). This is basically another kid with a very willing very sporting family tree, including a grandfather twice membered in the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame {sic: football and hoops}. Kyle, however, brings a rep’ for hitting the 3 and being electric in the open court, and yet he could mix in a steak and a protein shake; although he is up from 165 lbs. to a buck-seventy-four (174 lbs.) Nonetheless, 7.8 ppg his first year up to a team-leading 15.3 ppg this year with a very spry/heady looking 4.3 caroms and 2.2 dimes on a third-best 46% from the outside and a first best 88% on FTA’s with that kinda marksmanship type resume` makes this one a fun one to watch going forth. Or Tony Bennett’s: “guy”. As I was not so sure of this last year, however; oui-oui, this kid is a Pro’, even if he is exported to do so. Which is pretty decent 3rd-string all-Amerian pre-season work if you can get it. And I have to add, there is something of a situational game-elevation ethos in play here for this aspirant head basketball coach somewhere down the road his ownself that seems willing to rise to the occasion’s need. And he has drawn Dell Curry comparrisions of late; of all the, things.

    Eminemmuch?
  • 6′7″, 225 lbs. r-Soph., De’Andre Hunter is the second leading scorer at 14.1 ppg and likewise, second-leading rebounder at 5.3 rpg and that makes ‘dre the primacy ranked breakout baller for UVA thus far this campaign. As the Philly native was basically the first-best 6th man in the Atlantic Coast last campaign and he’s slide over into the starting line-up smartly enough. As Hunter (thx @St.Julia insert____here), seems to be right as rain after his play-off left-wrist snap right before UVA’s highly upsetting madness last March. Hunter was the 2016 Pennsylvania Class AA Player of the Year although he has been in-and-out of hoops his entire career. He is a dangerous all-around Swingman when he’s right and 51% from the floor, 81% on FTA’s and 44% from beyond the arc seems alright by me. As Hunter got to UVA with a rep’ as a shooting defensive stopper and he’s filled his all-around game in like a true hardwood intrinsic would. He’s also put up several career highs in statistical categories vs. Vah.Tech and he has a history of clutch-makes, late. (this in addition to being said to be the best “dancer” on the team).
  • Ty Jerome is  6′5″, 195 lb. junior season combo’-G who is said to be a modern-day Wing with good shooting range and solid passing instincts. Or basically a quality half-court coach T.Bennett heady fit. Right now Ty is -a somewhat surprising- third in points at a now sharp looking a nearly 5 ppg improved from last year all the way up to an outright productive 13.1 ppg this year. Jerome did pace UVA from downtown (46% on 3’s last year) although he’s down to a reasonable 39% this year so far. Recall he went close to a calendar slam as he had not missed an FTA since o2.o2; of last, year (2017); dang! However, Ty’s FT’s is all tied-up at a middleocore looking 76% this year. Still yet, Jerome’s floor game has now mixed in 4.1 rpg along with the team pace-setting lead at a nifty 4.5 apg, with the team blue ribbon in swipes with 1.8 spg— and that’s not half bad from a somewhat slumping shooter with a history of hip-surgeries to boot. Godspeed on that. And that does show you -in addition to his 2019 weight-cut- that this TeeJay is willing to put that work in. Cannot fault him there as most workers work their way back to their deffest shooting touch. As shooters… shoot!
  • Jack Salt is a 6′1o″, 25o lb. 6th-r-senior-year Steinlager imported and guzzling Auckland New Zealand native. WAR All-Blacks!!! As Jack Salt was your back-up hub in the Pack-Line defense last season. Jack is a rim-protector who brings starchy defense and collaring type rebounding to the Cavalier table even if he never quite exceeded his offensive or all-around production quotas. Jack prolly won’t get carded to buy beer until his late 30’s, he won 2 state championships down in N.Zealand where he also picked up 2 youth gold medals and his 4.4 ppg, with 4.7 rpg on a ripe looking 54% for the term thus far is not the worst Pack-Line true-Five or Center work, if you can get it. Segueing now…

PackLine 1o1:
The “pack line”, is a defensive strategy that was actually convinced by his father (Dick). The pack line is designed to clog up potential driving lanes to the paint by forcing ball handlers to the middle of the floor where more “help” is concentrated. It forces opposing teams to pass and shoot well while limiting dribble penetration to the rack and post play. i.e. this is not a good match-up in Caucasian-board erasable marker theory for the Wing slashing coach Buzz offensive set.

Cavalier Weaknesses:

  • Yet another skyscraping pack-line jamming C, although may St.Nikhon bless this one’s, left-knee and get it all right. As Francisco Caffaro is done for the year. All 6′12″, 233 lbs. of him. As the rookie year El Trebo, Santa Fe, Argentina imported native baller has a wealth of FIBA international hoops experience having balled for his nation since before he could drive (legally) in the states or since age 15! Averaging 16.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest in doing so and that makes this big-man subtraction no small measure indeed.
  • I suppose you could always say that Hall, Wilkens, and Johnson are gone. Although the Bennett system is custom made to retool if not outright reload; and; quickly. Plug-n-play pronto or A.S.A.P., most years.
  • Though just one outburst scorer or a light-’em-up offensive bench threat would be nearly downright criminal here.

Virginia Bench: (depth=2 and change)

5′8″, 155 lb. mighty-mite caddying and last years alpha-recruit, Pt.Guard, Kihei Clark is a fun little bugger to watch and an instant fan-favorite for it. Ditto, any kid who refuses to sit and balls-out in a left-wrist cast/brace for it. That makes him a tough little bugger as well. Per his bio’, this hawt Cali’ recruit: “spent several hours at the Children’s Hunger Fund in Sylmar, Calif.” whatever that means though “yes” that is more hours than I spent there, admittingly. That jab being rightfully placed… Lindy’s says Clark has: “extreme quickness” and is a dangerous open-court player for it. Although he must improve his shooting depth (4.4. ppg on 28% deep) and avoid 1-on-1 facebook type tête-à-tête battles for it.

Braxton Key who is at least an S/F anywhere else is a towering 6′8″, 225 lbs. shooting-G at UVA. And he is your surprise team leader in Windex work swiping the glass for a 5.9 rpg with 7.4 ppg per 33% from long-distance all in substitute relief. The Oak Hill Academy basketball factory heritage kid was rolling the tide at ‘Bama before transferring to UVA. Still yet, make no mistake, this kid is a real overload for any S/G or Two he faces. And he’s not an easy match-up even for a legit Three or S/F.

(7′2″, 232 lb., sophomoric, stretch-P/F, Jay Huff (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1 swat and 68% shooting) has really been on the come of late; as he’s been doing close to twice that in ~10 mins. of P.T.) If this guy develops, and gives Tony another post-weapon? Look out! As he only has 56% 3-point range.

Beating uva on the hardwood is what vis-à-vis beating uva on the gridiron?

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Illationconclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Cavs who could start @Tech=3+.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… as there are only two remaining undefeated’s in 2018-2019 men’s D-1 college basketball hoops (Michigan, 17-o; and uva 15-o)… as we are want to hype/say in boxing: “someone’s o has got to go!”

Even if it requires these two meeting in March Madness in about a mere two months time, only one team can theoretically finish perfect in college basketball when only two perfects, exist.

Though is hooVa’s “o” going anywhere here?


As these two are 29-1 combined at the moment— hooever, UVA has three wins vs. ranked teams by an alluring 26 total points. Whereas V.P.I. has only beaten Purdue and a couple of other power-conference “name” teams (Notre Dame & Washington). So UVA has the check-mark for being a bit more battle-tested at least for the moment.

The call

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide makes an early season appearance per both teams having run already vs. Boston College.

The Forum Guide predicts a mind-blowing 16 Hokie hulubulu @Virginia that as a single-shot predictor that strikes me as somewhere between being titular and/or basically dismissible indeed.

 ***

The seasonal metrics tell us that FG percentage margin is basically awash or just tenths of a point removed from tied for the year. Whereas 3-point shooting margin actually favors UVA by +5% and change (thanks mostly to defensive acumen); with rebounding margin a manageable +3 (rpg) in UVA’s favor.

The more recent 5-game trends say that UVA is now a noticeable +6% better from the floor on FG percentage margin, a backbreaking +17% superior on 3-point margin and up +8 rebounds per game on Rebounding Margin of late.

Or in other words gents… UVA is still improving whereas Buzz and Co. have slightly regressed in the last fortnight of roundball play.

  • Only one team can claim it has knocked off Virginia in each of the past three seasons. That team is Virginia Tech. That’s 3 rivalry wins by 5 total points; and twice into extra innings.
  • They were good enough to win the national championship last year and they’re good enough to win the national championship this year,” Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams said about Virginia.
  • Virginia has won its first three ACC games by an average of 20 points and led by at least 25 points in all three games.
  • The Hokies are one of only six Division I teams with four players averaging 12 ppg.
  • Justin Robinson (13.1 ppg) ranks second in the ACC in assists (5.8 apg) and needs only 18 more dimes to tie Bimbo Coles (547) for the most in school history.
  • Virginia has held seven opponents below 50 points, while Virginia Tech has done so five times. (40% in totality).
  • #1 Virginia hosts #7 Virginia Tech in the 148th edition of the Commonwealth Clash.

Accordingly, of right now, I am inclined to call this a home-at-home series. As only three other Atlantic Coast schools have Crowned Tony Bennett more times than Virginia Tech (6 wins vs. TeeBee). Yes, Netflix and I know… Stranger Things have indeed happened. Nonetheless, methinks uva will want to pick a revenue sports bone with us as an inhospitable New Year host.

As Buzzketball has struggled with stall-ball and/or physical teams thus far this year.

And if we are not beating a mutually defensively rugged although overall less talented Gah.Tech in the ATL by more than a basket, I serially doubt we are beating the University of Virginia by much of anything over in C’ville, Va.

Hate it, although the briè-heads go, Orville, as UVA manscapes V.P.I.’s lawn, here.

(they, CNN, and Seth MacFarlane like that kinda thing you know)

 

(76% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=53, virginia=68

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

4 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Yikes…a frenchie spy appears to have hacked our beloved B’Street in a futile attempt to stop the mojo train known as BuzzBall. Look for more slicing & dicing than a K-Tel made for TV food processor for 3 low payments of $24.99 & that’s the magic number 75. When Hokie reach it, a W for the maroon & orange and more drape-like Wahoo’s swimming in disappointment and shame.

    Lookout for Wahoo meltdown as the Hoos will implode after Buzzy & Crew bring home another W over Guy named bricklayer in C-Ville.

    Let’s Go…Hokies!!!

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