Och senior year

[CrimsonNBlue]

They were #1 in defense iirc...

Tech was all season.

Should have used them.

[Deleted User 863]

They were #1 in defense iirc...

Tech was all season.

Should have used them.

I wasn't referring to kenpom.

Virginia gave up the least pts per game in the nation. I considered that #1 in defense.

[CrimsonNBlue]

They were #1 in defense iirc...

Tech was all season.

Should have used them.

I wasn't referring to kenpom.

Virginia gave up the least pts per game in the nation. I considered that #1 in defense.

It's not baseball, but knock yourself out.

The thing that separated that UVa team from all of Bennett's other teams was how good they were on offense. They brought in transfers to help that aspect out.

[Deleted User 863]

Did Virginia play shorter games? Being able to control pace is part of basketball and part of their strategy.

Defense won them a championship.

[PhDhawk]

Didn't stop them from being the only team in history to loose to a 16 seed.

#NeverForget

[CrimsonNBlue]

Didn't stop them from being the only team in history to loose to a 16 seed.

#NeverForget

And I don't think that's irrelevant to this particular point.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Being able to control pace is part of basketball and part of their strategy.

But yet you cite only total points per game and total three pointers made as reasons their offense wasn't good.

Their offense was excellent.

[jfish26]

Being able to control pace is part of basketball and part of their strategy.

But yet you cite only total points per game and total three pointers made as reasons their offense wasn't good.

Their offense was excellent.

BUT, as evidenced by Bennett's long wait to break through (after years and years and years of excellence)...higher possession games make you significantly less vulnerable to the shit of March.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Being able to control pace is part of basketball and part of their strategy.

But yet you cite only total points per game and total three pointers made as reasons their offense wasn't good.

Their offense was excellent.

BUT, as evidenced by Bennett's long wait to break through (after years and years and years of excellence)...higher possession games make you significantly less vulnerable to the shit of March.

And he hasn't been great since. He just had very efficient personnel and a couple of guys that were NBA prospects as offensive players in 2019.

[jfish26]

But yet you cite only total points per game and total three pointers made as reasons their offense wasn't good.

Their offense was excellent.

BUT, as evidenced by Bennett's long wait to break through (after years and years and years of excellence)...higher possession games make you significantly less vulnerable to the shit of March.

And he hasn't been great since. He just had very efficient personnel and a couple of guys that were NBA prospects as offensive players in 2019.

I'm not sure we're actually disagreeing about anything. Bennett is awesome, but I wouldn't want a low-possession guy.

[Cascadia]

Virginia lost to 16 seed UMBC with Kenpom ratings of 30th in adjusted offense and 1st in adjusted defense.

Came back the next season and won the national championship with rating of 2nd and 5th.

Pretty clear that Bennett made changes offensively to better prepare his team for the tournament

Recent NCAA champions rank
2nd - Baylor
canceled - KU was 8th
2nd - Virginia
1st - Villanova
9th - N. Carolina
3rd - Villanova
3rd - Duke

[Deleted User 863]

Being able to control pace is part of basketball and part of their strategy.

But yet you cite only total points per game and total three pointers made as reasons their offense wasn't good.

Their offense was excellent.

I didn't say their offense "wasn't good".

[CrimsonNBlue]

BUT, as evidenced by Bennett's long wait to break through (after years and years and years of excellence)...higher possession games make you significantly less vulnerable to the shit of March.

And he hasn't been great since. He just had very efficient personnel and a couple of guys that were NBA prospects as offensive players in 2019.

I'm not sure we're actually disagreeing about anything. Bennett is awesome, but I wouldn't want a low-possession guy.

Nope, we agree. His style's margin for error is outrageously thin. And it feels like stubbornness. That makes me automatically a no vote on him for any team I root for.

[PhDhawk]

Didn't stop them from being the only team in history to loose to a 16 seed.

#NeverForget

And I don't think that's irrelevant to this particular point.

UVA/Bennett's historic loss to 16 seeded UMBC is relevant to every point.

[jfish26]

Didn't stop them from being the only team in history to loose to a 16 seed.

#NeverForget

And I don't think that's irrelevant to this particular point.

UVA/Bennett's historic loss to 16 seeded UMBC is relevant to every point.

Bucknell, Bradley, etc. Norfolk. Happens to the best of 'em.

[PhDhawk]

And I don't think that's irrelevant to this particular point.

UVA/Bennett's historic loss to 16 seeded UMBC is relevant to every point.

Bucknell, Bradley, etc. Norfolk. Happens to the best of 'em.

Never as a 1 seed.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Didn't stop them from being the only team in history to loose to a 16 seed.

#NeverForget

And I don't think that's irrelevant to this particular point.

UVA/Bennett's historic loss to 16 seeded UMBC is relevant to every point.

Just one season removed from the National Title. Bennett was given the hardest lesson ever that offense wins championships.

[Cascadia]

Taking this one step further. Here are the Kenpom adjusted offensive efficiency rankings for all national champs since 2002

Unless you're Connecticut, you need an elite offense.

2 - Baylor
canceled - Kansas was 8
2 - Virginia
1 - Villanova
9 - North Carolina
3 - Villanova
3 - Duke
39 - Connecticut
7 - Louisville
2 - Kentucky
19 - Connecticut
1 - Duke
1 - North Carolina
2 - Kansas
1 - Florida
3 - Florida
2 - North Carolina
9 - Connecticut
17 - Syracuse
4 - Maryland

[CrimsonNBlue]

2018 Nova probably the best offense of the last 20 years and 2019 Tech might be the best defense of the last 20 years.

Just look what Nova did to the field. It's like when people bitch about the Chiefs defense--Chiefs fans can rightly just shrug their shoulders and say if Mahomes is Mahomes, catch us if you can.

[Cascadia]

2018 Nova probably the best offense of the last 20 years and 2019 Tech might be the best defense of the last 20 years.

Just look what Nova did to the field. It's like when people bitch about the Chiefs defense--Chiefs fans can rightly just shrug their shoulders and say if Mahomes is Mahomes, catch us if you can.

Sure, bud, you can all those fancy stats you want, but my pappy and my gran pappy and my gran pappy's pappy told me the DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!