Before Tony Bennett arrived at Virginia, the Cavaliers had only made the NCAA Tournament twice in the previous 12 seasons. Since the program’s golden age under Terry Holland in the ‘80s, Virginia had essentially been a middling ACC team good enough to sporadically string together a 20-win season, but never a consistent threat to the conference’s elite teams. To be fair, there may be no tougher conference to build a sustainable winner in than the ACC.
Virginia basketball preview: Defense will carry Tony Bennett’s team once again
The Cavaliers are the No. 8 team in our top 25 countdown.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
A year after sending six teams to the tournament, the ACC should be tougher than ever. It's now a 15-team league that's set to welcome another juggernaut program in Louisville. Duke should be even stronger than last season despite losing Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. North Carolina brings in a tremendous freshman class and welcomes back the conference's best player, Marcus Paige. With four top-10 teams in the preseason rankings, nothing is going to come easy in the ACC. That's why it's sort of mind-blowing that Virginia is expected to be as good as any team in the conference.
Last year was a breakout season for Bennett’s Cavaliers. They torched conference play with a 16-2 record and knocked off Duke in the title game of the ACC tournament. Virginia earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Ralph Sampson’s heyday in 1983. The season would end with a two-point loss to a loaded Michigan State team in the Sweet 16, but Bennett knows 2014 was only the first step. Virginia returns plenty of talent and should be among the toughest teams in the country once again.
For Virginia, it's all about defense. Bennett's signature packline scheme led Virginia to a No. 5 finish in KenPom's defensive efficiency rankings last season by defending the rim like hell and not allowing any second-chance opportunities. The loss of Akil Mitchell will hurt on the glass, but a front court of Mike Tobey and Anthony Gill should have no problems holding its own. Virginia placed No. 7 in effective field goal percentage against last season, and No. 5 at limiting offensive rebounds, per KenPom. They're also great at defending without fouling.
After placing in the top six in the country in defensive efficiency twice in the last three seasons, Bennett knows he'll be able to count on his defense. The other side of the floor is the bigger question after losing star shooter Joe Harris to graduation. Still, Virginia has enough returning talent to redistribute Harris' shots and come out alive.
It starts with Malcolm Brogdon, a shooting guard coming off a breakout sophomore season. Brogdon will be the team's primary offensive option as a perimeter scorer comfortable spotting up from three, taking it to the rim or pulling up off the dribble. After averaging more than 12 points per game last season, don't be surprised if Brogdon takes another step up if he's able to improve his efficiency (41.3-percent shooting from the floor).
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Virginia is it could essentially bring back the exact same team a year from now, too. The majority of the squad is made up of juniors and only Brogdon is a fringe NBA prospect. With a few talented freshmen joining a strong core, Virginia looks primed to be a contender well into the future.
Virginia. The future is weird.
Projected starting lineup
PG London Perrantes, sophomore
SG Malcolm Brogdon, junior
SF Justin Anderson, junior
PF Anthony Gill, junior
C Mike Tobey, junior
Key reserves: G Devon Hall (RS freshman), G B.J. Stith (freshman), F Darion Atkins (senior), F Evan Nolte (junior), F Isaiah Wilkins (freshman)
SB Nation community: Streaking the Lawn
How the Cavaliers can go for this season: Achieve a balanced offense that works inside-out
One of Virginia’s biggest strengths last season was its size, and that will remain the same this year. A front line of Justin Anderson, Gill and Tobey will be as big as any in the country.
Tobey is an intriguing breakout candidate as a junior. He’s got nice touch on his jump shot and tremendous size at 6’11, 253 pounds. Like most college big men, Tobey could stand to get stronger, but the offense might be more effective if it feeds him the ball more regularly. Tobey averaged just over six points per game last year on 48-percent shooting.
Gill and Anderson are both bruisers with long arms. Anderson is going to be as big as any small forward in the country at 6’6, 230 pounds and his ability to defend the wing is key to Virginia’s defense. Offensively, both players make a living on the glass and by finishing inside. While Anderson did display the makings of a functional jump shot at times last season, there’s no question that Virginia is more comfortable playing bully ball inside when the forwards get possession.
Next to Brogdon in the backcourt is London Perrantes, a former top-100 recruit who started as a true freshman for Bennett last season. Perrantes is a natural distributor who did well to limit turnovers in his debut season. He’s also the team’s most potent deep threat, hitting nearly 44 percent of the 87 three-pointers he attempted a year ago. Increasing the volume on those shots will be a key to opening up things inside. As long as Perrantes and Brogdon can hit from deep, Virginia’s big men should have more than enough room to operate.
How Virginia could get sent home early: Not enough shooting
Replacing someone as talented as Harris on the perimeter isn’t easy, and it’s up to Perrantes and Brogdon to hit enough shots to keep Bennett’s offense humming. A talented freshman class led by redshirt guard Devon Hall and consensus top-100 recruit B.J. Stith could help there, too.
For a team known for its defense, Virginia’s offense was pretty damn good last year. You don’t attain the No. 21 ranking in KenPom’s offensive efficiency stats by accident, though the respect opposing defenses paid to Harris was certainly a factor. If Virginia can maintain that type of balance on both ends of the floor, this should be another great team.
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