Despite Recent Losses, UVa Still Formidable

CHAPEL HILL – Just because Virginia has lost three of its last four games and four of its last six doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavaliers aren’t playing well, UNC coach Roy Williams says.

Three of the losses were at Villanova, at Syracuse, and at Virginia Tech in double overtime, the other came at home to Duke on Wednesday night. The wins were over Virginia Tech by 23 points and Louisville by 16.

So, when Williams watched film of the Cavaliers from the last few weeks, he was impressed with what he saw and figures the rigors of the ACC simply jumped up and bit them.

“I’d probably disagree they’ve been struggling… most people would lose at those places,” Williams said.

No. 14 Virginia (18-7 overall, 8-5 ACC), which comes into the Smith Center on Saturday night, is second in the ACC in 3-point shooting, are among the top teams in the league in defensive rebound percentage, they shoot the ball well and the right guys get the shots, and as Williams noted, “their defense still is really good.”

Maybe the Wahoos aren’t quite at the level they were the last few years, but this is more than a formidable team.

“This is still a vintage Virginia club under (head coach) Tony (Bennett) that they don’t beat themselves, they make you work extremely hard for your baskets,” Williams said.

The challenge playing Virginia has several prongs. The pack line defense is an animal and requires a degree of patience and recognition perhaps more than taking on more conventional defenses. And, the Cavaliers aren’t going to try and run with the Tar Heels, instead they usually play a slower offensive pace.

But the intent isn’t to be slow and shorten games, more it’s a commitment to getting the best shot possible. Sometimes that comes early in a possession and sometimes it comes later. Given UVa’s discipline, long possessions aren’t uncommon and can affect how opponents approach things.

“If you come down and take a quick shot, it’s sort of silly because now you’ve got to go play defense for 25 seconds before you get a chance to go on offense again,” Williams said. “That’s what makes every possession more meaningful.”

The teams split a year ago, with UNC losing 79-74 at Virginia and then defeating the Tar Heels in the ACC championship game in Washington, D.C. In the 61-57 victory, UNC handled Virginia’s pack line defense shooting 51.1 percent (25-47) from the field, though just 3-12 from 3-point range.

“I’ve always said I like to win in the 80s and 90s, but to be a really good team you’ve got to win in the 50s and 60s, as well, and we understand that,” Williams said. “So you talk to them about it, you practice it – you get the Blue team to be more patient with their shot selection and get the White team to make sure they get a better shot, not just the first shot they look at, but the first great shot they look at.”

Senior guard London Perrantes leads Virginia in scoring at 12.6 points per game, but nobody else is averaging in double figures. Nine players, however, average between 3.8 (starting center Jack Salt) and 9.6 (junior wing Marial Shayok).

This is a club that has won at California, Louisville, Notre Dame and lost at the buzzer at then-No. 1 Villanova a few weeks ago.

“They’re still a really good basketball team,” Williams said. “Yeah, they’ve lost their last two at Virginia Tech and to Duke, (and) the last time I looked we lost to Duke, also. I think it’s more of a typical Tony Bennet club with a little bit of an influx of younger guys who don’t know they’re supposed to feel the pressure.”