Forays into lane net 'Bub' pub

The night before his team’s game against North Carolina, Virginia guard Jontel "Bub" Evans was doing what most basketball junkies were that night: Watching New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin light up the Los Angeles Lakers in another installment of a phenomenon that has become known as "Linsanity."

About 15 hours later, Evans gave UVa fans a taste of "Bubsanity."

Evans was one of the few bright spots in the Wahoos’ 70-52 loss to UNC on
Saturday.

"I thought Jontel certainly made some good plays and he kept us in it when Mike [Scott] got in foul trouble," said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, whose team plays at Clemson on Tuesday night. "He got in the lane. Jontel battled."

In the first half, with Scott on the bench, Evans — not known for his offensive exploits — scored four straight hoops and single-handedly turned an 18-16 deficit into a 24-18 Virginia lead.

"Jontel — you have to stop his penetration," said North Carolina coach Roy
Williams. "That’s awfully hard to do. I told [our guys] I don’t care how you get there, but get there and be there on the other side. We talked to our big guys about being out there in their stance and change his path a little bit.

"But he’s one of the best penetrators there is in the league, so it’s hard to do that."

Evans appreciated
Williams’ kind words.

"Coming from coach Roy Williams, that’s a great compliment," Evans said. "That’s what I strive to do — getting into the paint and finish or kick it out to my shooters."

In addition to his unexpected offensive outburst, Evans played his usual solid defense. He held UNC point guard Kendall Marshall — who came into the game averaging 6.8 points and an ACC-best 10.0 assists — to roughly two points and four assists below his season averages.

Evans, though, wasn’t taking much solace in that.

"Even though he didn’t play that great, his team won," Evans said. "They got one on us by double digits, but I’m looking forward to playing them again in
another couple of weeks."

With starting shooting guard Sammy Zeglinski continuing to struggle with his shot and starting forward Akil Mitchell not really looking for his, Evans’ baskets likely kept the game from being an even bigger blowout.

All of his points came via attacking drives to the hoop. His prettiest bucket was a high-arcing left-handed layup that he kissed off the glass.

"I was coming off the ball screen and reading the big man," said Evans, who finished with 12 points, five assists and four turnovers in 37 minutes. "If he stayed, I kept my dribble. And as soon as he left, I would attack and it just opened up.

"I just feel like we have a good ball-screen offense and I took advantage of it."

Just like a certain Harvard graduate is doing in the Big Apple right now.

"He’s a beast," said a smiling Evans, referring to Lin. "That guy’s a beast. I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a max contract soon."