All Franklin needed was a little nudge toward 3-point greatness in NIT win

By Jerry Ratcliffe

It was halftime in North Texas’ “Super Pit” arena and Virginia was sweating out another narrow lead, a 26-24 advantage over a hungry mid-major hoping to knock off a vaunted program from the ACC.

Most of the Cavaliers were contributing on offense — what offense there existed in a game between the two slowest-paced teams in the entire nation — except for one guy. Armaan Franklin had not scored.

Being shut out was not what UVA’s coaches had counted on after Franklin had made two big 3’s in a win earlier in the week over Mississippi State in the opening round of the NIT. The coaches had hoped it would boost Franklin’s confidence, but it wasn’t showing.

Perhaps what Franklin needed was a little nudge.

Did someone say Jason Williford?

Williford, Virginia’s associate head coach, isn’t known for holding back his feelings and isn’t shy about delivering wake-up calls to players. Halftime provided the coach a perfect opening to pour some cold water onto Franklin’s psyche.

“Coach Williford was like, ‘We need you … these guys need you. You’re a better player than you showed in that first half,’” Tony Bennett shared with media in his postgame presser. “And boy, did [Franklin] ever respond.”

Not only had Franklin not scored, but he wasn’t playing his usual game, as if he just wasn’t ready to play. The junior guard snapped out of his funk in the second half, even though he didn’t make a single shot until there was only nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation.

When Franklin finally made a shot at the 9:30 mark, he turned the “Pit” into his personal shooting gallery, making 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc (three in a row in overtime) to finish as Virginia’s leading scorer (17 points) and propel the Cavaliers to a 71-69 win over North Texas.

UVA, now 21-13 advances to the NIT quarterfinals against St. Bonaventure on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena at 7 p.m. (see related game story, updated brackets, notes, box score, and related story on how to buy tickets on this site).

“That says something when you challenge someone and they respond,” Bennett said. “That was good to see. We needed those shots and he played some good defense, so I was so happy for him.”

Franklin, who transferred from Indiana, had been in a terrible shooting slump down the homestretch of the regular season.

In his last nine games prior to the NIT, Franklin had made only 8 of 34 shots from the 3-point arc (and three of those makes came in one game). He hit two big ones against Mississippi State, and Bennett had expressed that perhaps those shots would build his struggling guard’s confidence.

Once Franklin connected against the favored Mean Green, he could hardly miss.

His first bucket of the night gave UVA a 50-41 cushion. He added two free throws shortly after, then hit another 3 from the left wing with 5:41 to play for a 55-49 lead after UNT had cut it to three.

Franklin rattled off 17 consecutive points, including the aforementioned eight, which were the last points Virginia scored in regulation (5 minutes, 41 seconds without a point) as North Texas fought back to send it into overtime (the Mean Green didn’t score the final two-and-a-half minutes).

In overtime, Franklin didn’t cool. In fact, he drilled in three triples in a row to start the extra period as UVA held on for the win.

“I started out pretty poorly and that stood out because I wasn’t producing on the floor,” Franklin said. “So I had a choice to make. Either sit down and pout about it or when I go back into the game, make the most out of it, take the open shots. When you see a couple go in, that just enhances every shot as a shooter.”

In the two-game postseason, Franklin has made 7 of 12 attempts from downtown. That’s what he was accustomed to during his sophomore year at Indiana, and what Virginia had hoped he could bring to this team, which is desperate for perimeter shooting.

Franklin never gave up on his shot, which is a shooter’s mentality. The next one is always going in. His teammates had his back, which didn’t hurt either.

“We always tell our teammates to just keep shooting the ball,” said forward Kody Stattmann, who posted a career-high 10 rebounds. “We know he can shoot, so when he caught on fire like that, it’s always good to see him shoot like that.”

Was it just confidence, Williford’s prodding, something else that sparked Franklin’s fire?

Bennett said the coaches spotted something while scouring through film, something mechanical in Franklin’s shot that they addressed, although the coach said he didn’t know if that made a difference.

“Just a little tiny mechanical thing,” Bennett said. “He’s been working at that and I’ve noticed he’s been more consistent. Sometimes you fall into little patterns and you’re trying to self-correct, and there’s one little thing.

“I want him to take good rhythm shots. I almost get mad at him when he doesn’t.”

Franklin said he couldn’t remember exactly when the coaches addressed the hitch, that it was only minor, but that it helped and he feels more comfortable.

If the adjustment can help make Franklin the outside threat he has been in the postseason, the Cavaliers could end the season at Madison Square Garden in the NIT’s Final Four, a place where a few teams in Virginia history used as a springboard to future greatness.

And, if the tiny mechanical adjustment isn’t enough, Coach Willy is also there as a constant reminder.