Virginia Basketball: 3 keys for Cavaliers to beat No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Virginia must limit the number of possessions in this game

There are a number of games each season where we as fans talk about great offense against a great defense. But the contrast doesn’t get any wider than Gonzaga vs Virginia. Since head coach Tony Bennett arrived at Charlottesville, the Cavaliers have played at the slowest pace in the country each season, while being efficient enough on offense to beat anyone.

Bennett’s former rival (while at Washington State) Mark Few of Gonzaga has been the complete opposite. The Bulldogs are known to have one of the top offenses in the country, ranked No. 1 in total scoring in the past two seasons. They’ve currently No. 3 at 94.7 ppg but that came against three top-10 teams, including scoring 102 points against the Kansas Jayhawks in the season-opener.

Virginia may have a better defense but not by much compared to the likes of Kansas and West Virginia. What they’ll have to do is simply limit the number of total possessions in this game. If it becomes a shoot-out, it favors the Bulldogs without question. That does include limiting offensive rebounds, something that Gonzaga may try to do since the Cavaliers won’t be doing many fastbreaks. But when you’re playing such a lethal offense, any chance you get to score, you have to.

The way basketball is called by the refs, a great offense can overcome a great defense. So there’s a possibility that Virginia gives up 80 points and that would still be a great performance. In order to win though, they may have to find a way to limit the Bulldogs to just over 70.