Less than a week after spraining the MCL in his left knee, Kyle Guy returned to the floor for Virginia. It went, as Carolina Darney of Streaking The Lawn would describe it to me afterwards: “Outstanding.”
I watched this came from the baseline media seating, closest to Virginia’s bench. Guy messed with his knee brace a handful of times, but didn’t appear to be in any pain. More importantly, he played excellently, and in a way the would make when think he’s healthy and ready for a lengthy postseason run.
The Right Stuff
In the 75-58 win over Louisville, Kyle Guy played great — 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting (4-of-6 3PA). The four three-pointers he hit are the most in a game for Guy since a win at Syracuse over a month ago.
Guy looked his usually explosive self — rocketing off Virginia’s patented pindown screens, which is key. According to Synergy Sports, Guy was 4-of-5 (2-of-3 3PA) for 10 points on off-screen attempts possessions in the half-court. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was also 2-of-3 on spot-up attempts from beyond the arc.
A Sigh of Relief
Virginia’s offense is a balanced unit — as evidenced by five players scoring double figures against the Cardinals, including All-ACC Analytics guard Devon Hall. The Cavs need multiple scoring options; everyone plays a role offensively, but the shooting of Kyle Guy is so critical to this team’s success.
Tony Bennett’s squad has been the No. 1 team in the country for a month now; the Cavs are poised to be the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, too. This is a team with serious goals, and multiple title aspirations.
The satisfy those lofty expectations, though, Guy must be healthy and a serious scoring threat for UVA. After the scare last week at Notre Dame, all seems to be right in the world of orange and blue.
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