Virginia Basketball: Cavaliers poised to move past March woes in 2019

By Brian Rauf | Jan 9, 2019

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 16: Kihei Clark #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers and teammates cheer from the bench after a late three-point shot in the second half during a game against the Coppin State Eagles at John Paul Jones Arena on November 16, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 05: De’Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers shoots over Mfiondu Kabengele #25 of the Florida State Seminoles in the second half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 5, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

1) Matchup advantages

Virginia traditionally succeeds because they play so well as a team and execute at a high level, but they have usually been playing at a sizable talent and athleticism disadvantage.

That is no longer the case.

De’Andre Hunter, who was injured for the loss to UMBC, is the biggest reason for this. One of the best defenders in the country going back to last season, Hunter is an athletic 6-7, 215-pounder who has drastically improved his offensive game. He can stretch opposing defenses from deep (40.7 percent from three), has the size to battle in the post, and is quick enough to take bigger defenders off the bounce.

Hunter might be the most talented player Bennett has had at UVA, too.

However, he’s not the only player like that on the Cavaliers. Alabama transfer Braxton Key has fit in nicely to Virginia’s rotation, giving them another athletic forward at 6-8 and 220 pounds. Though not as skilled as Hunter on either end of the floor, Key can fill it up from both the inside and outside, allowing him to take advantage of his matchup depending on if he’s bigger or quicker than them.

Virginia has not had a versatile wing player in this mold since Justin Anderson, and he was hurt for the second half of his final season in Charlottesville. This year, they have two of them, filling a major hole in their roster construction.

Because those two present such challenging skill sets, opponents can’t take away everything they do – and what they do also opens up more opportunities for Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and the rest of the roster.

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