Sorry if already posted
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ldcats-stay-atop-revised-way-too-early-top-25
5. Virginia Cavaliers
With Justin Anderson back, Virginia would have been atop this list. Why not? When Anderson was healthy in 2014-15, the Cavaliers were the best combination of lights-out defense and efficient offense in college basketball, and the only team deserving of a mention in the same breath as Kentucky. When Anderson was injured, the offense took a major knock, and the Cavaliers couldn't put it back together in time to outduel Tom Izzo and Travis Trice's complimentary iso clinic in the round of 32. With Anderson now departed for the NBA draft -- a slightly surprising, though totally understandable, decision -- the same offensive questions will be asked about UVa. But here's the thing: This team, otherwise more or less intact, was still a defensive purebred when Anderson was out, good enough to win nine of its final 10 regular-season games (and finish 28-2 overall). And this time, coach Tony Bennett has an entire offseason to account for his star wing's absence, namely by coercing promising rising sophomore Marial Shayok into an approximation of Anderson's perimeter shooting and athletic slashing. You might not pick the Hoos to hang a national title as readily as if Anderson had returned, sure. But they're still awfully good.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ldcats-stay-atop-revised-way-too-early-top-25
5. Virginia Cavaliers
With Justin Anderson back, Virginia would have been atop this list. Why not? When Anderson was healthy in 2014-15, the Cavaliers were the best combination of lights-out defense and efficient offense in college basketball, and the only team deserving of a mention in the same breath as Kentucky. When Anderson was injured, the offense took a major knock, and the Cavaliers couldn't put it back together in time to outduel Tom Izzo and Travis Trice's complimentary iso clinic in the round of 32. With Anderson now departed for the NBA draft -- a slightly surprising, though totally understandable, decision -- the same offensive questions will be asked about UVa. But here's the thing: This team, otherwise more or less intact, was still a defensive purebred when Anderson was out, good enough to win nine of its final 10 regular-season games (and finish 28-2 overall). And this time, coach Tony Bennett has an entire offseason to account for his star wing's absence, namely by coercing promising rising sophomore Marial Shayok into an approximation of Anderson's perimeter shooting and athletic slashing. You might not pick the Hoos to hang a national title as readily as if Anderson had returned, sure. But they're still awfully good.
