On the flip side, the shot clock
reduction should only serve to
help the Cavaliers defensively since
opposing offenses will have just a little
less time to penetrate into the teeth of
the defense.
Anderson was a big loss as
the toughest defensive player in
individual matchups, so Bennett will
be looking for someone to step up
and fill the role of locking down the
opponent’s best perimeter player.
However, the system is designed to
lock down the offense even without a
strong individual defender, with the
whole being greater than the sum of
its parts.
With three ACC teams in the
top six in our preseason top 25, the
Cavaliers will have a tough road to the
ACC regular season title. Combined
with some tough non-conference
games, including on the road against
Ohio State, and against Villanova and
California, they should be well-tested
come March.
an efficient offense yet again, and a
threat to win the ACC.
The new 30-second shot clock
shouldn’t hamper the effectiveness
of Virginia on offense that much.
While they were the third slowest
team overall, and the 10th slowest
offense, according to KenPom.com,
they don’t need to drain the shot
clock to score.
Their lack of tempo is based
more around the reads that the
offense makes rather than their lack
of athleticism. Perrantes is a steady
hand at point guard and will be able
to get the ball over the half court
line with plenty of time remaining
in the possession for Virginia to
progress through their reads.
“The
veterans
have
experienced
some
tough losses
in the NCAA
tournament...”
They have the talent and will
be one of the most experienced
teams in the top 25 all season.
There is an eye to the future with
Tennessee sophomore transfer Darius
Thompson coming aboard and a top
recruiting class coming in next year,
but four seniors will attempt to leave
their mark this season.
The veterans have experienced
some tough losses in the NCAA
Tournament and will be
hoping to turn the tide
when the postseason comes
in 2016.
Photo: Amber Searls - USA TODAY Sports
BBALLBREAKDOWN | 7