Even during the stretches of play where Virginia dominated Iowa State en route to Tony Bennett’s first ever Elite Eight appearance, there was something about their play that had everyone questioning whether this team is a true threat to win it all.
Perhaps it’s unfair to Cavs, given that their style of play doesn’t exactly lend towards people being wowed by their talent level. Perhaps it’s unfair to write this today, since their conference foe North Carolina absolutely dominated Indiana in the night cap.
Either way, the reality of this tournament bracket is that if Virginia wants to win a title, and not just be happy about an appearance in the Elite Eight or Final Four, they’ll need to get by Syracuse and then North Carolina.
Malcolm Brogdon, the ACC Player of the Year, can go out and win you games–something needed to cut down the nets to end the year. But is the rest of this group dynamic enough? That’s the question here. In an elimination scenario, you don’t have the luxury of having a style of play win out over the course of several meetings. It’s about one night, one game, and often times, one player overcoming the opposition and reaching new heights.
Virginia is a very, very good team. But compared to the likes of Kansas and North Carolina who have gotten past more formidable foes thus far, the Cavs look one tier below as we head towards the grand finale.
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