Virginia Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from Cavaliers' Season so Far

In 2013-14, the Virginia Cavaliers were the talk of college basketball. The Hoos won 30 games for just the second time in school history and won their first ACC tournament title since 1976. There was no way head coach Tony Bennett could top what was a dream season in Charlottesville. 

UVa lost former All-ACC guard Joe Harris and arguably the conference's top defender Akil Mitchell from last season's record-setting squad. 

Somehow, however, the Hoos are better in 2014-15. 

Senior Darion Atkins has stepped up to replace Mitchell's defense and rebounding, while Justin Anderson has increased his scoring output to make up for the loss of Harris. 

Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, London Perrantes and Mike Tobey all returned and are even better players this season. Brogdon is looking for his second straight first-team All-ACC selection. 

At 28-1—16-1 in ACC play—UVa is cruising into March. The Cavaliers, if they can survive some late-season injuries, are poised to make their first Final Four appearance since 1984.

Here are four takeaways from Virginia's season so far in 2014-15. 

This Virginia Team Is Resilient

Andrew Shurtleff/Associated Press

London Perrantes after breaking his nose in the win over Florida State

In the win over Louisville on February 7, Anderson broke a finger on his shooting hand. That was bad news, as Anderson led the ACC in three-point shooting percentage, knocking down over 48 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Anderson was also UVa's top individual defensive player.

How did Virginia respond?

Not only did the Hoos beat Louisville—ranked No. 9 in the country at the time—but they've also gone 7-0 without Anderson in the rugged ACC.

During last Sunday's home victory over Florida State, Perrantes and Brogdon collided and Perrantes suffered a concussion in addition to a broken nose. He missed Wednesday's 70-34 trouncing of Wake Forest. 

This is the same Wake Forest team that almost beat UVa in Charlottesville just 11 days before. And the Hoos beat Wake by 36 points on the road without Anderson and Perrantes.

Not only is this team well coached, but they also buy into Bennett's defense-first philosophy. The Cavs have proven they can survive anything, and when Anderson returns, UVa is a serious threat to Kentucky for the national title.

This May Be One of the Best Defensive Teams Ever

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Isaiah Wilkins playing stifling defense in the win at Wake Forest

Everyone knows Virginia can play defense. Currently, the Hoos lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing right about 50 points per game. That is three less points than Kentucky—No. 2 in scoring defense—allows per game. 

The Cavaliers are second in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 35 percent from the floor and under 30 percent from beyond the arc. Per David Teel of the Daily Press, that would be the ACC's best number since 1954 when North Carolina led the league in the conference's inaugural season.

"

#UVa FG% D now at 35.1. Would be #ACC's lowest since #UNC's 32.0 in 1954, the league's inaugural season. #longtimeago #iwasnotthere

— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) February 26, 2015"

Want more historical perspective? Princeton was the last team to hold opponents under an average of 50 points per game for an entire season in 1992. NC State, in 1982, was the last team in one of the Power Five conferences to hold opponents under that mark.

"

After strangulation of WF, #UVa allowing 49.9 PPG. Last team sub-50: Princeton 1992 at 48.2. Last power 5 team sub-50: NC State '82 at 49.1

— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) February 26, 2015"

London Perrantes Is the MVP of This Team

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Perrantes and Tony Bennett

How could a player who averages six points and five assists per game be a team MVP?

Ask Brogdon, per Jerry Ratcliffe of The Daily Progress.

"It was huge to have him back,” said Brogdon following UVa's win over Virginia Tech after Perrantes missed the win at Wake Forest. “London is the motor to our offense and getting him back is getting the train running again.”

Perrantes began the Virginia Tech game with a mask to protect his recently broken nose. However, after diving for a loose ball in the first half, Perrantes re-broke his nose and ditched his mask. After that, Perrantes hit back-to-back threes in the second half to spur a 12-0 Virginia run that proved to be the difference in the game. 

Anderson and Brogdon may be the names college basketball fans know on a national level, but it's Perrantes who guides this team. 

Tony Bennett Is ACC Coach of the Year

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Bennett

Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014 after he led the Hoos to their best season in 30 years. For some, Bennett and Virginia snuck up on the rest of the league. Or, perhaps, the league was down and Bennett did a miraculous job leading the Cavaliers to an outright league title.

OK, what's the excuse this year?

With the win over Syracuse on Monday, the Cavaliers clinched their second straight regular-season title and will enter the ACC tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year. 

All of this without Harris and Mitchell, and without Anderson for an extended period of time. 

Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim are all Hall of Fame coaches, but Bennett has built Virginia into a program that's currently on equal footing with those elite schools, and he should be named ACC Coach of the Year for the 2014-15 season.