Know Your Opponent: Virginia

By Bobby Hundley

Virginia (VirginiaSports.com)
Location: Charlottesville, Va.
Rankings: UVA - No. 3 KenPom, No. 8 AP; UNC - No. 12 KenPom, No. 12 AP
Records: UVA - 13-1, 2-0 ACC; UNC - 12-3, 1-1 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 131-54 (UVA 53, UNC 43, Feb. 27, 2017, John Paul Jones Arena)

It doesn't seem to makes sense that Virginia could lose its best player (London Perrantes) to graduation and two other starters (Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson) to transfer and get better, but here we are. The Wahoos have the nation's best defense and their KenPom offensive rating of No. 34 is up 16 spots from the end of last season. Only a 7-point loss at West Virginia prevents Tony Bennett's team from entering Saturday undefeated.

Kyle Guy's 10 made 3s in two games against NC State and Carolina late last season set the tone for what has been a breakout 2017-18 campaign. The sophomore guard leads UVA in scoring and is making 46 percent from deep at high volume. He's made at least three 3s in six of seven outings and is attempting more than six per game, teaming with senior Devon Hall (41.7%) and classmate Ty Jerome (47.3%) to form one of the more potent backcourts in the ACC.

Tempo is always part of the story with Bennett's Virginia teams, and this year's group is as slow as ever, ranking dead last nationally in adjusted tempo for the second straight year. What makes the offense so deadly despite the pace is that, in addition to the solid outside shooting, the Cavs almost never turn the ball over. That, as much as the slow tempo, is a Bennett calling card - he has never had a team with a turnover rate north of 20% in his 12 years as a head coach.

Isaiah Wilkins and Jack Salt round out a starting five that has been the same for each of Virginia's 14 games so far this season. Wilkins is the team's best rebounder, and Saturday will pit two of the top 20 defensive rebounding teams in America. UVA has not done much on the offensive glass, however, continuing a downward trend over the last four seasons. Wilkins, Salt and 6-9 sophomore Mamadi Diakite all shoot a healthy percentage on 2s, but interestingly it's Guy (42.2%) who attempts the most shots on the team inside the arc.

UVA has one of the more favorable early schedules in the ACC, with four home games in five to start conference play. The 'Hoos dominated Virginia Tech Wednesday in their first road league contest and now won't leave Charlottesville until a trip to Georgia Tech on Jan. 18. At No. 12 in the official RPI, Virginia has every opportunity to earn its third No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament since 2014.

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