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Virginia becomes this season's first top 10 team to fall
With all but two key players back from a team that captured its second consecutive ACC title last season, Virginia coach Tony Bennett upgraded his non-conference schedule to reflect his program's newfound status as a national power.
That move may backfire unless the Cavaliers play better than they did Monday night.
Sixth-ranked Virginia lost 73-68 at Atlantic 10 contender George Washington because the Cavaliers were one-dimensional on offense and couldn't compensate with their usual level of defensive dominance. The Colonials shot a respectable 45.1 percent from the field, attempted 28 foul shots and scored the most points anyone has against Virginia in regulation since Dec. 30, 2013.
Virginia's packline defense prides itself on walling off the paint and forcing teams to shoot contested jump shots, but George Washington dominated around the basket Monday night.
When Virginia doubled the post on the catch as has been its signature, forward Kevin Larsen calmly dribbled out of it and whipped skip passes cross court to wide open shooters. When the Cavaliers responded by not doubling as consistently, Larsen and Tyler Cavanaugh scored or drew a foul consistently going one-on-one with their backs to the basket. And if all else failed, Patricio Garino fearlessly attacked the rim off the dribble or via the offensive glass.
Garino had 18 points including seven straight midway through the second half to give George Washington the lead for good. Cavanaugh also had 18 points and Larsen filled up the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.
All-American candidate Malcolm Brogdon kept Virginia competitive with 28 points, but the Cavaliers never found a consistent second and third scoring option.Forward Anthony Gill fought through foul trouble to tally 11 points, but guards London Perrantes, Darius Thompson, Marial Shayok and Devon Hall combined to shoot an anemic 6 of 23 from the field.
George Washington's performance signaled that it's a major threat to not only reach the NCAA tournament this season but also contend for the Atlantic 10 title. The Colonials have almost every key player back from last year's NIT team and welcome Cavanaugh from Wake Forest, giving them the sort of interior threat that the guard-oriented Atlantic 10 usually lacks.
Virginia can definitely still contend in the ACC for a third straight year, but the Cavaliers will have to fix some of their issues in a hurry to avoid digging themselves an early hole Still to come on their upgraded nonleague schedule: Ohio State, West Virginia, Villanova and Cal.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
