Tony Bennett and Virginia basketball finally reached the pinnacle of college basketball but what’s next in Charlottesville after winning the title?
One year removed from etching their dubious spot in college basketball and NCAA Tournament history with their loss to No. 16 seed UMBC, the Virginia Cavaliers completed the ultimate redemption arc. Tony Bennett validated all of the work to build the program he has in Charlottesville with one six-game run, culminating in cutting down the nets in Minneapolis after defeating Texas Tech to win the National Championship.
It was a journey that Jim Nantz dubbed the “all-time turnaround title” for Virginia basketball. After suffering the historic loss to UMBC, the Cavaliers core of Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter returned with unfinished business on their minds. Throughout March Madness, it was evident that this was a proverbial team of destiny, inevitably marching towards a storybook conclusion.
Over six months since the win over Texas Tech, though, that book has closed. The trio of Guy, Jerome and Hunter, as well as gritty big man Jack Salt, are no longer taking up residence under Bennett’s watch, leading to uncertainty regarding what’s next for the Wahoos.
The departures of those players open the door for the returning contributors to play larger roles for the Cavaliers in the 2019-20 college basketball season. Point guard Kihei Clark, big man Mamadi Diakite and forward Braxton Key will likely be the focal points of this team. Boding well for UVA is the fact that Clark and Diakite both acquitted themselves phenomenally in the tournament last year.
While the return of that trio does provide some promise, it’s not without some red flags. No one in that group averaged more than 7.5 points per game last season. Furthermore, though Bennett has perpetually had Virginia as a top-tier ACC team in his tenure, his teams have been susceptible to dropping off when losing a core group similar to what he’s dealing with this season.
In the 2016-17 season, the Cavaliers were dealing with the departures of Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill. Make no mistake, they were still a quality team that season but did end up on the 5-seed line for the NCAA Tournament.
Having said that, the loss of star-power for Virginia is not a death sentence, especially in a system that first relies heavily on limiting possessions with the pack-line defense but also on few isolation possessions on offense. Thus, Bennett stylistically has his team set up to not experience a precipitous decline following their run to the title.
For that to truly be the case, though, Clark is first going to have to build off his play in March. Replacing the sharp-shooting, ultra-creative Jerome in the backcourt is no small task but Clark showed signs of being on the right trend to capably step into those shoes at the end of last year. But more important than Clark stepping up and more than Diakite, Key and Jay Huff controlling the frontcourt action, the Hoos need some newcomers to be big factors right away.
Virginia’s backcourt is exceptionally thin outside of Clark as they come into the 2019-20 season. That puts a ton of pressure on JUCO transfer Tomas Woldetensae and prized recruit Casey Morsell. Both players come to the Cavaliers with reputations as strong outside shooters, which is favorable considering the need to replace Jerome, Guy and Hunter’s over-40-percent shooting from deep. But the key is that Bennett’s team needs these guys to do so quickly.
Because of their slow-tempo style under Bennett, maximizing offensive possessions is critical to the success of the Cavaliers. Subsequently, if Woldetensae and Morsell come in and are not able to immediate threats from 3-point range, that severely handicaps the potential of this Virginia offense. And, obviously, that’s even worse if those issues persist throughout the 2019-20 season.
What could be a game-changer for the UVA offense, though, is the development of Diakite as a more versatile player on that end of the floor. There’s never been any denying the lengthy forward’s prowess as a shot-blocker, rebounder and scorer around the rim. However, he showed flashes of more than that recently.
Down the stretch and throughout the tournament, Diakite gave glimpses of a burgeoning prowess as a mid-range shooter — most famously knocking down a buzzer-beating floater against Purdue to force overtime. That skill would be a huge asset for the Cavaliers offense as a whole if it can become consistent.
Having a guy with the length to get off most any shot stretching the defense away from the paint even slightly allows the ball-movement and cutting that Virginia’s offense is predicated upon to fully form, as well as offering solid offensive efficiency in itself.
Despite these questions for the Virginia offense given what they have to deal with entering their title defense, the good news for the Hoos is that they rarely, if ever, have to worry about what happens when they fall back on defense. Not only do they have an ultra-active leader in the backcourt with Clark and a game-changing rim-protector in Diakite, but Bennett’s pack-line defense has also proven fail-proof since he arrived in Charlottesville.
The way the Cavaliers play, slowing the game down and offering that firm pack-line on defense, they don’t require elite defensive talent to control any opponent. It’s about coaching and discipline — though having Clark and Diakite doesn’t hurt — which is one of the constants for UVA in a year where they’re experiencing a great deal of change.
Because of the play-style that Bennett has instilled in this program and the talent that, despite the losses, still returns for the 2019-20 season, Virginia is a tournament lock and likely a shoo-in for a top-four seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Their upside and competitiveness in a stacked ACC, however, will depend on how their offense performs consistently given the immense talent departures they must contend with.
Rest assured, though — Virginia isn’t going anywhere as long as Tony Bennett is at the helm. They may not be title favorites, nor should they be. However, they’re also a team that no contender or title favorite would feel good about playing this season.
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