The Virginia Cavaliers dropped their second straight game last night in an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers, 88-76. The final score is eye-popping considering UVA came into the game with the stingiest defense in the country at 48.6 points allowed per game. Just how rare was the lapse in Virginia’s defense last night?
Consider this: the Cavaliers haven’t given up 88 points in almost four years — the last time they did so, it was 93 in a loss to North Carolina on February 16, 2013. It’s actually just the third time in the Tony Bennett era that an opponent has scored at least 88 -- the only other time was a 106-63 blowout to Washington in Maui on November 22, 2010.