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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Know Your Opponent: Virginia
February 11, 2019 | Men's Basketball
By Bobby Hundley
Virginia (VirginiaSports.com)
Location: Charlottesville, Va.
Rankings: No. 2 KenPom, No. 4 AP
Record: 20-2, 8-2 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 3 NET, No. 51 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 131-56 (UVA 71, UNC 63, March 10, 2018, Barclays Center)
Monday's UNC-Virginia matchup has massive repercussions for ACC Tournament seeding and will go straight to the top of the winner's postseason résumé. The game is basically worth double to the victor, which will have the head-to-head tiebreaker in Charlotte. With a one-game lead over the Cavaliers entering the contest, Carolina can essentially go three clear with a win.
Tony Bennett's club has shown no ill effects from last season's stunning opening round tournament loss to UMBC. The Wahoos opened the 2018-19 campaign with 16 consecutive wins and the only blemishes on their ledger are two close losses to No. 2 Duke. Non-conference wins over Wisconsin and Maryland plus a 22-point beatdown of rival Virginia Tech highlight Virginia's six Quadrant 1 victories - only Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky and the Badgers have more.
As has been the case throughout Bennett's tenure in Charlottesville, the Cavs are the opposite of the Tar Heels in terms of tempo. If UVA maintains its current numbers, this year would mark its third season in a row as the slowest team in D-I men's college basketball. While the 'Hoos have been slightly faster in conference play (61.0 possessions per game vs. 59.3 overall), the contrast with UNC (74.8 possessions per ACC contest) is striking.
Because of that extreme tempo, Virginia's raw numbers are always misleading. Kyle Guy (14.6 points per game) and De'Andre Hunter (14.5) lead UVA in scoring with Ty Jerome (13.1) the only other player scoring in double figures. But Bennett's squad is fifth in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency, and its 1.14 PPP in league play ranks No. 1 among ACC squads. That high-end efficiency is largely the byproduct of elite outside shooting (39.6 percent from 3) and excellent ball security (14.9 percent turnover rate, No. 10 nationally). In 13 years as a head coach, Bennett has never had a team with a turnover rate north of 20%.
Guy, Hunter and Jerome all make better than 40 percent of their 3s, with Guy leading the team in both volume (146 attempts) and accuracy (43.2 percent). Reserve center Jay Huff doesn't shoot often (16 attempts), but as he showed against Duke on Saturday, the 7-1 sophomore is a threat if left open on the perimeter.
Hunter and 6-9 junior Mamadi Diakite are Virginia's top interior threats, with Huff and 6-10 senior Jack Salt giving the 'Hoos plenty of additional heft. Alabama transfer Braxton Key is a standout rebounder off the bench, especially on the defensive end. Strong work on the defensive glass and holding opponents to 26.5 percent shooting from deep are the cornerstones of a defense that is once again among the nation's best (third in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency).
The core members of the 2019 Cavaliers were largely role players the last time these teams met in Chapel Hill. Salt, Diakite, Jerome and Guy combined for just four points in that contest, a one-sided 65-41 Tar Heel victory in 2017. That Virginia has lost just four regular season conference games since that day is a credit to Bennett, his players and what the UVA program has become.
Virginia (VirginiaSports.com)
Location: Charlottesville, Va.
Rankings: No. 2 KenPom, No. 4 AP
Record: 20-2, 8-2 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 3 NET, No. 51 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 131-56 (UVA 71, UNC 63, March 10, 2018, Barclays Center)
Monday's UNC-Virginia matchup has massive repercussions for ACC Tournament seeding and will go straight to the top of the winner's postseason résumé. The game is basically worth double to the victor, which will have the head-to-head tiebreaker in Charlotte. With a one-game lead over the Cavaliers entering the contest, Carolina can essentially go three clear with a win.
Tony Bennett's club has shown no ill effects from last season's stunning opening round tournament loss to UMBC. The Wahoos opened the 2018-19 campaign with 16 consecutive wins and the only blemishes on their ledger are two close losses to No. 2 Duke. Non-conference wins over Wisconsin and Maryland plus a 22-point beatdown of rival Virginia Tech highlight Virginia's six Quadrant 1 victories - only Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky and the Badgers have more.
As has been the case throughout Bennett's tenure in Charlottesville, the Cavs are the opposite of the Tar Heels in terms of tempo. If UVA maintains its current numbers, this year would mark its third season in a row as the slowest team in D-I men's college basketball. While the 'Hoos have been slightly faster in conference play (61.0 possessions per game vs. 59.3 overall), the contrast with UNC (74.8 possessions per ACC contest) is striking.
Because of that extreme tempo, Virginia's raw numbers are always misleading. Kyle Guy (14.6 points per game) and De'Andre Hunter (14.5) lead UVA in scoring with Ty Jerome (13.1) the only other player scoring in double figures. But Bennett's squad is fifth in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency, and its 1.14 PPP in league play ranks No. 1 among ACC squads. That high-end efficiency is largely the byproduct of elite outside shooting (39.6 percent from 3) and excellent ball security (14.9 percent turnover rate, No. 10 nationally). In 13 years as a head coach, Bennett has never had a team with a turnover rate north of 20%.
Guy, Hunter and Jerome all make better than 40 percent of their 3s, with Guy leading the team in both volume (146 attempts) and accuracy (43.2 percent). Reserve center Jay Huff doesn't shoot often (16 attempts), but as he showed against Duke on Saturday, the 7-1 sophomore is a threat if left open on the perimeter.
Hunter and 6-9 junior Mamadi Diakite are Virginia's top interior threats, with Huff and 6-10 senior Jack Salt giving the 'Hoos plenty of additional heft. Alabama transfer Braxton Key is a standout rebounder off the bench, especially on the defensive end. Strong work on the defensive glass and holding opponents to 26.5 percent shooting from deep are the cornerstones of a defense that is once again among the nation's best (third in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency).
The core members of the 2019 Cavaliers were largely role players the last time these teams met in Chapel Hill. Salt, Diakite, Jerome and Guy combined for just four points in that contest, a one-sided 65-41 Tar Heel victory in 2017. That Virginia has lost just four regular season conference games since that day is a credit to Bennett, his players and what the UVA program has become.
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