Experience Helps Guide Virginia Basketball’s Success

Following a question about redshirting on Monday’s ACC teleconference, Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett included a simple axiom in his answer: there’s no substitute for experience. That’s certainly true for Bennett’s program where year after year, seniors rise to the forefront of successful basketball teams.

Over the last seven seasons, Virginia has won 22 games or more each year. That includes this season’s 22-1 mark as the No. 2 Cavaliers prepare for a trip to Florida State on Wednesday. Over that same time period, the Hoos have made the NCAA Tournament five times in six years, a statistic that will reach six times in seven years in a few weeks. The only miss came in 2012-13 when UVA was left on the wrong side of the bubble and made a run to the NIT Quarterfinals instead. The Hoos have won an NCAA Tournament game in each of the last four seasons to reach the second round.

Virginia has won two ACC Regular Season Championships and the 2014 ACC Tournament in there too. Over the past six seasons, the program owns a 47-4 record at home in ACC play and an league-leading 31-19 ACC road record too.

At the center of many of those teams have been productive seniors. The NCAA Tournament teams stack up well in the lists below.

2011-2012

Mike Scott

• Per 40 minutes
  23.0 points, 10.6 rebounds,
• Per 100 possessions
  37.7 points, 17.4 rebounds, offensive rating – 118.4, defensive rating – 87.4

Sammy Zeglinski

• Per 40 minutes
  10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals
• Per 100 possessions
  17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.2 steals

2013-2014

Joe Harris

• Per 40 minutes
  16.6 points 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists
• Per 100 possessions
  27.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, offensive rating – 116.0, defensive rating – 94.7

Akil Mitchell

• Per 40 minutes
  10.5 points, 10.9 rebounds
• Per 100 possessions
  17.4 points, 18.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, offensive rating – 105.9, defensive rating – 88.2

2014-2015

Darion Atkins

• Per 40 minutes
  12.8 points, 10.0 rebounds
• Per 100 possessions
  21.8 points, 17.0 rebounds, offensive rating – 106.6, defensive rating – 83.6

2015-2016

Malcolm Brogdon

• Per 40 minutes
  21.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists
• Per 100 possessions
  34.7 points, 5.9 assists, 7.7 rebounds, offensive rating – 122.3, defensive rating – 99.9

Anthony Gill

• Per 40 minutes
  19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds
• Per 100 possessions
  31.9 points, 14.2 rebounds, offensive rating – 126.7, defensive rating – 97.7

Mike Tobey

• Per 40 minutes
  18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds,
• Per 100 possessions
  30.3 points, 18.0 rebounds, offensive rating – 121.1, defensive rating – 95.2

Evan Nolte

• Per 40 minutes
  8.6 points
• Per 100 possessions
  13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, offensive rating – 99.5, defensive rating – 100.7

2016-2017

London Perrantes

• Per 40 minutes
  15.8 points, 4.7 assists
• Per 100 possessions
  26.1 points, 7.8 assists, offensive rating – 111.3, defensive rating – 97.1

2017-2018

Devon Hall

• Per 40 minutes
  15.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists
• Per 100 possessions
  25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, offensive rating – 128.3, defensive rating – 88.4

Isaiah Wilkins

• Per 40 minutes
  9.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 blocked shots
• Per 100 possessions
  14.5 points, 16.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 4.0 blocked shots, offensive rating – 114.8, defensive rating – 78.9