Virginia Basketball: Keys to beating Oregon in Sweet 16 matchup

2. Defend the perimeter

Virginia is one of the best defensive teams in the nation and everybody knows it. Everybody. Year in and year out, head coach Tony Bennett’s defensive scheme absolutely smothers opponents as they are unable to get clear looks at the hoop from just about anywhere. In fact, this is the sixth consecutive year that the Cavaliers are ranked in the top-10 of adjusted defensive efficiency. It is no secret that Virginia’s defense is always the strength of this team. Perhaps more specifically, though, their 3-point defense is absolutely superb.

Throughout the season, Virginia has done an incredible job limiting the number of open looks that their opponents have seen from distance. This is evident in the fact that their opponents are connecting on only 27.8% of their 3-point attempts; this is the second-best 3P% defense in the nation. These statistics bode extremely well for Virginia because it is hard to be upset when the opponent is struggling from beyond the arc.

Oregon, in general, is not the greatest 3-point shooting team in the country but they can catch fire at times. In their first two NCAA Tournament games this year, the Ducks have shot 20-for-40 (50.0%) from beyond the arc. This has certainly been an improvement over their year-long mark of 35.1% and Virginia will be looking to put an end to this trend. If Oregon is able to knock down a bunch of trifectas, this will be a very close game that Virginia could struggle to pull out.