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Virginia Cavaliers Are The Best Team In ACC Basketball

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By @JamesSzuba

Virginia

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

A true basketball team is a group of players who play together as one. That is the epitome of what Tony Bennett has created at Virginia.

The Cavaliers have a synergy about them that’s reminiscent of John Beilein’s West Virginia teams in the mid-2000s. Although Beilein and Bennett have far from analogous coaching philosophies, the synergy is synonymous. If Virginia were to take each individual player and match them up one-on-one versus a team like Texas, I would place my bets on each of the Longhorns players. But in a five-on-five game, the sum of the Cavaliers’ parts are far superior than they would be on their own.

The Cavaliers are a tremendous team because of their defense, which is played with an unprecedented meticulousness. Watch them play with purpose; rarely do you see a Cavaliers defender get beat off the dribble where help side defense isn’t waiting. They held Harvard to eight points in the first half on December 21. As an elite defensive team, the Cavaliers only allow 50.8 point per game and hold their opponents to 33.3 percent shooting.

Virginia has chemistry. On a junior-laden roster, these players have been around each other for a long period of time. London Perrantes is the only underclassman who plays major minutes. Freshman Marial Shayok is used judiciously, and fans shouldn’t don’t expect Devon Hall‘s minutes to increase in ACC play.

The Cavaliers average almost 15 assists per game. They share the ball well and don’t place much emphasis on who scores. All that matters is that they score the bucket. It isn’t Justin Anderson‘s shot, or Malcolm Brogdon‘s shot — it’s Virginia’s shot.

Virginia is tough. Bennett’s team plays altruistically, sacrificing their bodies by diving on the floor for loose balls. They make the extra pass, giving up a good shot to get a great shot. Those are game-winning types of plays. Playing with effort is a skill, and Virginia leaves it all on the floor.

The Cavaliers play with an unprecedented togetherness, which makes them the best “team” in the ACC.

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