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Message: [QUOTE="73CAV, post: 4768078, member: 12266"] Just to put some of this into perspective: Last year when Virginia and UConn scrimmaged, UVa was returning all its starters from the previous season, and something like 90+% of its scoring. This year, there are only four players on the squad who were active last year. Only one was a starter, and one sat on the end of the bench. There are two more players who redshirted in 2023. There are seven new players on the 2024 edition: two grad transfers, another transfer, and four frosh. Also, none of the post players have ever seen a minute of action in a Virginia uniform. Until September, none of them had participated in a formal practice. Given that Coach Bennett's schemes take a bit of time to master, and that this is especially true for the post players' defense, there is reason to expect Virginia to struggle a bit early in the season. If the scrimmage score was close, I'm guessing it had to do with both coaches experimenting with various combinations and sets. I doubt that it was indicative of more. There is some talent on the UVa squad this year, but that it will take a while to gel is the conventional thinking. That Coach Bennett has had equally inexperienced teams in the last six years, without nearly this year's balance or depth, and hasn't finished out of the top half of the league seems to be confounding preseason predictions. [/QUOTE]