The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team has faced its fair share of challenges in the 2024-25 season. On Wednesday, they suffered their third loss, falling to the Florida Gators with a score of 87-69 in Gainesville. Currently, UVA stands at 5-3 on the season, having endured three blowout losses in the past two weeks. With this loss, there are five key takeaways for the Cavaliers as they prepare for their ACC opener against SMU on Saturday.

Virginia's Struggles Against Top Teams

On Wednesday night, the 'Hoos started strong against the Gators, leading by 18-9 after six minutes. Their hot shooting kept them in the game during the first half. However, similar to their performance against Tennessee in The Bahamas, they fell apart in the second half. An Elijah Saunders triple cut the deficit to one point in the second half's first minute, but Florida took control and didn't let up. The Gators scored an astonishing 1.548 points per possession in the second half, with Walter Clayton and Alex Condon dominating the Cavaliers at every level. Virginia's defensive rotations were too slow, and their on-ball defense couldn't maintain matchups. This trend of unraveling against top-tier competition is a concern. Against Tennessee, they were locked in defensively for the first 30 minutes before the Vols pulled away for a 22-point victory. Part of the issue is the offense's heavy reliance on three-point shooting. They also lack the athletes and defenders to match up against talented players like Clayton and Condon. For the Cavaliers to make a serious run at the NCAA Tournament, they need to be more consistent for 40 minutes and avoid these breakdowns.

Turnover and Defensive Rebounding Woes

Last week's matchups against Manhattan and Holy Cross provided a temporary respite from Virginia's issues with live ball turnovers and offensive rebounding. Against Florida, they turned the ball over 15 times, allowing the Gators to score 20 points. Florida also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds (a 37.9% offensive rebound rate), generating 10 second-chance points. This amounts to a 30-point deficit from turnovers and offensive rebounds alone. Virginia's live ball turnovers are a symptom of larger offensive problems, and their defensive rebounding habits are part of broader defensive trends. They don't have enough playmakers with strong ball-handling skills on offense and lack the raw size in the paint and attention to detail to be a good defensive rebounding team. These intangibles that were central to Bennett-ball have been persistent issues for the 'Hoos this season. If they don't address them, it could be a long year.

Andrew Rohde's Performance Against Athletic Opponents

Andrew Rohde had been playing well over the past two weeks, putting up 19 points against Tennessee and St. John's and 14 and 13 against Manhattan and Holy Cross, respectively. He was a more efficient shooter this season compared to last year, entering Wednesday night's matchup shooting better than 50% from three. But against Florida's athleticism and switch-heavy defensive scheme, he struggled. He scored only four points, had three assists, and three turnovers while shooting 1-for-4 from the field. This result isn't on Rohde alone; it highlights a larger problem for the 'Hoos. The offense simply doesn't have enough difference-makers against bigger and quicker major conference opponents. Rohde's value against lesser opponents compared to his impact against top teams shows how limited Virginia's offense can be when it can't physically dominate.

Expectations in ACC Play

The SEC's dominance in the SEC-ACC Challenge presents a mixed outlook for Virginia. On one hand, the fact that the ACC is currently mediocre means UVA has the potential for a solid finish in the conference. Tennessee (#2 on KenPom), Florida (#9 on KenPom), and St. John's (#20 on KenPom) are ranked higher than most ACC teams, except Duke at #3 and Pitt at #13. The middle of the ACC isn't very strong, and Virginia could take advantage. However, the downside is that being in the middle of the pack in the ACC may not be enough to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. Going 11-9 or 12-8 in ACC play, which seems challenging, might not be sufficient given the conference's overall performance. Saturday's game against SMU will give us our first glimpse of how the 'Hoos compare to the rest of the ACC mediocrity.