In a buy-game special, the Virginia Cavaliers overwhelmed the Coppin State Eagles in pretty much every facet of the game.  This game gave Virginia the chance to try out a new point guard and give more run to Jacob Cofie, who looks like he’s going to be Virginia’s most-impactful newcomer.  Better competition awaits, but for now we’ll just review this game.

Plus

A win is a win is a win.  Coppin State is not the team that Campbell was, and the disparity in talent  made for uninspiring viewing if you weren’t a Cavalier fan.  Virginia’s non-conference slate has gotten less inspiring in recent years, but for interim head coach Ron Sanchez, you can only play the teams that are in front of you.  Four Wahoos – Dai Dai Ames, Isaac McKneely, Elijah Saunders and Jacob Cofie – all reached double figures.

Plus

Andrew Rohde was the announced starter at point guard, and he came out and warmed up, but he was a gametime scratch.  Christian Bliss didn’t dress out for the second straight game.  (Jalen Warley is long gone.)  Virginia had exactly one healthy lead guard, but fortunately Dai Dai Ames was up to the task.  He did not impress in his 10-minute stint against Campbell, but he looked a like a completely different player this go round.  He scored Virginia’s opening basket on the night, an and-one, was 2/3 from deep, and had three assists against zero turnovers.  It could take Rohde three games to match Ames’ 13 points in this game.  Now, he doesn’t look like he’s going to push the pace much – Virginia had 61 possessions this game versus 55 against Campbell and it took seven possessions in two minutes late in the 2nd half to get there – but Ames showed he could get into the paint, showcasing the best point guard touch in the lane since Ty Jerome.  Sure, it was against substandard competition, but Ames certainly deserves a longer look as the team’s point guard.

Plus

With 3:20 remaining the first half, Coppin State was still hanging around and Virginia’s lead was just 23-14.  Isaac McKneely poured in three threes in less than two minutes to break open the game and give Virginia a 32-16 lead.  McKneely went 4/8 from beyond the arc and helped Virginia go 9/27 from deep.  Now, that’s just 33% and that’s not great, but seeing Virginia attempt that many threes is a good sign.

Minus

Ames went 2/3 from beyond the arc and Elijah Saunders was 1/2, but TJ Power, Ishan Sharma and Taine Murray went 1/13.  Again, 27 attempts is a better reflection of the modern game, but McKneely is going to need more help.

Plus

After blitzing Campbell in the first half, Jacob Cofie was largely silent in the first against Coppin State.  He came out blazing in the second half, scoring all 11 of his points – a perfect 4/4 from the line and 1/1 from deep – enroute to an 11-rebound double-double.  Cofie played the Ryan Dunn role to perfection, adding three blocks, four steals and a pair of assists.  He’s had a magical two games.  Even when he loses the ball on a steal and fast break, he’s able to convert:

Minus

Conversely, it’s been a rough start for TJ Power, who went 1/6 from deep and is looking like the guy who got dropped to mop-up minutes for Duke last year.  With the emergence of Cofie, he’s going to struggle for minutes, but maybe Power can fill the role of glue guy for the team.  His +22 plus/minus was the second-highest (only behind Ames) on the team.

Plus

Elijah Saunders looks like he’s going to be able to give Virginia a post-up game.  He flashed a sweet hook turnaround against Campbell, and he had two nice post-ups on this night.  He was 1/2 from three and a perfect 4/4 from the line.

More: Matt’s Five Takeaways

Plus

Speaking of which, the team shot 11/12 from the charity stripe with the only miss coming from the normally reliable McKneely.  Given the adventures this team has had from the pinstripe the past couple of years, the contributions made by Cofie, Saunders and Ames are most welcome.

Minus

Taine Murray had a night to forget.  Twice he stepped on the line driving to the bucket, just two of a whopping six turnovers on the night.  He airballed a three, and most egregiously, he had a poor closeout and subsequently fouled on a made three, giving Coppin State a 4-point play.  He got 18 minutes, which might be the earliest indicator of the difference between the coaching of Tony Bennett and Ron Sanchez.  I suspect Bennett would never have given Murray this kind of burn with the night he was having.

Plus

Anthony Robinson made his long-awaited debut and had a beautiful little finish for his first points as a Cavalier.  It was widely presumed that Robinson would bring defensive energy to the floor, but this is a sweet touch.

Next Up: Virginia travels to Baltimore on Friday to take on Villanova in the Hall of Fame Series. Game time is 5:00pm and will be shown on TNT. I’ll be at the game, so hit me up on Twitter (X) @JerzyWalker.

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