No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 16 Virginia: 5 storylines for major matchup

Trey Murphy as a starter

For a team that is successful on half of their field goal attempts and have connected on 58 percent from two-point land, the Virginia Cavaliers do not score many points. Their 74.4 points per game is a direct by-product of their aforementioned strength of schedule, which at best can be considered ‘light’.

Coach Bennett’s offense, by year’s end, will resemble the 57 per game they averaged last season as the third-lowest scoring team in NCAA Basketball, more than it will resemble the over 74 point offense they currently are.

The one difference the offense has this year is, that the now eligible Sam Hauser is playing as advertised by averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game. Aside from a difference in the offense,  Coach Bennet has made a change in their most recent game versus William & Mary.

This change was the introduction of Trey Murphy into the starting line-up. With his minutes surpassing his season average of 22 per game by 10 minutes, it paid off immediately as Murphy scored a game-high 15 points. More importantly, the Cavaliers top three-point shooter hit three-of-six from beyond the arc.

If there is one thing Virginia needs in order to compete with Gonzaga is more scoring, and since Murphy is shooting 52 percent from the arc, it is an offensive weapon playing opposite Sam Hauser that Justin McKoy did not provide.