SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

Frank Martin is paid the big bucks to figure out how to scheme up a plan to beat the Gamecocks’ next opponent, but leading into their next game Sunday against No. 9 Virginia (3 p.m., ABC), he’s willing to crowd source some ideas.

That would be how to score against the nation’s best defense, something not many teams have been able to do all season.

“If you have any opinions, I’m about to head back to my office to figure out your question,” he said, flashing a smile. “I’m open to suggestions. I think there are 353 of us around the country trying to figure it out.”

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Virginia’s (9-1, 2-0 ACC) defensive success is predicated on Tony Bennett’s pack-line defense, which is a variation of man-to-man where off-ball defenders all stay within 16 feet of the rim clogging passing lanes while the on-ball defender pressures the ball handler.

And it’s worked ever since Bennett took over with UVA once again the best defensive team in the country.

The Cavaliers currently rank first nationally allowing just 44.2 points per game and in defensive efficiency, giving up 80.2 points per 100 possessions while teams have a 38.7 effective field goal percentage against Virginia, the best mark in the country as well.

Teams are shooting just 32.1 percent against Virginia’s pack-line operation this year—26.4 percent from three and 37.8 from inside the arc—with only two of their 10 opponents so far shooting over 40 percent from the field so far: Arizona State (40.5) and Purdue (45.3).

“Virginia commits fewer mistakes than any team in the country,” Martin said. “As a competitor, it’s like putting your head in a blender because it’s so hard. They don’t get out of the way; they don’t make mistakes.”

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“Why do we complicate the game so much? You know what they do? They pass, they cut, they screen and they take good shots. They don’t run a hundred plays. Defensively, because of that, they’re able to get their defense in place.”

It’s up to the Gamecocks, who are coming off another road win against an ACC team last time out, to try and crack a code only one other team cracked this season.

Purdue is the only team to beat Virginia this year, dispatching the Cavs 69-40 at the beginning of the month.

The Boilermakers did it by shooting 45 percent from the field but they won the game because of their 13-for-25 mark from the three-point line.

It’s that style the Gamecocks (7-4) are going to have to try and copy if they want to replicate Purdue’s performance. The Gamecocks shot 8-for-18 from three against Clemson in a 13-point win but are shooting just 28.8 percent from beyond the arc this year.

“You can’t gamble. If you gamble, I’m just telling you they’re getting a foul, they’re getting an offensive rebound or they’re getting a layup. Take your pick. You have to make sure you’re consistent with how you defend,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, you have to make threes. If you don’t make threes, you better hope they miss threes, and your chances of winning are still not very good.”

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Virginia plays at the nation’s slowest pace, averaging just 59.5 possessions per game—the national average is 69.8—and Martin mentioned trying to get the Cavs out of their comfort zone, trying to make them play faster than they want.

The Cavs’ average possession length is 21.7 seconds, the longest in the country and they don’t give opponents many chances to score the ball.

“You can’t gamble. Whether you press or don’t press, play pack line or play our defense, you have to be rock solid,” “You have to try and speed them up, not to turn them over but to get them to shoot faster than they want to shoot.”