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Message: [QUOTE="73CAV, post: 4899563, member: 3916"] I believe that these are the keys to remember: There's talent, but, for the most part, it is inexperienced, and the most experienced players (the two grad transfers) are in their first year playing in Coach Bennett's systems. Beekman is the only returning starter. He is also one of only two returning upperclassmen who have seen action in a Virginia uniform. The only other returning players who saw significant game action last year are McKneely and Dunn. Aside from Beekman, Murray, and the two graduate transfers, everyone else on the team are either 1st or 2nd year. Virginia is a work in progress. That said, having Beekman as the primary ballhandler and leader of this team has more than a bit of value. Virginia's front line is a bit thin and lacks size. It's a concern. Groves is more of a stretch 4, and asking him to defend centers has its own set of problems. Buchanan has a bucket load of talent, but he needs to put on weight and gain both strength and experience. He isn't quite ready for P6 basketball, although without him Virginia wouldn't have defeated Florida. Jordan Minor played in a zone defense at Merrimack and he has struggled in the pack line m2m. As for the Northeastern game, I am attributing some of the problem to post-exam rust. Also, there have been reports that Rohde didn't practice for nine days due to do some unnamed issue (injury?). Regardless, UVa has three shooters who can be relied upon to hit from beyond the arc (McKneely, Groves, & Rohde). They don't all have to be "on" in any given game, but if they're all struggling, Virginia will have problems. Lastly, after the Memphis game this coming Tuesday, Virginia has a very favorable schedule. The youngsters get to gain some experience (and, hopefully, more confidence) as the meat of the schedule doesn't begin until February. As I said, this team is a "work in progress", and we're all looking forward to see how far they can go. [/QUOTE]

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