How Historic is UVA’s Defense?

The #2 Virginia men's basketball team's defense is ranked first in the country, allowing only 50.8 points per game, with #1 Kentucky at their heels at 51.8. But how historically low is that number?

Last year UVA led the nation in this category as well, but at 55.7 points per game. The year before the leader was Stephen F. Austin at 51.2. You have to go all the way back to 1992 to find a stingier defense, when Princeton held its opponents to a mere 48 points a game.  (That is roughly 325 teams in the country for 22 years, or over 7,100 total seasons before finding a better defense.) In 1992, UVA's coach Tony Bennett was playing in college. Here is the list of the leaders by year:

Tony Bennett fans should recognize a couple of those teams, including his 2009 Washington State team and his father Dick Bennett’s 2001 Wisconsin team.

How about just looking at Virginia’s history? How does this year’s Cavaliers squad compare to the 109 other seasons of UVA basketball history through 23 games? Bennett’s 2012 and 2013 teams were smothering defenses as well, but with a slightly higher average of 53 points per game. Earlier coaches Dave Leitao and Pete Gillen were not known for defense and their teams averaged 72 points a game. You would think the great Ralph Sampson would have contributed to historic defensive teams as well, but they allowed 62 points a game.  Even the ‘60s UVA teams allowed an average of 80 points a game. That is 60% more scoring allowed per game even without a shot clock or 3 point line. That could be why the program went 69-176 (.281) that decade. You have to go all the way back to the 1946 season to find a Virginia team giving up less than 50 points a game.

Check out the results from that year:

Talk about an easy schedule. UNC and Duke only once? VMI and W&L twice?

(Interestingly enough a lot of the opponents around that time were military schools due to WWII, so UVA would play against air bases and naval training centers.  I can only imagine what losing to “N.C. Pre-Flight School” and “Camp Lee” did to Virginia's RPI in 1943.)

The teams in the 1920s played games with scores only in the 20’s, so this year’s Virginia team is not going to break any all-time records, but they still have a chance to finish as the best Wahoo defense in almost 70 years.

Week 13 Recap

Browns 13, Dolphins 10

In one of the most boring football games I have ever seen, Cleveland pulled out a late victory over Miami to improve to 5-7. Hillis had an off game, while Delhomme did not throw a pick six, despite hitting the cornerback in his hands. Joe Haden continued his hot streak with his fourth pick in a row and earned defensive rookie of the month. With the Bills and Bengals coming up, the Browns have a chance to get to .500. Sweet.

Redskins 7, Giants 31

Well this season is done. Jacobs and the GMen ran all over the depleted and heartless Skins in a game that was over before halftime. I was only two weeks off from my July prediction of when Haynesworth would be want to be traded/cut. With four tough games coming up, it is time to see who will be worth keeping around next year.

Colts 35, Cowboys 38

It’s getting pretty scary for Indy now. After their third straight loss, the Colts are now on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Once again, Peyton struggled with four picks against only 17 carries for 40 rushing yards. With no running game and reliable receivers, the defending AFC champs have only one more win than the Skins and Browns, and will be asking the age old question.

RedHawks 26, Huskies 21

In one of the most thrilling college football games I’ve ever seen, my only cousin and the rest of the Miami of Ohio squad defeated ranked Northern Illinois in the last minute. The RedHawks won the MAC title with a 9-4 record, completing their worst to first turnaround. After converting a 4^th and 20, their redshirt freshman qb threw the game winning td on all out blitz. Miami will face Middle Tennessee State in the GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile on January 6^th.

Cavaliers 57, Hokies 54

During the middle of a NFL Sunday, the ACC men’s basketball season tipped off with a UVA upset of a VT team hungover from their football title victory the night before. The Wahoos finished their six game road trip with two huge wins against #13 Minnesota and a Hokie team that was projected to finish near the top of the ACC standings. Tony Bennett’s freshmen laden team will surprise a bunch of people this season.

Jayson Werth $126 million, Adam Dunn $56 million

Also lost among football season was the hot stove of the MLB off-season, until the Nationals made a big splash on Sunday. After not offering Adam Dunn enough years or money last week, Washington signed former Phillies Rightfielder Jayson Werth to a 7 year, $126 million deal. A seven year deal for a 31 year old! While his numbers stack up w/ Dunn’s, he’ll be making $18 million a year seven seasons from now at 38. In the past three seasons with a stacked Philly lineup, Werth went .273/24/67, .268/36/99, and .296/27/85 while on the Natinals, Dunn batted .236/40/100, .267/38/105, and .260/38/103. While Werth is a better defender, Washington offered him more per year for more years than fan favorite Dunn. If this is some sort of grand scheme to make the Nats competitive and abandon the youth movement, then why not resign Soriano and Capps? It just looks like a kneejerk reaction to not re-signing Dunn for a team without a winning record in their history, without their biggest draw for all of next season, and without crowds. Eventhough it’s a Dunn deal, I do not think it is Werth it (I had too).