Virginia Cavaliers (Overall: 22-10, Conf: 11-7)
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Team Strengths:
Defense, defense, and some more defense. It’s where the Hoos (+4,000) begin and end. They do a good job of containing attacks and slowing down the pace of the game, which is a big component to their offensive scheme that prefers to operate more on the half court.
Whenever the execution is done well, such abilities become extra good against teams that like to keep running the floor and get the fastest shot possible, as it messes with their momentum and rhythm.
Kenpom.com currently rates Virginia as the number one defense in the country, thanks to allowing the fewest points in all of Big 12 and college basketball (55.1 PPG). Additionally, through the pesky D, they also limit opponents’ ball movement by only giving up 9.6 APG, sixth fewest overall.
Team Weaknesses:
The problem with this group is that they are the classic “great defense, no offense” kind of team, so much so that they put up the lowest PPG average among all ranked teams (66.9).
London Perrantes, who only nets 12.8 PPG on a mediocre 42.1 percent shooting, is their best and most reliable scorer. In fact, he’s the lone Cavalier to average double-digit points this season.
Another thing that causes concern is their tendency to collapse in the latter parts of the game, which was highlighted in early February when they had a string of such performances. Among them was giving up 44, 44, and 40 second half points to Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and Duke, respectively, after a strong opening half. Against Miami, they fell in OT, 54-48, despite being in control for much of the contest. They were held without a field goal in the extra frame’s last four minutes.
Team Stats:
| CATEGORY | STAT / G | NCAA RANK |
| Points | 66.9 | 309th |
| Rebounds | 32.9 | 295th |
| Assists | 14.3 | 126th |
| Steals | 5.7 | 225th |
| Blocks | 4.1 | 76th |
| Field goal percentage | 46.7 | 68th |
| Three-point percentage | 39.4 | 23rd |
| Free throw percentage | 71.2 | 134th |
| Turnovers | 9.5 | 3rd |
Starting Lineup:
| POSITION | NAME | PPG |
| C | Jack Salt | 3.7 |
| F | Isaiah Wilkins | 7.2 |
| F | Marial Shayok | 8.5 |
| G | Devon Hall | 8.6 |
| G | London Perrantes | 12.8 |
Writer’s Prediction:
Virginia (+4,000) gets the boot at the round of 32.
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