Virginia's Sean Singletary: ACC MVP

Revisit the title of this article just for a moment. Notice I did not say Sean Singletary for ACC Player of the Year. That award goes to a very deserving Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough's play in past couple of  weeks removed any debate that might have possibly occurred. 

Hansbrough had a magnificent game (23 points on 15 shots). He was hacked, pushed, even tackled at one point by Virginia’s two musclemen, Ryan Pettinella and Lars Mikalauskas. (Quick note: solid comeback from shoulder injury Lars!) Yet, Hansbrough was coolly efficient, knocking down baby hooks and jumpers to seal the win.

However, was he more valuable than Sean Singletary? The answer is clearly no. 

Singletary’s final season has been marred by Virginia’s inability to close out ball games, but Singletary has carried this team. Last night, he put up 27 points (on 20 shots, but still), grabbed six boards, and dished out seven assists. Singletary’s gaudy assist rate (37 percent, good for 20th in the country) is most amazing, considering the team shoots a low percentage from the field. 

When Virginia scores, Singletary draws two defenders, takes it himself or leads his teammates to open shots. Earlier in the season, I took this offensive production as somewhat selfish and inefficient. Now, in the midst of the worst ACC season in my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that it’s Virginia’s only option on offense, however inefficient it may be.

Virginia scoring droughts are often a function of his teammates not using him as an offensive conduit enough, either because of Singletary’s exhaustion or his defender’s face-guarding. The always ornery, sometimes observant Billy Packer noted this in the local broadcast in the matchup between the two teams.

In contrast, Hansbrough is surrounded by an oasis of excellent players (when healthy). Wayne Ellington and Danny Green handle a sufficient amount of possessions and shots to create their own offense. Deon Thompson possesses a solid inside game to complement Hansbrough. UNC obviously misses Ty Lawson and Bobby Frasor, but still has managed two tough wins over ACC opponents in the last week. 

Certainly, this team would be significantly worse for the wear without Hansbrough on the floor, but would they be worse than Virginia without Singletary?

I doubt it.

 (Statistics courtesy of kenpom.com)