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Virginia Cavaliers: Is This Year Tony Bennett’s Best Chance at a Championship with the Cavaliers?

By James Fitzgerald

Jan 2, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) shoots the ball as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) and Cavaliers guard London Perrantes (32) defend in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) shoots the ball as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) and Cavaliers guard London Perrantes (32) defend in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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This is not about the victory that the Virginia Cavaliers grabbed at home against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday evening.

This is about the 11-consecutive victories that “The Wahoos” have collected since their loss to George Washington and the cloak of invincibility that this squad seems to be wearing.

It is getting to the point were you are going to have to play a perfect game to beat the Virginia Cavaliers because they are not going to make enough careless mistakes to beat themselves.

The Cavs victory over Notre Dame is simply a microcosm of how much discipline the Virginia Cavaliers are playing with right now as a team, and an example of why this team is could be the toughest out in all of college basketball right now.

Feb 22, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett talks to his team from the sidelines against the Florida State Seminoles at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett talks to his team from the sidelines against the Florida State Seminoles at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Virginia was up 36-24 at the half against Notre Dame which seems pretty normal on the surface. But what was ridiculously abnormal was the efficiency that “The Wahoos” played with in the first half.

UVA shot 58% from the floor in the first half, turned the ball over four times in the half and only fouled Notre Dame three times going into the locker room.

Notre Dame did not shoot a free throw in the contest until they earned a pair with 30-seconds left in the half.

The second half was more of the same with Virginia simply finishing what they started en route to a 77-66 win, and Notre Dame to helpless to overcome the deficit that they found themselves under.

How is a team supposed to overcome a double-digit deficit against an opponent that simply does not shoot themselves in the foot and will not leave the door open for you to get back in the game.

Virginia is simply efficient in everything they do, and even when you shoot 50% from the floor like the Fighting Irish did in this contest, it is not going to be enough because Virginia is going to shoot a higher percentage like their 57.1% from the floor tonight, and barely turnover the ball, like the mere seven turnovers that UVA committed in this game.

Notre Dame could not even get to the foul line enough, hitting 7 of 9 free throws, and that had nothing to do with home cooking from the referees.

That had everything to do with the discipline that the Virginia Cavaliers play with defensively as a team.

Virginia has one of the best inside outside tandems in college basketball with Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill, as well as one of the best floor generals in the nation in London Perrantes.

Brogdon finished with 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the floor and Anthony Gill added 21.

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    • Perrantes contribution is not measured in his three points, five rebounds, and five assists for the game. It is measured by the way that he paces the game for UVA, and has total control of everything that needs to be done offensively for his club.

    The Cavaliers bring a lot of size and length to the floor also when you think about a player like Mike Tobey, who scored 15 points and brought a defensive presence off the bench for UVA, or a player like Devon Hall who plays strong perimeter defense.

    In the end, when you think about all of the experience that Virginia is bringing to the floor, the boost in scoring that the team has taken this season averaging 75.6 per game, and the stout defense that Tony Bennett’s team continues to play on a game-to-game basis, this could be Tony Bennett’s best chance to win a National Title.

    It is going to be a matter of the Cavaliers being able to maintain their offensive potency and keeping the mistakes to a minimum.

    It will be interesting to see if the Virginia Cavaliers can continue playing with this kind of efficiency.

    Next: Takeaway From North Carolina's Win over Georgia Tech

    Most people would say that the chances of them keeping this type of play up is slim to none, but their is something different about this team.

    They are playing like they understand it is now or never. Like if they don’t do it now, they will never win it all. That kind of desperation makes the Virginia Cavaliers a treacherous team.