It isn’t always pretty, but they get the job done. It isn’t always fun to watch, but they win more or as much as anybody else has over the last two years. It isn’t the direction the sport is going, but it’s making them a national power.
Defense is the key for Virginia and has been their calling card for the past few years. Even in a year where Kentucky’s defense was the talk of the town, it was the Cavaliers that finished with the top adjusted defense in college basketball, according to kenpom.com.
Tony Bennett has brought Virginia out of obscurity, securing back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the Cavaliers for the first time since the early 90s. It’s been an unconventional approach to get there, but Bennett has the Cavaliers on the brink of greatness.
Last year’s team came close to achieving the ultimate goal of winning the national title, but after Justin Anderson — who came on extremely strong to be the offensive weapon Virginia needed — suffered a hand injury, his play and the team’s overall chemistry wasn’t the same, resulting in an early tournament exit.
Sure, the loss came to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad that appeared to be a team of destiny to reach the Final Four, but UVA knows it left something great on the table. This year, they’ll be looking to get back there and make something of it this time around.
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They’ll have to do so without Anderson and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Darion Atkins, both game-changing players. However, much like last season, those losses don’t seem as bad with who they have coming back.
Malcolm Brogdon returns for his senior year and for the second-straight year he’s pegged as a first team All-American by multiple outlets, including Sporting News. His defense is tremendous and he’s the best overall offensive player for the Cavaliers. Brogdon led the team in scoring in each of the past two seasons, averaging 14.0 points last season to go along with 2.3 assists, which was second on the team.
Brogdon’s offensive ability expands when paired with junior point guard London Perrantes, one of the more underrated floor generals in the country. Last season, Perrantes put his passing on display, increasing his assists average from 3.8 in 2013-14 to 4.7 in 2014-15. His scoring isn’t a huge piece to the puzzle (6.4 points/game last season), but scoring isn’t exactly what’s winning Virginia basketball games.
After all, the team was 225th in the country in scoring and 349th in adjusted tempo. Scoring is nice, but that’s not the moniker for this program.
However, there will need to be some players stepping up offensively this year. Anderson provided a great boost in the scoring column and shot 45 percent from three.
One player expected to take on a bigger role this year is Evan Nolte (3.1 points, 1.6 rebounds per game), who started in Anderson’s place during his injury last season. He’ll likely join senior wing Anthony Gill (11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds) and senior post Mike Tobey (6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds) in the starting lineup, though there are options.
Marial Shayok, a sophomore guard, put together a nice string of games last season and should be a key piece to the rotation, whether it be as a starter or as the leading man off the bench. Darius Thompson, a transfer from Tennessee, and Devon Hall should also be factors in the rotation, but the starters have gotten most of the minutes in Bennett’s system.
Despite winning back-to-back outright ACC regular season titles, Virginia once again finds itself picked to finish behind North Carolina and Duke, which is the case almost every year. You’d think that going a combined 32-4 in conference play the past two years would earn you some respect, but with the Tar Heels and Blue Devils consistently being at the top of the national title conversation, it makes it harder.
The Cavaliers will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves to those that think they won’t match up with UNC and Duke, and some of those come before conference play even starts.
Virginia has loaded up its non-conference schedule with quality opponents, opting to go with home-and-homes to get the most of their games rather than neutral court affairs that their counterparts rely upon.
Their second game of the season is one the road at George Washington, (Nov. 16) and it only gets more difficult from there. The back end of Virginia’s non-conference schedule is brutal, but it also provides fans with a chance to see some great games.
A closer look at our 2015-16 away schedule! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/dvh18NXKje
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) September 8, 2015
In the span of five games, Virginia will play at Ohio State (Dec. 1), vs. William & Mary (Dec. 5), a neutral court game against West Virginia (Dec. 8) and two-straight home games against Villanova (Dec. 19) and California (Dec. 22). Each of those final three could be top 25 matchups and the final two could be battles of two top 10 teams.
Of course, it’s only going to get tougher come ACC play and opening up against Notre Dame is a good test for both teams. Despite their losses of Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton, the Irish have firepower returning in Demetrius Jackson, Steve Vasturia and Zach Auguste.
Busting Brackets
Luckily, but also disappointingly from a viewing point of view, Virginia only plays Duke and North Carolina once each, traveling to Durham on Feb. 13 and hosting the Tar Heels on Feb. 27. Both games should be important from a standings perspective as these three are expected to be at the top of the ACC standings.
Virginia does play both Louisville and Miami twice and both teams are looking to be better than many expect them to be. There’s some buzz around Miami, especially if Angel Rodriguez corrects his shooting woes from last season and Louisville is using graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis to help replace Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell. Both should have a say in the conference race.
All things considered, this should be an interesting year for Virginia. They may not be the most watchable team in the country (flashbacks to that 45-26 win over Rutgers last season still haunt me) but they are one of the elite programs that are still fighting to be recognized as such.
Defensive teams aren’t sexy, nor are they ones fans clamor to watch. However, this is a team that can be the exception to that rule. They’re very good, and while the buckets may not be got at a high rate like some teams in the ACC, the chess match to see how Virginia keeps those offensive powerhouses from scoring is amazing to watch. Few get the job done better than Bennett’s teams.
Look for the Cavaliers to once again be at or near the top off the ACC standings and be in the discussion for another top NCAA Tournament seed. Because of the parity in college hoops during the 2015-16 season, that defense has never been more important.
Virginia should be feared, because they’re coming to right the wrongs of last March.