Virginia’s Defense: A Dentist Trip Or Poetry In Motion?

The Cavaliers continue to perplex opponents with their defense.
Tony Bennett is the conductor of Virginia’s Pack-Line orchestra. ~ Mike Ingalls

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Virginia’s defense is really, really good.

That’s something in the sports world of hot takes, debate style opinion shows, Twitter feuds, and the like that just about everyone agrees on. Actually, scratch that almost. It’s universal. Tony Bennett’s Pack-Line defense is really good every year and downright defiant this year. In the face of a shorter shot clock, freedom of movement emphasis, and growing 3-point volume, this year’s version might be the best Bennett has ever fielded.

And that’s saying something. UVA has been ranked No. 1 in scoring defense in four of the last five seasons, taking a short slip to No. 2 in 2015-16. The Hoos have ranked in the top 5 in defensive efficiency (points per possession) in four of the last five years as well.

At this point in the season, observers are throwing around terms like “defense of the decade” and “historic” now as a result. ESPN writer John Gasaway, who has long marveled at the ruthlessness of the Wahoos on defense, is responsible for those terms. He backs it up with a stat like “the Cavaliers are holding conference opponents to 0.83 points per possession” that really should make most keen observers do a bit of a ‘did I read that right?’ double take.

Statistics don’t always resonate with readers, though. As a result, writers, fans, analysts, and other observers search for ways to describe the impressive effectiveness of what they’re seeing in Virginia’s defense.

One of the first analogies to surface over the years compared Virginia’s defense to a boa constrictor. That fit because, like the snake, UVA slowly squeezed the fight out of opponents in games. Fans like this description because it paints the Wahoos as the strong side overwhelming the prey.

More comparisons arise over time. Take a pair articles from this week for example.

Jay Bilas wrote that “Virginia’s defense is a feeling. It is a deep, dark depression. It is a Rubik’s Cube that you have to solve in the dark. It is a dentist’s office with an interminable wait and no magazines or Wi-Fi. It is a rhythm-killing, vexation-filled, irritating festival of frustration.” That’s a paragraph packed with intended praise.

Dana O’Neil at The Athletic witnessed the Virginia-Clemson demolition on Tuesday and wrote about the Pack-Line defense as a result of the Tigers’ 13-point second half. She compared it to getting peck, peck, pecked to “death by dull-beaked chicken.” Again, that’s meant to express admiration for the persistence and performance.

Yet, for some, such comparisons meant to be compliments don’t feel flattering, though. Depression, dentists, and dull fowl seem to line up too closely with boring and bad for basketball criticisms on the other side of the coin.

There’s a good reason these analogies fall flat for Virginia fans, though. They take the other team’s vantage point. It reminded me of a Tweet I saw this week of a popular quote. It noted that the “early bird gets the worm” as the day got started. That’s great if you’re the bird. The Tweet continued with “but the early worm gets eaten” to flip the thought.

Imagine if that were written in an article trying to explain something like Virginia’s defense. The enterprising worm – opponent – woke up with the best intentions – picking apart the Pack-Line – and ended up as Hors d’oeuvres – poor thing. The way to try to describe that is to try to help the reader imagine what it would feel like to be that worm.

Trips to the dentist, no Wi-Fi, dull-beaked pecking, or even the suffocating boa prey … it’s all meant to say that playing against UVA’s defense is difficult, often frustrating, and generally not much fun for the opponent as a result.

Cavalier fans and The Sabre as a fan-dedicated site and community tends to look at it from the other side. That’s why you’ll get words like dazzling in a headline about the defense against Clemson. Back in October, I described the defense as five-man ballet. It’s rhythmic, flowing, intricate, and frequently beautiful. Poetry in motion. A Rembrandt.

You know what, though? I suspect many people, including some reading at this very moment, might not like any of those things. Ballet, poetry, museum art. I don’t recall seeing any threads on The Corner about the upcoming Romeo & Juliet run at the Kennedy Center. Does anyone have a Shakespeare avatar? If Bilas had written that facing Virginia’s defense is a feeling like sitting in a crowded balcony watching an Italian opera or like a 6 a.m. hot yoga class, it might click with some people that it’s not much fun, but those aren’t considered universal truths.

Coach Bennett himself said on the radio this week that beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all. Many people enjoy those things. Much like many Virginia fans enjoy watching the Hoos play defense. That’s why there are ovations at the John Paul Jones Arena after a block, steal, or a shot clock violation.

Like ballet, perhaps, that’s an acquired taste or an appreciation built over time. There’s no need to bristle when others try to convey just how wonderful that defense is to people that can’t identify a Picasso from a paint by number. Try to accept the intended praise and enjoy the show instead.

4 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Great article.
    Ballet in motion is a good term; well oiled machine is another. Absolute, unselfish commitment is another.
    I love to watch them stifle opponents. Even more I love the way the JPJ fans have embraced the defense. Many years ago, we were told that would not be the case.
    I wrote a recent letter to someone associated with the team, and remarked that while other fans may cheer the showy dunks, and call for more points; the educated Cavalier fans most often plead “don’t let ’em get 50”. At least that is what I shout at my TV from 2,500 miles away from JPJ.

  2. Take some possessions off from watching the ball to focus on UVA’s 5 defenders. Tony praises them when they are “continuous” and “connected” and when they anticipate. It really is ballet-like. Ballet with teeth and claws.

  3. When I was watching the GT game, it appeared to me that the game had slowed down, not that they were slowing it down. Defense knew how to calmly anticipate and be step ahead. Game has come to them. Let’s hope it can befuddle Duke today.

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