The Virginia Cavaliers' perfect season was not tested, on paper, more than it was on Saturday, and their defense stepped up to the task to pass that test with ease. Kyle Guy scored 21 points to help the fourth-ranked Cavaliers get past the ninth-ranked Florida State Seminoles at home, 65-52. Guy scored 18 of his points in the first half, helping the Cavaliers improve to 13-0 on the season in their ACC Conference opener. This is the best start in program history since the 2014-2015 team won its first 19 games in a row before suffering a loss.
Braxton Key chipped in 20 points, including 12 in the opening half, as the Cavaliers led by as many as 19 in the first 20 minutes. It was more their defense that stepped up in this top-10 showdown to hand Florida State their second loss of the season in their conference opener. The Seminoles were held to 15 field goals on the night and shot just 34 percent, becoming the 11th team to be held below 60 points against Virginia this season. And that leads it to be no surprise that the Cavaliers lead the country in scoring defense, allowing an average of 51.4 points per game.
The Seminoles shot 15-of-44 from the floor, while also committing 15 turnovers, all of which was a recipe for disaster in this game. Virginia ended up scoring 21 points off those turnovers, and used a 15-2 run to pull away by halftime. The Cavaliers extended their lead to as large as 29 in the second half, before going more than seven minutes without a field goal. They will take their perfect record on the road to visit Boston College on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Florida State will play host to the Miami Hurricanes that same night.
Braxton Key chipped in 20 points, including 12 in the opening half, as the Cavaliers led by as many as 19 in the first 20 minutes. It was more their defense that stepped up in this top-10 showdown to hand Florida State their second loss of the season in their conference opener. The Seminoles were held to 15 field goals on the night and shot just 34 percent, becoming the 11th team to be held below 60 points against Virginia this season. And that leads it to be no surprise that the Cavaliers lead the country in scoring defense, allowing an average of 51.4 points per game.
The Seminoles shot 15-of-44 from the floor, while also committing 15 turnovers, all of which was a recipe for disaster in this game. Virginia ended up scoring 21 points off those turnovers, and used a 15-2 run to pull away by halftime. The Cavaliers extended their lead to as large as 29 in the second half, before going more than seven minutes without a field goal. They will take their perfect record on the road to visit Boston College on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Florida State will play host to the Miami Hurricanes that same night.