Virginia-Florida: Plenty of defense, very little mystery
ORLANDO — The buy-in to the value of defense for players making the transition to college basketball is difficult for many. But at Virginia, perennially one of the best defensive teams in the country, well, there’s simply no other choice but to get on the page quickly.
Even for a program that recruits guys to fit coach Tony Bennett’s system, there’s an adjustment.
“You gotta buy into it. Obviously, in high school, you’re all about getting points,” said London Perrantes, a senior guard for the Cavaliers. “In college, you may want to do the same thing but if you want to be successful, obviously, you gotta play defense. Especially here.
“There was no way that if I wanted to play I wasn’t going to play defense.”
Bennett has more to persuade his players than the possibility of lost playing time. The results have borne out the merit of his approach, with Virginia is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.
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The fifth-seeded Cavaliers (23-10) face fourth-seeded Florida (25-8) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region at the Amway Center on Saturday.
Bennett assures his team focuses on offense. But defense is not just what the Cavaliers teach but what they emphasize, and they have been consistent in their focus in Bennett’s eight seasons.
“We are who we are. I think it’s OK to make guys defend,” said Bennett. “That’s going to carry over into their professional career. … But if someone doesn’t think it’s for them, I make no apologies for how we play.”
Most challenging to shifting that mindset is the continuous effort to sustain it, Bennett said. It’s being focused off the ball, anticipatory rather than reactionary, and imposing will.
“When our defense is right, we can play with a lot of people and be successful,” Bennett said. “When it’s not, it’s hard.”
This season, it has been successful. The Cavaliers lead the country in scoring defense, allowing 56.1 points per game.
Virginia boasts the second-most efficient defense in the country, according to KenPom.com.
Though that has carried Virginia into the tournament, the team was forced to adjust with forward Isaiah Wilkins playing just five minutes in the first-round win against UNC Wilmington.
Wilkins, who has been suffering an illness for weeks, said he doesn’t expect to play Saturday.
Without him, the Cavaliers played with five guards at times against the Seahawks. Perrantes said he doesn’t expect to see that in Saturday’s game, largely because the Gators are bigger in the post.
Instead, he expects more contributions from forwards Jarred Reuter and Mamadi Diakite. They’ll need help to limit Florida’s versatile post players. The Cavaliers will want to make the Gators shoot contested shots and not get burned in transition.
Florida has had success there in addition to running its offense in space while capitalizing off turnovers, but coach Mike White doesn’t expect many from a Virginia team that gives up 9.5 turnovers per game, good for third nationally.
“They make you play differently,” White said. “We’re a team that has struggled at times in the half-court, and we’re going to have to score in the half-court.”
For his part, Bennett notes the strength of the Gators’ defense, which is the fourth-most efficient in the country, according to KenPom.com.
At this point, after getting players to adopt a defensive mindset, Bennett knows there’s little mystery heading into the matchup with Florida.
“It’s just going to kind of be a war of attrition,” Bennett said. “I know they’re trying to get their style, and can we outlast them? Not many secrets about this one.”
