Last Monday afternoon, I wrote a column in this space about how Virginia remained a work in progress in large part because the Cavaliers remained consistently inconsistent.

Since then, the team has played three games and while the Wahoos did pick up a win in Atlanta in the middle, it’s fair to say that those three games helped solidify the thought that many of those same issues continue to persist.

Monday night, as UVa lost another late lead and didn’t make nearly enough plays down the stretch, it was NC State that benefited from too many Cavalier mistakes. Outside of the play of Francisco Caffaro and Casey Morsell, there didn’t seem to be a lot to write home about for the home team.

And that’s the quandary Virginia finds itself in, as NCAA Tournament and bubble talk continues to grow louder: How can you fix what’s broken when it’s so difficult to isolate one problem let alone all of them? Realistically, you can’t.

If you don’t believe me, listen to Tony Bennett.

“Confidence,” he said Monday, when asked about the team’s mindset right now, “is something that you’ve got to earn, you’ve got to get. I thought they did a good job against Georgia Tech to hold on and to win. It wasn’t perfect but I think it challenges you. That’s our job, again, as coaches, just to stay together and keep working and not be distracted. Again, this league is [about] whoever is ready and right has a chance to win, and we know our margin for error is smaller than it’s usually been. What else can you say?

“It’s kind of the same message: Keep your head up and let’s keep working,” he added. “I think they’ll take hopefully their lead from us with how we work, how we respond with them. It’s a tremendous opportunity to lead, coach, teach, and try to improve. I think we’re improving in little ways but it’s not showing it in the win-loss column. It did against Georgia Tech. You highlight the things that Papi and Casey did. Those are good things. Two first-years stepping out there and doing some good things. For sure, you’re going to question at times and then you say ‘Alright, now we get back to it.’ That’s all I know how to do.”

Consider that in all four of the team’s conference defeats, they’ve not only trailed at the half but have not trailed at the final media timeout. And this, thanks to my friend Bennett Conlin of the Daily Progress, is even more staggering:

Much of the focus this season (rightly so) has been on the amount of turnovers Virginia commits. After all, turnovers feel like something you have control over. Kihei Clark, the architect of perhaps the great play in the history of Virginia sports, has been much maligned this season for the frequency with which he’s turning over the ball. Granted, last season he was surrounded by three future NBA guards but his turnovers per game average has gone from 1.0 then to 3.4 now. And yet, at the same time his assists per game are up from 2.6 to 5.9 for a team that is scoring nearly 16 points less than last (71.4 to 55.1).

Which brings me to something that got me thinking. Perhaps it’s just me but as he has discussed this team and the games that have just happened, Bennett doesn’t seem all that miffed when he talks to media postgame. Clearly, he wants his team to perform better and obviously they’re trying to figure things out and get it pointed in the right direction. But he doesn’t seem confused about what he’s seeing. It’s like he understands how narrow the path to victory will be for this group most nights and knows they have to check off a series of boxes in order to have a real chance at winning consistently.

“He’s got to be aggressive and get in there,” Bennett said when asked about Clark’s three turnovers against NCSU. “I thought we had a really good game against Georgia Tech where, when we got it in there we either played off two [feet] or we didn’t make one-handed momentum passes…The first half they had 10 points off of turnovers and that’s hard for us to absorb. You look at it, we shot 36 percent for the game and 25 (percent) from 3 and we still had a chance.

“So, your margin for error shrinks even more with that,” he added. “So then those live-ball turnovers, like pick-6s, they lead to 10 points in the first half. It was better in the second half for sure. If you have some bad lapses defensively for stretches, that’s enough. We found a way, it was hard, to at least get [ahead]. It’s certainly some growing pains.”

Morsell has been the source of a lot of attention this year. In part that’s because many thought the former four-star Rivals150 guard, given his high school and AAU experience, would be a major contributor right away. His defense, as expected, has been outstanding but he’s struggled with his shot, pressing at times to make plays. He’s handled that about as well as possible and his coach sounded understanding.

“Just keep playing,” Bennett said, when asked what he wanted to see from Morsell. “Show heart. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get down on yourself. Play as hard as you can, with some smarts, and I thought he did that. He guarded hard. He made a couple of tough shots.

“As I mentioned after the Georgia Tech game, a lot of guys are getting put in spots [where] they’re getting thrown into the fire,” he added. “And it’s challenging but it’s the best thing for their games and their future, if they can withstand it. That’s why the message to them is ‘Just keep locking in.’ We’re trying to get it done and win games but I know this will produce some fruit later on and it’s a little bit of a painful process. I liked how he responded and there’s a lot of games left.”

For many Virginia fans, who for years have felt like every game was a referendum on the program they love, this season is especially difficult. And that’s been the case for the players as well, even as they try to learn how to fill bigger roles than they’ve filled in the past. Bennett’s framing, though, offers some relief. If ultimately what this season does is serve as a stepping stone for many of these kids and their futures, perhaps that’s enough.

“Say what you want,” Bennett added Monday, “but every game we’ve lost in ACC play, we could have won. We’ve had chances. So, you’re close. Maybe it’s not as close as it feels like. But you’re close. And I’m trying to be hopeful that ‘Alright we’re going to stick a few of those.’ But we’ll keep plugging.”

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