Virginia Basketball Double Bonus: Pittsburgh

The Double Bonus provides analysis on the Virginia basketball team.
Ty Jerome scored in double figures against the Panthers.” ~ Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/VirginiaSports.com

The Virginia basketball team reached 22 wins and the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals for the sixth straight season with the victory against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. That means the Double Bonus is back to break down a win again.

This, of course, is just another reminder of how far the program has come in recent years. Tony Bennett has won an ACC Tournament game in five of eight years on the job. The 22 wins in six straight years? A program record. The Hoos are headed to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than 30 years (1981-84).

So it makes sense that London Perrantes had a simple answer when asked what allowed him to be the first UVA player to advance in four consecutive ACC Tournaments. It’s the program.

“It’s just a program,” Perrantes said. “I mean, obviously, we actually were talking to Joe Harris today and how our defense is built for March because we’re going to play teams with high powered offense, but as long as our defense is there night in and night out, we’ll be able to give ourselves a good shot to win games. I feel like, ever since I’ve been here, our defense has been pretty good, to say the least. That’s just given me the shot to even advance. And then obviously, we have some good offensive players, myself included, to help us. So I don’t know if it’s exactly me, but just the program.”

...