UVA Men’s Basketball on Quest to defend title won two years ago

After the Virginia Cavaliers’ third consecutive loss, the headline from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello read, “What’s wrong with UVa…?” Borzello writes, “They lack playmakers on the offensive end and their defense isn’t nearly as stingy as it has been in recent years.” Borzello’s critique may or may not be true. After all, Virginia is ranked 115th in the nation in Assist and the defense is not as strong (statistically) compared to Tony Bennett’s teams of the past. (Do the Virginia Cavaliers have a case for defense of the decade).

What Borzello fails to mention is that this current iteration of the Virginia Cavalier program is extremely young after losing five players from their 2018-2019 NCAA Championship to the Professional Ranks (NBA / G-League) within the last two seasons. With more than half the players on the Virginia Cavalier roster being in their first or second-year, this year’s team was bound to experience some level of inconsistency.

Although the Cavaliers have lost their last three games, the team has been led by a small group of dynamic upperclassmen — two of whom have championship DNA. Kihei Clark and Jay Huff (members of the 2018-2019 National Championship Team) have combined with Marquette and Rice University transfers Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III in order to account for 73 percent of UVA’s scoring output (49.9 points per game combined), on 51.65 percent from the field, 41.23 percent from 3-point range, and 83.58  percent from the free-throw line. Simply put, the foursome of Clark, Huff, Hauser, and Murphy III has been extremely efficient while accounting for a large portion of the Cavalier offensive output.(2020-21 Virginia Cavaliers Stats).

While the elder statesmen have been consistent, the younger-tenured Cavaliers have produced as well. Former ESPN Top-100 Recruit (No. 51) Reece Beekman ranks both fourth on the team in minutes per game (28.6 minutes) and first in steals per game averaging over 1 a game (1.3). Another former Top-100 ESPN recruit (No. 59) Casey Morsell is a star in his role, shooting an efficient 40 percent from the floor, guarding perimeter players at the head of Tony Bennett’s pack-line defense, all on 16.1 minutes per game.

Lastly, when considering the contributions from the likes of wings Thomas Woldentensae, Kody Stattmann, and big man Justin McCoy, it is not out of the question to suggest that the Virginia Cavalier depth has played a role in their 15-6 (11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) record this season.

While Jeff Borzello’s ESPN article first mentions the Cavaliers three game losing streak, there are other variables that exist outside the realm of analytics that provide context for why UVA has been in a slump during their current losing streak.

For one, the Cavaliers are a relatively young team dealing with the typical ups and downs of student life and this is amplified during the atypical college basketball season amidst a global pandemic. Secondly, they are also reshaping their on-court identity after losing five foundational leaders from the 2018-2019 National Champion team: De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks), Kyle Guy (Sacramento Kings), Ty Jerome (Oklahoma City Blue / Thunder), Braxton Key (Delaware Blue Coats), and Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic / Milwaukee Bucks).

While the current 2020-2021 Virginia Cavaliers are defending a championship won in the 2018-2019 season, they are undoubtedly a new team. So far this season, the post-championship era Cavaliers boast a 71 percent winning percentage as they look to finish the season. They are second in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and are a half game behind Florida State University for first place in the conference with two games left in the regular season.

The Cavaliers finish the season with games against both Miami at home and Louisville away. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Cavaliers travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, where they are one of the favorites to win (+400, Draft Kings) the ACC Tournament (March 9 – March 13).