If you get the sense Virginia has built its recent success on surpassingly good defense, there’s a persuasive reason you’ve gotten that impression. It’s true.
Last season was the fifth straight in which Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers led the ACC in scoring defense. The 2016 Cavs held opponents to 60.1 points per game. While that was the worst scoring suppression by UVa in the last five years, and a noticeable dropoff from the NCAA-leading levels of 2014 and 2015, it was still best in the league.
It almost goes without saying that scoring defense is a function of tempo.