There isn’t a coach in the country who wouldn’t be thrilled to have players buy into defense way the Virginia Cavaliers embrace it like hugs at a family reunion.
Virginia, by highlight standards, is not the prettiest girl at the dance. But the Cavs have been going to the Big Dance on a regular basis since coach Tony Bennett took over and made defense Virginia’s idea of cake on the beach.
“Anyone can play defense if they’re willing,’’ Bennett said. “When you recruit them, you don’t sell them a bill of goods. You say, ‘You’re going to have to guard.’ ’’
Such was the case Wednesday night at Barclays Center. The Cavs advanced to Thursday night’s quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament against Notre Dame by locking down Pitt, 75-63, holding the Panthers to 40-percent shooting.
Virginia (22-9) got a defensive boost at shootaround earlier in the day. Former Cavs star Joe Harris, who now calls Barclays Center home as a member of the Nets, spoke to the team about Virginia’s polarizing style of play.
“He told us that the way we play basketball is built for this time of year,’’ backup guard Ty Jerome told The Post. “We get stops. When you really defend people don’t want to defend you.
“Basically it was an extension of Coach Bennett. When you have someone of that caliber reaching out and staying connected, it speaks to quality of the program.’’
The Virginia program is as solid as any in ACC these days. But it has its critics. The Cavaliers lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 54.9 points per game.
After Pitt’s Michael Young hit a free throw to cut Virginia’s lead to 46-44, the Cavaliers unleashed their Pack Line defense, their trademark style, on the Panthers. Over the next five-plus minutes, Virginia forced the Panthers to shoot 1-for-4 from the field and commit three turnovers.
The 15-5 run swelled Virginia’s lead to 61-49 and sent the Panthers home with a 16-17 record.
“They grind the game down,’’ Pitt coach Kevin Stallings said. “They play great defense.’’
That defense will be tested Thursday night by No. 3 seed Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (23-8 overall, 12-6 in ACC play) have traditionally been a scoring machine under coach Mike Brey.
They’re 61st in the nation, down by Brey’s standards, but still scoring a respectable 78.5 points per game. ND’s problem? Virginia. Since joining the ACC, the Irish are 0-5 against Virginia.
“They are a great defensive team,’’ Virginia guard Devon Hall said. “We pride ourselves on defense. When you have players that have gone through the process that we are going through, and they’ve been successful, come back and speak to us, it builds confidence.
“We believe in our defense. We believe in each other. It’s not about style points. It’s about not allowing points.’’