As the countdown clock ticks toward tipoff for the Virginia basketball team, fan enthusiasm grows in the other direction. Part of the excitement about the Cavaliers, ranked No. 4 in The Associated Press preseason poll, focuses on the offense where most observers believe the Hoos will hit the reset button after an uncharacteristic drop in efficiency last season.

UVA averaged less than 1.00 points per possession (ppp) for the first time since Tony Bennett’s second season and actually ended up below that debut team too. Virginia posted 0.916 ppp last season (322nd nationally) and 0.977 ppp in 2010-2011 (218th nationally). That’s a tough season offensively no matter how you view it, but likely felt even more stark considering it followed the 1.141 ppp number that ranked 5th nationally the previous year. The Hoos offset the drop with the best defensive efficiency mark of the Bennett era.

Recently, this analysis article looked at part of what caused the offensive efficiency to plummet. The Cavaliers struggled mightily with spot-up possessions per the Synergy Sports data and converted catch-and-shoot opportunities at a low rate as well. That doesn’t account fully for the offense’s fall, though. Let’s take another look.

Beyond spot-up possessions, other areas that UVA typically mines successfully for offensive efficiency purposes didn’t produce at the same rate either. Virginia saw its numbers for “off screen” possessions and “isolation” possessions dip as well.

...