It’s been a strange ACC conference season. Once you get past UNC and Duke team after team has gotten to the bubble only to fall back. Clemson was a lock for the dance after a great November and December, but once they got into conference play they couldn’t sustain any momentum as they sit 14-7 (4-6). The 2-3 ACC NCAA bid nonsense continues to live because no ACC team could put together any substantial winning streak together. While I certainly think the ACC should be a 5 or 6-bid league, the argument becomes harder when the bubble teams can’t generate consistency.
That gets us to Virginia. They are the one ACC team, that’s taking the bubble decision out of the hands of the bracketologists.
They are winning.
Following back-to-back losses to Wake Forest and NC State, Virginia stood 11-5 (2-3). They were also losers 4 out of 6 games.
If there was one ACC coach that going to start figuring it out, it was Tony Bennett.
Bennett’s record speaks for itself, the 30+ win seasons, the national title, and all the NCAA appearances. He’s a likely future Hall of Famer. Have the NCAA Tournament results always been what Virginia wanted, no not always but the fact is Bennett is a great coach that just about any program would want on their sidelines.
He’s turning the 2023-2024 version of Virginia into a team that you can no longer ignore.
Earlier in the year Virginia was criticized for sloppy road play. During their 6 game winning streak, they’ve won 3 road games including a game at Georgia Tech where neither Duke nor North Carolina could win. There was a win at Louisville, and Saturday there was a hard-fought victory at Clemson to get the Hoos to 17-5 (8-3).
Bennett’s team crashed the glass to win the rebounding battle and defended Clemson star player PJ Hall into 4 of 16 shooting.
Reece Beekman kept Joe Girard ineffective on the offensive end for most of the game.
Then on Clemson’s final possession down just 1, Bennett’s team forced Chase Hunter away from the lane and towards the side where he had to pass out to Jack Clark who was scoreless on the night into a fairly low percentage 3 point shot. He missed, and neither Hunter, Girard, or PJ Hall touched the ball. Bennett’s defense took away Clemson’s best scoring options, and Virginia won their 6th game in a row.
You can’t underestimate Virginia and Tony Bennett ever. He’s got Virginia playing their best basketball of the year at the right time, and while UNC is still the ACC’s best team, Virginia has become the hottest.
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