Virginia Basketball: 3 takeaways from close win at Notre Dame

1. After a season-best performance against Gonzaga, Kihei Clark continued his return to form against Notre Dame

With all due respect to Jay Huff, who was fantastic in establishing Virginia’s early lead behind a 15-point performance (7-9 FG, five rebounds), point guard Kihei Clark was the star of the Cavaliers’ win – and gave UVA fans a good sign moving forward.

After being selected to the All-ACC Preseason Second Team and the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, Clark has struggled to begin his junior campaign, scoring seven and nine against Towson and San Francisco – before going scoreless against Saint Francis.  But he was one of the lone bright spots in UVA’s loss to Gonzaga, pouring in 19 points – and followed that up with another 19-point performance against Notre Dame.

While Clark’s performance against Gonzaga was marred by six turnovers, his display against the Fighting Irish was nearly perfect, going 7-12 from the floor, 2-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-6 from the free-throw line – while collecting three rebounds and five assists with no turnovers.

Clark’s back-to-back performances are significant for a Virginia squad that has struggled to get any consistent production from its backcourt.  While the power forward-center tandem of Sam Hauser and Jay Huff have, for the most part, been able to contribute, UVA’s grouping of Reece Beekman, Tomas Woldetensae, and Trey Murphy has failed to string together a consistent offense.

Entering this game, nearly all of Kihei Clark’s averages and percentages were down from last season – but this is finally looking like the point guard that played a key part in Virginia’s title run in 2019.  If Clark can continue to consistently score and drive to the basket at will – something he did successfully against Notre Dame – then that will finally add an edge to a Virginia squad that was expected to compete for an ACC title.