Virginia Basketball: Five reasons why the Cavaliers will win it all
Dec 3, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett yells to his team from the bench against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Mountaineers won 66-57. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
What are the five reasons why Virginia basketball can win the NCAA Tournament title?
Virginia basketball is poised for yet another great year thanks to coach Tony Bennett. The pieces are in place for a solid season and most experts predict the Wahoos to finish high in the ACC and make another deep NCAA Tournament run this year.
Although Virginia has already experienced the feeling of a loss this season, the Cavaliers seem to always be in the position to possibly make a deep NCAA Tournament run. The field is open this year and Virginia is ready to post another 25 plus win season.
The Cavaliers have made three straight Big Dance’s and have advanced as far as the Elite Eight (which came in 2015-16). UVA hasn’t reached a Final Four since 1984 and no Virginia team have ever won the national title. This makes for an eager and antsy fan base.
This year’s team features three starters from a squad that made a deep run last season. This combined with a promising recruiting class has fueled the belief that this team may be the one to get them over the national championship hump.
The Charlottesville faithful are eager for this drought to end and many of them feel as though Bennett is the guy to do it. Last year’s squad was close to making this happen but fell in a tough loss to Syracuse in the Elite Eight.
Will this be the year that Virginia finally wins it all? Many believe so, and here is a list of five reasons why they could.
Dec 3, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard London Perrantes (32) dribbles the ball as West Virginia Mountaineers guard Teyvon Myers (0) defends in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Mountaineers won 66-57. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
5. Experience
Virginia is an extremely experienced team and this will serve them well come March. They are returning three starters in London Perrantes, Devon Hall, and Isaiah Wilkins. Aside from these three, the youngest starter of the bunch is a redshirt sophomore.
In short, this team is older and more experienced than most teams. They have been through the pressures of college basketball and this experience should bode well for them as they attempt to make a run in March.
Nov 30, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard London Perrantes (32) dribbles the ball past Ohio State Buckeyes guard JaQuan Lyle (13) in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 63-61. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
4. London Perrantes
London Perrantes has been Virginia’s leader all year. The senior has started all four years while playing point guard for the Cavaliers, and has averaged at least 29 minutes per game every year.
Perrantes isn’t just a four-year guy; he’s also the team leader who averages 10.0 points and 4.4 assists per game. He has been named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List which is an award given to the top point guard in the country.
Perrantes has been everything you want out of a four-year starter. Now, it’s time for him to close the chapter of his Virginia basketball career with a national title run.
Oct 26, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavalier coach Tony Bennett speaks to the media during ACC Operation Basketball at The Ritz-Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
3. Coach Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is one of the best coaches in America and there are a handful of fan bases that daydream about one day stealing him from Virginia. While coaching at Virginia, Bennett has recorded a 172-73 record. The man can flat out coach and is the sole reason why the Hoos have made the NCAA Tournament in four out of the last five years.
It seems as though Bennett has finally got the team in the direction he wants as they have posted two 30-win seasons and one 29-win season in the last three years.
The main knock on Bennett was that he couldn’t get his teams past the Sweet 16. Last year’s Elite Eight run has silenced these doubts and left fans wanting more. Virginia is trending upwards and is in safe hands with Bennett at the helm.
Nov 22, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett huddles with his team during a stoppage in play against the Grambling State Tigers in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 90-34. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
2. Balance
You want to talk about balance? If you are ever in a discussion regarding a team with balance in college basketball and no one mentions Virginia, leave that conversation. Virginia is quite possibly the most well balanced team in all of the NCAA.
Let me point out, I don’t mean that they are offensively and defensively balanced. They are clearly a defensive oriented team. However, when it comes to how evenly distributed a team is in terms of statistics and minutes played, no one is better than the Cavaliers.
Last year’s team featured a dominant player in Malcolm Brogdon, who averaged 18.2 points per game. This year’s team features only one player averaging double digits in points and he’s only putting up 10.0 points per game.
The point is, the balance of this team is terrific.
Nine different players are averaging at least 15 minutes per game. Of those nine, all of them average at least five points. Don’t get me wrong, Virginia has their leaders in the points, rebounds and assists categories but they hardly stand out because the wealth is equally shared amongst everyone. Any player is capable of doing so much on the court, which makes the Cavaliers so much more dangerous than their Elite Eight team from last season.
Dec 3, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) bloks the shot of West Virginia Mountaineers guard Teyvon Myers (0) as Cavaliers center Jack Salt (33) defends in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Mountaineers won 66-57. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
1. Defense
Defense is synonymous with Virginia basketball, which is why they are ranked in the top-10 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings. The Cavaliers also rank first in points allowed per game with 46.9.
The reason Virginia is so successful defensively is due to the ‘Pack Line’ defense that they run. The ‘Pack Line’ defense is beautiful when executed perfectly, and no team is better at doing this than Virginia.
The simplest definition of the ‘Pack Line’ is a sagging man-to-man defense that is used to prevent dribble drives and protect the paint. If you aren’t acquainted with it, see the video below.
There is a reason “defense wins championships” is a phrase.
If Virginia can keep up their vaunted defense, they just might be able to ride it to a national title. That would be the program’s first ever NCAA title.
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