As much as we love to poke fun their way, tough blow to lose one of their more versatile players right before the tournament. Also have to wonder if this brings Hunter back next season as he was a fringe first rounder right now.
UVA loses Deandre Hunter to broken wrist
Hunter's emergence as a versatile scoring threat was a huge part of that success. The 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman averaged 12.3 points per game since Jan. 3, scoring both from the low block and from behind the arc.
The most memorable moment of Hunter's season was the dramatic game-winning 3-pointer he banked in at the buzzer to beat Louisville on March 1. He also had 22 points in a victory at Miami on Feb. 18.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
Let the Boo Hoo tears of zima flow
On a minor note: sucks for the athlete.
If there is a god, UVa will lose this weekend
If there is a god with a good sense of humor, they'll lose their first game
We'll learn a lot about God this weekend
After seeing your avatar, I imagine Jerry Seinfeld saying this and shrugging his shoulders, as a laugh track plays in the background.
God has a great sense of humor. We are all witnesses.
Damn... I think I need to go to church more, now
My UVA cousin is currently melting down on twitter and I am...delighted. But I will say nothing to him because I'm not trying to bring that evil back on us. Best to watch from a distance and gloat silently
Update: meltdown has reached existential crisis leading to deleting his twitter account.
My thoughts have always been: if your team relies on person, then you have a good person and not a good team.
100% agree. And I agree with everyone else, I hate this for the athlete.
But watching my smug cousin lose his shit over this? Someone get me some popcorn.
Oh no for real though. Watching UVA fans do UVA fan things is a different sport in it's own. I hope you have the extra large tub of popcorn!
It's like people-watching at the airport, only better because they all have this puffed up image of themselves and they don't realize how idiotic they have become because of it
nick setting up for this weekend like
It is very possible that I am more interested in them losing in the first round than I am in us winning the first round. And if they lose and we win they will be so damn pissed...it would be the best day.
UPDATE*** IT IS THE BEST DAY
I'll be honest, I was crying last night. The kind of crying that comes when you are laughing so hard you can't stop and it's hard to breathe because holy shit that just happened and it's glorious. Nothing can ruin this for me.
This afternoon I will be posting up at a bar in the Bdubs at VCC-Richmond to watch more basketball and make fun of the lack of people wearing UVA stuff, for anyone that wants to join me. I'll buy you a drink if you say LOLUVA to me.
My wife & I may be coming to Cap City! What hours will you be there?
Probably in time for Duke to start playing.
These are the times I wish I still lived near Richmond. If I did, I would be there 😂
I'm sure its not that far from where ever you are!
Raleigh? Try a 2.5 hour drive 😂
Just a quick little weekend drive.
True, true. I have a basketball tournament that I am playing in all day tomorrow, so I'm sticking around here this weekend. Our team name, and no, I did not have a hand in picking it: the Turkeys. An auspicious beginning for a charity b-ball tournament I think 🤔
Agreed, but I thought - a still sorta think- that this is a legit national championship contender team Bennett has. They have the ingredients you like- great guard play, great defense (the best efficiency stat defense- ever) and a great coach. Nobody is going to blow them out, so each game they will have a chance to win. They don't commit turnovers, and Jerome and Guy can shoot under pressure. It's a final four team at least. Now, this injury does hurt them- big time. Hunter can guard the other team's athletic wings- something nobody else on their roster can do- but when you hold teams to 24% shooting, you don't need many "defenders". I think they are still in San Antonio- they are that good.
So what you're saying is that Bennett doesn't get a pass for this injury?
No Chris Rock, I'm actually saying the opposite. Great, fresh, funny- hilarious really joke though. I can't stop laughing
So some coaches are allowed to get a pass when the injury bug strikes? Interesting....
So you are here SIMPLY to start an argument. Awesome. I'll remember that when you blast me for "criticizing" any aspect of a future VT game.
Come on now dc let's calm down here
And what does this even mean? Is it their prolific offense that holds teams to 24% shooting? The fans?
No, it means that they play great team and help defense. A staple of Bennett's packline. You don't need one "elite" defender or defensive specialist to make it work/win.
By my count you need 5 defenders to make it work
OK, I'll give you a huge woosh on both of my posts related to Hunter and UVAs defense.
Hunter has been their sixth man for the most part so they still have five but beyond Hunter it falls to guys like DIakite and Salt, who are neither as athletic, prolific in scoring or defensively stout as Hunter. Nigel Johnson will likely be called upon to play more minutes now as a starter but that's if he stays out of foul trouble.
That's what they said last year
I missed where last years UVA team ran through the entire ACC like a hot knife through butter and posted historically great defensive numbers across the board.
Wel... not the entire ACC
So if/when they lose pre Final Four... hopefully scoring more than 40 points, we can roast you, is that what I'm hearing?
Just make sure you leave your computer open with your brother, SaladHokie, over...
together, with our powers combined, we're known as the Olive Garden Hokies
Somebody please get in touch with BreadStickHokie and we'll be all set.
I was gonna say, something seemed like it was missing....
Now I want olive garden:(
How bout garlicbread?
I'll take it
Yes, please do!! I'll be happy to eat crow on this one
Guess we get to roast you. 54 points for the game, UMBC scored 53 in the second half ;)
Probably the best crow you've ever eaten, I imagine? :)
Yep. I was 100% wrong. and I'm here to say I am thrilled. VT has been dreadful all time in the NCAA tourney. Dreadful. Zero sweet 16s, rarely even in the tourney, etc. And that sucks. But at least we are not forever a trivia question now, and I am happy UVA is.
Actually, we have an Elite 8 to our name (1967) where we lost to national runner-up Dayton by 5. Just a shame it was almost a decade before I was even born. :(
This comment didn't age well. Shame that Bennett doesn't get a pass for the injury
Savage.
Shocked, shocked that you are that douche that after the game pretended they picked UMBC and knew all along UVA would lose to the 16 seed. I'm shocked you're that guy. I really am.
I mean, if you're going to go there, I kinda did. More than once.
But I'm just amused at how level headed you're able to take it when your predictions don't go your way. I'll give you a pass on it, though, we're all Hokies.
You're archival knowledge of your own comments impresses me.
Archival, or more of just searching "Alum07 + Virginia" and "Alum07 + UVa" in my comment history....
Great job on the UMBC pick, everyone believes you.
Its literally the second comment on this page, dummy
Oh yes, Mr. Vegas. why you are not a pro gambler, nobody will ever know. You had UMBC all the way. We all believe you.
That's hardly a pick. Pretty much any Hokie (and especially those who are the kind that would frequent TKP) wanted UVA to lose that game. That's hardly "calling it". SharkbaitHokie definitely called it though.
Edit: downvoted for some sense 🙄
No, no, no- he nailed UMBC, yep.
Yep, vague jokes are "predictions" saying a "sad april" is a prediction that UMBC specifically would beat UVA. I believe you.
Aww, thanks! I knew you'd finally come around.
It wasn't the UMBC pick that you "nailed" by making a god joke, nah it was the fact that you also had Temple over VT in 98, Villanova over Georgetown in 85, and you nailed FSU over Xavier last night too. Yep- nailed them. You are an ace.
You know it!
wow. You know those arguments you have in public where you think you're winning because you don't let the other guy have the last word but you both end up looking like douchebags? This is one of those. Just stop.
My fault. I had forgotten he had Lehigh over Duke a few years back too. I should have remembered that.
Great, now UVA has an excuse when they lose to a 16th seed...
who cares lol.... wouldn't that be something if they became the first 1 seed to lose to a 16th seed? oh my god, that would make the sky fall in boo hooville
I imagine it'd have some severe consequences like Bronco only getting a 5-year extension instead of 7.
lol now thats funny.... have a leg
Losing your 6th man is not an excuse for a 1 to lose to a 16.
Being UVA is enough excuse to lose to a 16th seed.
Someone check LeSabre for this. I'm not going to that god-forsaken wasteland of a site.
Oh yeah, it's an excuse. Last I heard, Hunter would have brought 10 more extra points to the table on offense and his defense alone would have account for -10 for UMBC.
As much as I hate them, it sucks seeing a young kid get injured and miss the big dance. With that being said, they have always been a great regular season team but struggle in the tourney because they are facing teams that are very consistent with mid-range jumpers. Should be an interesting weekend for them.
That actually sucks
Haven't seen my boss since the news broke after work I gotta come up with some good zingers now
On a side note I wish the kid a full recovery and hopefully a good draft pick in this years draft!
I picked Cincinnati to beat UVA in the Elite Eight out of pure pettiness. Everyone I talked to had UVA going to the Final Four, and about half of them have them in the National Championship. Look who's the genius now.
In all honestly, I hope Hunter makes a full recovery. The NCAA Tournament is one of if not the greatest event in American sports, and to miss out of it because of an injury blows.
You couldn't have been that petty if you have them in the Elite Eight in the first place. I think they lose before that.
I don't think they make it past the winner of the UK/Arizona game.
I'm with you.
Pretty sure you'd be correct!
Hahahaha ha ha. Loluva
I am petty. I have them going down in the first round (in one bracket).
I already had them dropping to D Ayton, not so much Arizona, just Ayton. My wife saw the news and said "well he only scores like 10 ppg, so not that big of a loss" until I reminded her that LOLUVA only scores about 60 ppg, so this actually is a big blow to their mediocre offense. I think they still get to the Sweet 16 (good for the conference and good for us), but they won't get to the Final Four as Salt is not going to be able to hold down the block.
So wait, is he (Deandre Hunter) like the best/top scorer on the team or something??
4th on the team in scoring at 9.2 PPG, 4th on the team at rebounding at 3.5 RPG, 6th in assists at 1.1 APG, 5th in steals at .6 SPG, was shooting 49% from the field, 39% from outside and hitting 76% of his free throws. All of that in only 19.9 MPG on the season.
In conference play though, he had averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, shooting 47% from outside, 50% from the field and hitting 73% of his free throws. His minutes had increased to about 23 per game as well. He scored in double digits in 12 of their 18 ACC games. His importance in terms of being able to play both ends of the court and especially defensively cover a teams most versatile wing player was incredibly important to UVA.
Time to rework some brackets
Dear baby Jesus,
Please let UVA lose to a 16 seed.
Great post! One of the more memorable upsets in basketball history. My 'hoo friends at the time were stunned and I took full advantage of their dismay.
I bet 75% of members weren't even born yet...
Still one of the biggest ever.
Dislike seeing a kid get injured.
But I like the fact their odds of winning a Natty and having bragging rights forever are likely squandered.
I have them falling to Arizona.
Just overheard at work:
"ESPN hates us. Did you see their front page last night? They posted about Hunter fracturing his wrist and had a picture of Hall."
Me: "They're just incompetent. They show pictures of the wrong players all the time."
"They hate us. During the game, they kept talking about how good the player on the other team was. We counted it, it was 50 times they mentioned him." (the person did not specify which game, which player, and also stated earlier they were at that game, so...)
loluva, now photoshopping ESPN mentions.
I believe the correct to response to "ESPN hates us....." Should be "Do you think thats because they know UVA culture, or just from watching the way you play basketball?"
"Or from having to occasionally watch you play football?"
Talking football makes all the LOLUVA basketball fans I know go deaf or bring up stick sports. It's part of the annoying culture thing that makes them so hated.
At least he can take solace in saying he didn't play in this game.
So now UVA lost Hunter and their first round game. What does that do for their national title chances? Can someone remind me?
It's UVA. They're now on track for the national championship in women's tiddlywinks.
Not too far, actually. Word around the office is the UVA Women's Bball team is still in that NCAA tourney.
And, they were eliminated. So, back to talking about other sports around the office...
IDGAF
I guess it was significant, after all.
The only thing better would have been if he had played, and they still had lost, but I'll take it the way it played out.
"Oh boy look at this thread activity, I bet there was some in depth analysis of how Hunter's absence cost UVA the game or some Wahoos making excuses."