It was nice to welcome a special guest back to the JPJ last night.
Hahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/JQoDXlFlD1
— Justin Anderson (@JusAnderson1) February 16, 2016
If Malcolm Brogdon is up against Cat Barber for ACC Player of the Year, then let Monday night’s game serve as his stump speech. Guarding Barber from the opening tip, Brogdon used his size, quickness, and strength (and well-timed help from Isaiah Wilkins and our other bigs) to limit Barber (who had scored at least 30 in four of five coming in) to 14 points (on just 11 shots), two assists, and five turnovers in 40 minutes. Malcolm’s defense didn’t just harass Barber into an inefficient performance, it took him out of the game entirely. I was a little disappointed in Barber. By early in the second half, it felt like he had mentally moved on to NC State’s next game and wasn’t even trying to get the better of Brogdon anymore.
Malcolm brought it on offense too, scoring 22 points on 13 shots. He made four of seven three point tries, five of six free throws, dished five assists, and scored 12 of our 31 first half points when we were scuffling a little. If he’d thrown down a surprisingly explosive dunk, this game would have exemplified all of his various skills.
With Barber nullified, State’s fortunes depended on everyone else stepping up, and they’re not set up to win games that way. The Wolfpack’s second, third, and fourth-leading scorers combined to shoot 2-17 and score 10 points. Maverick Rowan fired with hubris that would make Trevor Cooney blush but missed nine of 10 shots, Abdul-Malik Abu grabbed just two rebounds and didn’t attempt a shot in scoring one point in 22 minutes, and Caleb Martin (the higher-scoring of the two Martin twins) missed five of six threes and six of seven shots overall. With those guys collectively out of the picture, it was left to Cody Martin and Lennard Freeman (averaging 10 and change per game between them for the season) to keep things moving. It worked in the first half — Martin and Freeman combined for NC State’s first 10 points and 14 of their 31 for the frame — but wasn’t tenable for a full 40. NC State finished this game with five (five!) assists and an offensive rating of 91.1, our fifth opponent in the last six games to finish under 100.
Having diverse options on offense ended up giving us separation. The game felt like it might be over when a 15-4 run spurred by all six of AG’s points made it 46-35 six minutes into the second half. It felt really over when we pushed the lead to 17 after a Malcolm three, a Tobey dunk and three point play, and then it actually was over when London did his impression of Michael Jordan in the ’92 NBA Finals, hitting three consecutive threes to make it 70-46 with 2:48 to go. The rest of the game was garbage time, though Jarred Reuter gave me a chance to rave about his footwork with a nice drop step move for a three point play and our final points.
The first half of this one was a little concerning — we held down Barber, but NC State picked up offensive boards and little dumps inside — but we tightened up and took over with one of our best halves of the season.
Notes:
- NC State’s bigs are lengthy dudes and good shot blockers, and AG — not the most explosive guy — really struggled to finish against them. Gill scored six points on 3-8 shooting and had just five boards. Amazingly, given how he was mauled at times by NC State’s bigs, he didn’t attempt a free throw. Gill’s FT rate this season is 56.2 FT/100 FGA, which is the lowest of his three seasons in Charlottesville. His style hasn’t changed, but the officiating of his play has — he’s not getting calls around the basket anymore.
- Devon Hall had his best overall game in a while. He scored six points on nifty transition moves, had three steals (and numerous other tips), and played a heady floor game on both ends of the court.
- Isaiah Wilkins grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 of the team’s 20 defensive boards, while scoring six points, dishing three assists, and flying over for a nice weak-side block. He showed a nice move for a jumper out of the low post, something we haven’t seen much of yet (and I’d like to see more of).
The team gets a week off before the roughest two-game stretch of the season (at Miami, UNC at home).
