Busting Brackets
Fansided

Virginia Basketball: 3 reasons the Cavaliers are the country’s best team

By Holden Walter-Warner

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Devon Hall
DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Devon Hall /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Hall
DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Hall /

Virginia basketball still trails the Villanova Wildcats in the AP poll, but they deserve all the respect in the college basketball world.

When the AP poll was released on Monday afternoon, many expected to see the Virginia Cavaliers at the top of the rankings. Instead, the Villanova Wildcats reigned supreme for another week.

No matter – the Cavs still deserve to be considered the best team in the country, even if AP voters don’t see them that way yet. Day after day, Virginia goes in and demoralizes opponents. No team can score a decent amount of points against the Cavs, yet no team can name their players without a scouting report in hand.

Tony Bennett is arguably mustering his greatest coaching performance ever. The team has lost its star players from the past generation, yet is closer than ever to completing the program’s goals. There’s momentum building for Virginia to be the last one standing when the nets come down in April. Considering the program has never been in that position – and hasn’t even made the Final Four since 1984 – it would be the crowning achievement of their collegiate careers.

Here are three reasons why the Virginia Cavaliers are the best team in the country.

1. An impenetrable defense

By now, if you’re a college basketball fan, you’ve probably heard a little something about Virginia’s defense. Maybe about how fearful teams are to go against it, or how it literally can’t be beaten.

I’m here to say all of the hyperbolic statements are absolutely true.

The Cavaliers are first in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 52.1 points per game. They’ve surrendered 1095 points this season – Cincinnati has given up the next lowest amount of points at 1180.

One of the most telling stats about Virginia’s defense is their opponents’ true shooting percentage. According to Sports-Reference, opponent efficiency is at .459%, which is the second-best rate posted in the country by a defense.

Another noteworthy fact is the pace teams play at against Virginia. Teams are averaging just 62 possessions per 40 minutes against the Cavs, the worst mark against any team in the country. That means two things: Virginia is working the shot clock well on offense and making opponents work hard when they have the ball, only to put up low-percentage shots.

Clemson, the No. 18 team in the country, scored 36 points against them last week. That should tell you all you need to know about Virginia’s record-setting defense.

Home/Virginia Cavaliers