No. 4 Kansas | No. 6 Duke | Full List
No. 5: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS
Last Season: 30-4, 16-2 ACC
There is a telling moment in Virginia's first official practice of the 2015-16 season, captured early in the Cavaliers' subsequent YouTube video: As the music swells and the shot cuts from a stoic Tony Bennett to a 5-on-5 drill, we watch as Marial Shayok's drive is expertly closed off by a defending Evan Nolte. Shayok, stuck, kicks to All-ACC point guard Malcolm Brogdon, who tries to drive left. Help arrives. The lane is closed. Brogdon retreats.
The practice erupts. Coaches, trainers, graduate assistants and reserves clap and bellow. This is Bennett's pack-line defense -- the best in the country a year ago, and maybe the best of the past decade -- at its finest.
And then Brogdon swings the ball to Shayok, who hops at Nolte, crosses over, and drains a tough 15-foot fallaway. The noise stops.
Buckets are not welcome in Charlottesville. But as a harbinger of the upcoming season, this is the ideal outcome. Virginia's otherwise intact core is missing the offensive weapon (Justin Anderson) whose injury proved the difference between two-way dominance and late-season disappointment. If emerging sophomore Shayok becomes that weapon -- if he's making shots like that -- well, look out. -- Eamonn Brennan
Best Case: The Cavaliers have Malcom Brogdon take over and call his own number more often, and Virginia breaks through and reaches a regional final and perhaps a Final Four. If the Cavs break through under Tony Bennett, it will be with defense. Last season, Virginia was fourth in the country in defensive efficiency and sixth in transition offensive efficiency, when the Cavs would run. Virginia returns eight of its top 10 scorers from last season, but Brogdon has got to be the man and cannot defer to anyone else. He is a pro but needs to be one now.
Worst Case: The Cavaliers have another great regular season, win at a high level and draw the attention of everyone in and around the game. While haters will point out that Virginia played at one of the five slowest paces in the nation, Virginia executes extraordinarily well and wins because of it. But, the Cavs fall short early in the NCAA tournament. That can happen to any team in any year. If it happens again to Virginia, it can be perceived as a pattern.
"Obviously, they are just solid. They've done it back-to-back years winning the ACC regular-season title with an undervalued roster. They just grind you out and make it difficult to score. It really doesn't matter who's on their team. That's what they are going to do. They will miss Justin Anderson's toughness. I think this team will be like the one from two years ago. It will be surprising if they can do it a third time, but [Bennett is] a heck of a coach. They may not be fun to watch, but they get it done."
No. 4 Kansas | No. 6 Duke | Full List
