Virginia Basketball: Keys to taking down Texas Tech in title game

1. Play the inside-out game.

Virginia’s offense is widely regarded as one of the best in the country. And while they might not average a ton of points per game due to their slow pace of play, their efficiency is off the charts. Head coach Tony Bennett seems to always have an incredible gameplan for every single matchup and there is no reason to believe that he will not have his team well-prepared for the title game. With that said, though, Texas Tech owns the best defensive efficiency rating in the KenPom era for good reason. The Red Raiders are absolutely elite on that end of the floor.

There is, though, seemingly at least one strong gameplan for attacking the Texas Tech’s defense. This comes in playing the inside-out game by taking advantages of Texas Tech’s willingness to switch on the ball screens. Part of the Red Raiders’ vaunted defense centers around keeping their opponents outside of the middle of the court by switching on all screens. This often leads to their opponents creating mismatches in the paint that the team then counteracts by sending a ton of pressure at that big man.

For Virginia, their personnel could allow them to exploit this defensive scheme. That is due to the fact that the Cavaliers boast a unique all-around player in De’Andre Hunter to go with elite shooters in Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy. The Cavaliers will likely use Hunter as the screener in halfcourt sets and look to create a mismatch for him in the paint. A clear-cut NBA-level talent, Hunter would then have the ability to either score himself or use his strong playmaking skills to find an open shooter when double-teamed. His versatility as a passer out of the paint has been underrated throughout this season and that could be on display in this one.

All of this, though, is much easier said than done. If scoring on Texas Tech’s defense was this simple, they would not be playing in the National Championship game. And while I believe that Virginia has the right personnel needed to succeed in the inside-out game, it certainly won’t be easy. They will need strong performances from each member of the rotation to score consistently and efficiently.