Virginia lost one of its top players to injury right before the NCAA tournament. How will his loss affect the Cavaliers attempt to win it all?
The news that Virginia freshman guard De’Andre Hunter had hurt his wrist and was lost for the season was big news in the college basketball world. Hunter was one of Virginia’s top rotational players and his absence could influence the entire tournament landscape.
So how will Hunter’s loss affect the Cavaliers?
The Pros
Virginia is losing a freshman which would put more minutes into the hands of older more experienced players such as Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome. This will also allow other players such as Jack Salt and Mamadi Diakite the opportunity to step up in Hunter’s absence.
The Cons
The Cavaliers are losing a player who averages nine points and 3.5 rebounds per game. For a team that keeps the score and possessions low, nine points is a lot for a team to lose.
Virginia only plays eight players, so Hunter’s loss drops that rotation down to seven. This could cause additional problems if a player gets into foul trouble and may lead to injuries and defensive lapses due to fatigue.
Additionally, the players who will be expected to step up and cover for Hunter’s absence have all done less with the same amount of playing time. Nigel Johnson, Salt, Diakite, and Hunter are all averaging about 15-19 minutes per game. While Hunter is producing over nine points a game, the other three players combined are averaging 13.5 combined.
Conclusion
There is no doubt Virginia will miss Hunter’s contributions in the postseason, but I don’t think it means Virginia is necessarily any less dangerous. Their defense still will wear teams down and keep the scores and possessions low giving Virginia a chance to win.
They could still very easily reach the final four for just the third time in the school’s history. However, the odds of them doing so have clearly dropped. Virginia is still a sweet sixteen team without Hunter, but may once again keep Tony Bennett from reaching the promised land.