Sylven Landesberg scored 28 points and added 8 assists and 8 rebounds in his Virginia debut. His night set the record for most points by a Virginia player making their freshman debut since Jeff Lamp scored 24 points. Mike Scott also had a big night, scoring 26 points and adding 18 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive end. Mamadi Diane (14 pts, 7 rebs), Jamil Tucker (14 pts), and Sammy Zeglinksi (11 pts, 6 asts) also added double-figures in the win.
VMI, who plays a hectic up-tempo style, was coming off of a win at Kentucky on Friday night that marked the start of the college basketball season for most fans.
Positives
- Virginia outrebounded VMI 48-31, and grabbed a remarkable 55% of their own misses.
- In such a hectic game, Dave Leitao must be happy with an assist/turnover ratio above 1. The Cavaliers finished with 24 assists and 20 turnovers.
- 28 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds on 10-17 FG shooting, 8-11 FT shooting...I'd say that is a positive in just about any game, much less the first game of your collegiate career.
- UVA attacked the basket with 28 dunks and layups, and assisted on over half of their shots.
Negatives
- Mamadi Diane started slow and made just 6-15 shots including missing all 4 from behind the arc.
- Sure a win is a win, but Virginia did allow VMI to have an offensive efficiency of 105.4. Regardless of the tempo of the game, that's not very good.
Factor of the Game
The offensive rebound was a potent weapon for Virginia tonight, as the Cavaliers went on a huge run early taking an 18 point lead. Over that stretch UVA gathered nearly every one of their own misses, leading to an 80% offensive rebound % through the first 7 minutes. Virginia finished at 55% but their success depended largely upon the offensive rebound throughout.
