Virginia basketball under coach Tony Bennett has been known for its wear-you-down defense and having, well, the opposite of a scintillating, up-tempo offense.

And while Bennett's offense this season still runs at a slow pace – its tempo ranks 337th in the nation, per kenpom.com – it's the most efficient offense of his five-year tenure. This Cavaliers team is also the most balanced and deepest Bennett has had in Charlottesville, thanks to the return of Malcolm Brogdon (from a broken foot), the reimagining of Joe Harris (into a slightly different role) and the emergence of new faces (freshman point guard London Perrantes, and transfer Anthony Gill eligible after redshirting).

BRACKETOLOGY: Projecting the field of 68

For all those reasons, it should come as no surprise that No. 21 Virginia is 18-5 and has dropped just one game so far in conference play. The Cavs could very well challenge the nation's top-ranked team, Syracuse, for an ACC title. They have a favorable schedule remaining, as the Orange's back-loaded schedule only gets more difficult. Syracuse will play at Virginia on March 1, which may be the only game left in which the Cavs might not be favored.

A year after an NIT appearance, Virginia appears poised to not only return to the big dance – but also make some noise.

Bennett spoke with USA TODAY Sports college basketball reporter Nicole Auerbach about the players responsible for that 18-5 start, the turning point of the season and what he thinks about the new-look ACC this year.

Q: You only have two players (Malcolm Brogdon and Joe Harris) who average more than 10 points a game, but you have six guys who average about seven points a game or more. Is this is the deepest team you've had yet at Virginia, or at least the most balanced one offensively?

BUBBLE TRACKER: Who's in and out?

A: Yes it is. It's more balanced. Last year, Joe was more of the focal point, for us and for other teams. When they'd load up on him, it was harder for other guys. This year, guys that were on the team have improved, and with our new additions, it's just given us more balance. I've always thought it's harder when you're playing against teams that have multiple options. They spread it out. You can't just key on (one). I think when we've been playing good basketball, that's been (happening). One guy, one night, it's his night. The next night, it might be someone else. But you can't key on one guy as much because it opens up for others.

Q: Joe in particular. He's not scoring or shooting as much this year, but he's slightly more efficient (field-goal percentage-wise) and still a vital part of the offense as more and more guys have gotten involved. How has his approach helped that balance/versatility you're talking about?

A: It's a compliment or credit to Joe. He had more shots last year, he scored more. Now, he realizes, 'Look, I'll play in the structure and be more efficient because it helps our team.' I think it's maturing his game for when he plays in his future. There's only a few guys who are volume shooters at the next level. You have to learn how to play in a structure, in a system where maybe you're playing more in spots or you have a different role. I think Joe has been adapting beautifully.

There are times, certainly, where he's ambitious and he's looking to shoot and we need that. But he's letting it come and learning to be efficient. That's the sign of a real good player – being efficient, and they don't need 20 shots to get their points or to impact the game. Joe's doing it in other ways, and the one way it's not noticed, not statistically, is how he's opening up other guys.

Q: Joe and Akil (Mitchell) are the last two remaining members of your first recruiting class. Is it kind of rewarding to watch them be a part of such a successful season so far, considering all the ups and downs (and transfers) there have been over the last few years?

A: Of course, yeah. That was my first recruiting class. I got the job and I remember the vision and what we talked about was trying together. There were six of them when they came in, and those are the only two left. We really talked about trying to be part of turning Virginia basketball around and bringing a level of quality that would be noticeable. We used this a lot: We're going to have learn to lose together first, before we win.

We're going to have to go through ups and downs. You go through adversity when you're at the top. But you're trying to build a program and the fact that those guys stayed so faithful, have been through the hard stuff and kept that vision in their mind … now last year and this year, they're having some success. There's nothing more gratifying for me than to see the players who have stuck with it get to see that and be part of turning something around. I'm very thankful they're experiencing it.

Q: Your point guard, London Perrantes, is someone I've really enjoyed watching. It's interesting because Syracuse's Tyler Ennis is getting so much attention for his play as a freshman, and how few turnovers he's had. London hasn't had many either (he's averaging 3.1 assists and just 1.1 turnover per game). Could you have expected that he'd do so well in his first season?

A: One of the things that drew us to him was his feel for the game and his composure, well beyond his years. We were excited to have that. But you really truly never know when you have freshmen how quickly they'll adapt. Some pick it up real fast, others it takes a little while. You're always kind of curious to see how they will handle playing in a game with more speed and strength and in a different setting.

Early on, we played against VCU, and though they beat us and it was a very hectic style, he had a calmness about himself. You could see it in practice. To see how he's improved and grasped the offensive system, the defensive system, that's a credit to him and his coach where he came from. He's got an uncanny composure and poise about him that certainly steadies us.

Q: He's a L.A. kid. How did he get on your radar and how did he end up in Charlottesville?

A: There was a scouting service guy who told us about him, and there was Nico Grasu, who was a placekicker at Washington State when I was coaching there. He saw those teams I had there, and he was coaching at Crespi (Carmelite) High school. He said, 'I've watched your teams and I think this guy would be terrific for how you guys play.' … We inquired and then found out that he had a real desire to play on the east coast. He had a desire to come east. … The ACC really drew him. Great school, he wanted to play in the conference. All of those things tied together.

Once we talked and started recruiting him, I think some of the schools out west didn't know or weren't as sure on him. Sometimes, when someone's in your backyard you over-evaluate or you watch too close. We knew we had a need, and he really fit what we needed. It was a real good match for us and hopefully for him.

Q: Last year, with Malcolm Brogdon out with injury and Anthony Gill sitting out after transferring from South Carolina, I remember another reporter telling me he thought possibly Virginia's two best players were on the bench. Could you see, as you're going through last year, what your team would look like now – and all of its possibilities? Were you anxious for them to get playing?

A: There were many practices where they'd make us look bad, and you'd say, 'Boy, it'll be nice to have those two weapons on the floor next year.' Malcolm was getting healthy. To have Anthony there, yes, that was going to bolster our team. It's come to fruition for sure. Malcolm has gotten the rust off, and he's looked good. Anthony, too, when you sit out a year, there's a bit of an adjustment period to the competitiveness of play, and they certainly had that.

Whether for foul trouble or depth or different looks, it's definitely nice to have those two. They were good last year in practice, and it was frustrating but also exciting to think of the possibilities.

Q: It seems like that Tennessee game (a 35-point loss on the road on Dec. 30) was a turning point for your team this season. You've been 9-1 since. What's changed since then?

A: They beat us so bad. We'd lost a few games before, where you could have pointed and said, 'Well, if we just could have done this' – hit our free throws, play a little better defense, take care of the ball – we would have won those games. But right there, there was no excuse because we got blasted by Tennessee. I think it kind of shook our tree in terms of saying, 'Forget about all this stuff we're worried about. We've got to get back to being competitive first and not beating ourselves.'

We were turning the ball over that entire clip, we were a little fractured defensively, didn't have the patience we needed offensively. We just tried to simplify and re-commit to being as sound and tough as we can. That doesn't guarantee we'd be ready, but I think we had a little success and guys are really playing as hard as they can, playing their roles, and it's been effective up to this point.

Q: You recently traveled to Notre Dame and Pitt, two of the new ACC members. What were those trips like? I heard you had some weather issues with one.

A: You can appreciate this, being a Michigan girl, and I'm a Wisconsin guy. We went to Notre Dame and I think it got to minus-37 with the windchill. It shut down the city. It was one of those cold spells that you understand (laughs) but our guys didn't. It was good. We were probably fortunate, though. There was probably not as big of a crowd at Notre Dame. We played real well. Notre Dame is hard to play at home. You go against a team that's successful like that with tradition like that, you have to be ready.

At Pitt, that was such a hard-fought game. Both coach (Mike) Brey and (Jamie) Dixon are excellent coaches. At Pitt, that's a very hostile environment. Boy, they really make you earn everything. It was the kind of game where there were no easy stuff. We were fortunate enough to have the ball at the end. It was one of those games where whoever had the ball at the end was going to have the best chance to win. … It was really a physical game. For us, we were very fortunate to come away with a win in a tremendous atmosphere. … The ability to get two on the road for us was significant.

Q: I went to Syracuse-Duke last weekend, and as great a game it was, I still had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't just an incredible non-conference matchup now. Is it still a little weird to you that those games at Notre Dame and at Pitt were ACC games? Is any part of that still strange?

A: You know what, I think because of bigger conferences – 15 teams, playing some twice and the rest once – it's different now. It's different from when I was at the Pac-10 at the time (at Washington State) and it was a perfect round-robin. You felt like this was conference play. With all the realignment that's taken place over all the years – even BC coming in, teams like that – not playing teams twice, it's just kind of how it is. Now, you just know you're playing teams with great college basketball traditions. It's just all different now.

Q: There's chatter outside the league, in the media, etc. about the ACC maybe not living up to its billing this season, or at least not compared to other conferences. What's your take on the league – which, as we mentioned has expanded to include Syracuse, Pitt and Notre Dame – this year?

A: Teams in the ACC have improved as the season's progressed, and I don't think people take that into consideration. But the bottom line is there is parity all over college basketball. There is no just dominant league. There's so much balance. … Coach (Jim) Boeheim said it's great for college basketball. That's what it's like in every conference. (Across the sport), there may be a couple of great, great teams, but there are just some real solid teams, which I think makes for great games night in and night out.

Bottom of the league, top of the league, there's not that much separation. And I think that's conference to conference. The ACC certainly has depth and quality, and it's improving as the season's improving. … It makes it harder for coaches, but every game's a war.

Q: I always like to end on this question: Who's had the biggest impact on your coaching career? Who are your mentors?

A: Of course, my father (Dick Bennett) is significant. I played for him and coached under him. I'm also going to say my sister, Kathi – she got me into playing basketball. The other two guys: Coach (Bob) Knight – he had such an influence on my father and me, what he valued and the way he thought about the game – and Bo Ryan at Wisconsin. I'm thankful to have been influenced by all of them.

I learn from everybody. There are so many good coaches in our league. I watch and I marvel. You're always trying to pick up things. So, those three and my sister. She influenced my game. She was the head coach at Indiana, and now she's at Northern Illinois – they're having a hard year – but she influenced me as a player as much as anybody.


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