Virginia Basketball: Wahoos in major funk heading into final week of February

Feb 18, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward London Perrantes (32) dribbles around North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seventh Woods (21) during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 65-41. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports- /

Virginia basketball has lost three-straight games and five of their last seven match-ups, including a blowout loss to North Carolina.

After losing to Villanova at the buzzer at the end of January, the Virginia Cavaliers looked like a team that could win the ACC. Sure, they dropped a game on that Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo, however, Tony Bennett’s team dominated the Wildcats for the majority of the game, using their defense and offensive efficiency.

Three weeks later, things look bleak for the Wahoos. They are suddenly just 8-6 in the ACC and have lost three straight games (five of their last seven). The Cavs lost to the Virginia Tech Hokies in double overtime, only scored 55 points in a loss to Duke, and were throttled by North Carolina on Saturday evening (they had 29 points with less than seven minutes left).

You could make a claim that Virginia is losing games because of their brutal schedule, but that would also be downplaying how poor their offense is right now. It’s actually becoming painful to watch as Virginia has no low post threat and no true bucket getters outside of London Perrantes.

Even though Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson have shown flashes of brilliance at different times this season, the Cavaliers haven’t been able to find a consistent second option. Add in the fact that Perrantes is better as a distributor than as a number one offensive option, and you can see why Virginia is a complete liability on that side of the ball.

In fact, it’s actually surprising — given their personnel — that Bennett has this team at 18-8 overall. Remember, they dismissed Austin Nichols (who was expected to be their best player) in mid-November and lost Malcolm Brogdon, Mike Tobey and Anthony Gill in the offseason.

While Virginia may not be a factor in March Madness, their overachievement early in the season speaks to their culture and the difficulty of playing against the ‘Pack Line’ defense.

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Regardless, the only way for UVA to break out of this funk and make their first Final Four under Bennett is to find some rhythm and consistently from their offensive attack. If not, Perrantes is going to have to be a hero during the NCAA Tournament.

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