Andrew Pace
The University of Virginia's basketball team has gained recognition for its stalwart defensive performances, with some commentators asking if the team has the defence of the decade. The team's success has been attributed to its use of the Pack Line defence strategy, which was popularized by Dick Bennett and the University of Wisconsin, and is now famously used by his son, Tony Bennett, head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. This defensive strategy emphasizes help defence, taking away penetration, and forcing the offense to score from the perimeter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Defense Type | Pack Line Defense |
| Defense Creator | Dick Bennett |
| Defense Implementor | Tony Bennett |
| Defense Style | Man-to-man defense |
| Defense Focus | Taking away penetration, forcing the ball towards the middle |
| Defense Performance | Second in the nation in defensive efficiency, second in effective field-goal defense, fifth in defensive rebounding, third in 2-point field-goal defense, 30th in block percentage |
| Defense Performance | Allows 2.2 fast-break points per game |
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What You'll Learn
Virginia Cavaliers' Pack Line Defense
The Virginia Cavaliers' success in college basketball has been built on their strong defence, specifically the Pack Line defence engineered by Tony Bennett's father, Dick Bennett. Dick Bennett and the University of Wisconsin are credited with popularising the defence, but it is now most famously used by his son, Tony Bennett, head coach of the Cavaliers. No team runs this defence better than the Virginia Cavaliers.
The Pack Line defence is a popular man-to-man defence that emphasises help defence, taking away penetration and forcing the offence to score from the perimeter. In this defensive strategy, the players are packed in under an imaginary line, with four bodies close to the hoop to snare any errant shots. It is designed to take away interior scoring options, leaving the offence with only the option to take shots from the perimeter. Therefore, guarding and contesting outside looks is key to any successful Pack Line defence. Virginia coaches their players to begin closing out on a sprint and finish with short choppy steps.
The Pack Line defence is the opposite of most defences, which try to force the ball towards the baseline and use out-of-bounds as a sixth defender. Instead, the Pack Line defence wants to force the ball towards the middle, where help is available. When the ball is passed around the perimeter, the next defender closes out with high hands to prevent the rhythm shot and then provides on-ball pressure while the defender who was playing on-ball defence falls back within the pack line. There should be a lot of pressure placed on the ball-handler, with the defender right up on them and harassing them without fouling.
The Virginia Cavaliers' Pack Line defence has produced some impressive results. For example, they held Clemson to 36 points, and in the ACC Tournament finals, they smothered a high-octane UNC team into a performance 11 points worse than their per-100-possession average.
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How Pack Line Defense works
The University of Virginia's basketball team has risen to the top of college basketball with its implementation of the Pack Line defense, a strategy engineered by Tony Bennett's father, Dick Bennett, and popularized by Dick and the University of Wisconsin. The Pack Line defense is a popular man-to-man defense that emphasizes help defense, taking away penetration and forcing the offense to score from the perimeter.
When in Pack Line defense, all players must be inside the shaded yellow area, protecting against penetration. There should be a lot of pressure on the ball-handler, with the defender getting right up on them and harassing them without fouling. The goal is to force the ball toward the middle, where help is available from three teammates. With all four off-ball defenders packed in under that imaginary line, there are four bodies close to the hoop to snare any errant shots.
When the ball is passed around the perimeter, the next defender closes out with high hands to prevent the rhythm shot and then provides on-ball pressure while the previous on-ball defender falls back within the pack line. At all times, there must be one defender pressuring the player with the basketball and four defenders in gap/help positions.
The Pack Line defense is a great strategy for teams on any level, from youth basketball to the NBA. It can be used to take away interior scoring options, leaving the offense with only outside shots. Virginia coaches their players to begin closing out on a sprint and finish with short choppy steps to guard and contest outside shots.
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Virginia's defensive rebounding
The Virginia Cavaliers have put together years with some of the closest-to-perfect defences witnessed in college basketball. Their success has been built on defence, and specifically the Pack Line defence engineered by Tony Bennett's father, Dick.
The Pack Line defence is a 'team' defence that requires all players to be on the same page. It is predicated on forcing the ball towards the middle, where the help is, rather than the baseline. This means there are four bodies close to the hoop to snare any errant shots.
When in Pack Line defence, all players are inside a shaded yellow area, protecting against penetration. There must always be one defender pressuring the player with the basketball, and four defenders in gap/help positions. When the ball is passed around the perimeter, the next defender closes out with high hands to prevent the rhythm shot and then provides on-ball pressure while the previous on-ball defender falls back within the pack line.
Transition defence is the start of every defensive possession and could be the most important. Coaches must decide how many players they want to send to the glass for offensive rebounds and how many they want to immediately send back.
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Virginia's defense against top-50 offenses
The Virginia Cavaliers have consistently demonstrated stalwart defensive performances, with some commentators suggesting that they may have the best defence in the last decade of college basketball.
The Cavaliers' success has been built on their use of the Pack Line defence, engineered by Tony Bennett and his father Dick. This strategy forces the ball towards the middle, where there is help from three teammates, rather than towards the baseline. This means that there are four bodies close to the hoop to rebound any missed shots. The Pack Line defence requires grit and individual technique from its players, who must be tenacious in their approach.
In one game, the Cavaliers held Clemson to just 36 points, and in the ACC Tournament finals, they smothered a high-octane UNC team into a performance 11 points worse than their per-100-possession average. In another game, the Tigers could only score 13 points against Virginia's defence.
The Cavaliers' defence has been described as having an intrinsic nuisance value, with opponents unused to playing against a team with such a low-scoring style. Virginia forces a high rate of turnovers, with opposing offences turning the ball over on 25% of their offensive trips. Virginia's defence also limits the number of chances an opponent has to score, with teams averaging just 45 opportunities to put points on the board.
The Cavaliers' defence has been so successful that it has drawn unique levels of adulation from fans and apprehension from opponents.
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UVA's defense in 2017-18
The 2017–18 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team was led by head coach Tony Bennett, who was in his ninth year at the time. The team played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, and were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Despite low expectations from the press, the Cavaliers rose from being unranked to the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll, a position they held until the end of the regular season. They became the first ACC team to win 17 conference games and broke the school's single-season win record.
The team's success has been attributed to their strong defense, specifically the Pack Line defense engineered by Tony Bennett's father, Dick. In Pack Line defense, players aim to force the ball toward the middle, where help is available from three teammates. This strategy requires grit and individual technique, with a focus on defensive rebounding. While most defenses try to force the ball toward the baseline, the Pack Line defense uses an imaginary line to pack four off-ball defenders in, providing protection against penetration and allowing them to snare any errant shots.
The Cavaliers' defense during this season was notable for its ability to force misses inside the arc. Players like Isaiah Wilkins, Devon Hall, Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and Jack Salt contributed to the team's advanced numbers, holding top-25 opponents like Clemson to low scores. Despite some questioning the team's defensive cohesiveness, their strong defensive performances, such as holding Clemson to 36 points, contributed to their success in reaching the NCAA semifinals.
Overall, the 2017-18 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team showcased a dominant defensive performance, utilizing the Pack Line defense strategy effectively and achieving impressive results on the court.
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Frequently asked questions
The Virginia Cavaliers use the Pack Line defense. This is a man-to-man defense that emphasizes help defense, taking away penetration and forcing the offense to score from the perimeter.
The Pack Line defense is designed to take away interior scoring options, leaving the offense to take shots from the perimeter. It involves four defenders in gap/help positions, and one defender pressuring the player with the ball.
The Cavaliers' defense is considered one of the best in the nation. They are ranked highly in defensive efficiency, effective field-goal defense, defensive rebounding, 2-point field-goal defense, and block percentage. They are also known for allowing very few fast-break points and for their ability to force misses inside the arc.
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