Virginia Basketball: Biggest Question for Each Cavaliers Starter in 2015

The No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers return to the court on Saturday when they travel to No. 12 Notre Dame. The Cavaliers improved to 14-0 (2-0) on the season with Wednesday's 61-51 win over N.C. State in Charlottesville. 

After last week's double-overtime win at Miami, UVa got back to playing its typical stingy defense in the win over the Wolfpack. Virginia held State to 37 percent shooting from the field, despite the Wolfpack's torrid three-point shooting. 

After the game with the Fighting Irish, Virginia's schedule lightens up a bit before a brutal stretch to end the month. The Hoos play Duke, UNC and Louisville all in the span of seven days.

As the ACC season heats up, here is a look at the biggest question facing each Virginia starter before March Madness arrives.  

All stats courtesy of Sports-Reference

Darion Atkins

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Darion Atkins

Senior forward Darion Atkins has given Virginia coach Tony Bennett about what he expected: strong defense and solid rebounding. But the biggest knock on Atkins remains his play on the offensive end.

Can he step up if UVa's perimeter players are struggling?

With center Mike Tobey and Anthony Gill demanding most of the attention in the post, Atkins will likely receive opportunities to score. He must take advantage of them.

Atkins struggles from the free-throw line. For the season, he's made just 7-of-15 from the charity stripe. If he wants to play late into games, that must improve, too.

Anthony Gill

ANDREW SHURTLEFF/Associated Press

Anthony Gill

No player on Virginia's roster does a better job of getting to the free throw line than forward Anthony Gill. Now, Bennett hopes to see Gill's aggression lead to better defensive play.

Last season, Bennett often sat Gill late in games because of his defense. Not that he was terrible, but he was easily pushed around. As the season progressed, Gill got better. 

This season, Gill is playing solid defense, too. However, he hasn't faced the likes of Jahlil Okafor or Montrezl Harrell yet, either. 

For Gill to take that next step as an All-ACC-type player, he must become a strong defender. He's well on his way, but the rest of this season will be full of opportunities to showcase his improvement. 

Justin Anderson

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Justin Anderson

Ask anyone around the ACC about Justin Anderson before the season, and you'd likely hear how great of an athlete he was or how much energy he brought the Hoos.

He still is a tremendous athlete full of energy, but Anderson's game has improved dramatically. For the season, Anderson has shot 34-of-60 from the three-point line, good for 56 percent. That's an incredible number considering Anderson was just a 30-percent shooter from beyond the arc his first two years. 

The biggest question Anderson must face is his sometimes questionable shot selection. In the past, he'd take head-scratching shots early in the shot clock or pull up and attempt a three when UVa had numbers on a fast break.

Not this year.

But against Miami last week, Anderson showed some of his old habits. He took some questionable shot attempts late in the game when he could've settled for a more high-percentage attempt. However, his three-pointer late in the first overtime against the 'Canes saved Virginia. Last season, that shot would not have went in. 

As the competition gets tougher, Anderson must continue to play within the system and allow opportunities to come to him. If he does that, UVa has a chance to go all the way. 

Malcolm Brogdon

Ryan M. Kelly/Associated Press

Malcolm Brogdon

As good as Anderson is, junior Malcolm Brogdon is still Virginia's most important player. A first-team All-ACC selection last year, Brogdon's numbers are right in line with his performance from a season ago.

Except his shooting percentage. 

For the season, Brogdon has hit just 13 of his 42 attempts from beyond the arc, a 31-percent clip. Brogdon shot 37 percent from three point range last season. His free-throw percentage is also down to 82 percent, from 87 percent last season. 

Is it a result of defenses making Brogdon their primary focus, or is he more impatient than he was a year ago?

The Cavaliers need Brogdon. He often takes—and makes—big shots when Virginia needs them the most. As the opposition begins to focus more of their attention on Anderson, look for Brogdon to step up in ACC play much like he did last season with Joe Harris still around. 

London Perrantes

Steve Helber/Associated Press

London Perrantes

Much like last season, point guard London Perrantes is heating up at the most important time. The silky-smooth sophomore scored a career-high 26 points in last week's win over Miami. Perrantes was 5-of-9 from three-point range and hit 11 of his 12 free throws.

But against N.C. State, Perrantes scored just two points and took only four shots from the field.

What can UVa expect from Perrantes for the rest of the season?

It's tough to say because the Cavaliers are extremely balanced on offense. On any given night, Brogdon, Gill, Anderson or Tobey could lead UVa in scoring. Perrantes is a pass-first point guard and often looks to set his teammates up before looking for his own shot. 

Perrantes is extremely capable of hitting big shots for the Hoos. But Virginia needs more consistency from the talented floor general. He's gone scoreless on three occasions this season, and scored just two points in three other contests. 

If last season was any indication, look for Perrantes to show up big when the Hoos play the marquee teams on their schedule.