Navy @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 19, 2013 ) Navy 42, Virginia 67

Virginia has consistently been a top-five team in terms of valuing the ball in recent seasons, which makes the turnover issues this year's team is having all the more surprising. The 13th-ranked Cavaliers hope to put a stop to their careless ways Sunday when they host Navy in a battle of the two most methodical teams in college basketball.

The defending national champions haven't averaged more than 9.5 turnovers in any of the previous five seasons, contributing to the effectiveness of Virginia's deliberate offensive style, which usually averages less than 60 possessions per game. The Cavaliers' tempo hasn't changed much this season, but Virginia is averaging 12.7 turnovers per game in 2019-20 - a mark that got bumped up considerably after committing a season-high 19 in last Sunday's 70-59 home loss to South Carolina. "Turnovers are really costing us. In the past, we've been so good (in that area), and we know our margin for error this year is smaller than most years. … If you don't do those at a high level, it's very difficult to win," Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said afterward. The Midshipmen, who rank second to only Virginia in terms of the fewest number of possessions during the course of the game (61.5), have put a scare into the two best teams on their schedule to this point (a 68-55 overtime setback at one-loss George Mason on Nov. 5 and a 55-48 defeat at undefeated Liberty on Nov. 19).

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT NAVY (6-4): The Midshipmen rank 12th in Division I in scoring defense (57.7 points) and 28th in rebound margin (plus-7.5), both of which help them counteract shooting 40.2 percent from the floor (319th in the country). Junior guard Cam Davis (team-high 14.3 points) and sophomore guard John Carter Jr. (14.0) are the only Navy players who average more than 10 points per game and have accounted for 49 of the team's 69 3-point makes as well as 146 of the team's 218 long-range attempts. Greg Summers (9.7 points) - a 6-3 sophomore guard - averages a team-best 7.1 rebounds but has not pulled down more than six over his last four outings after averaging 10 during a three-game run in late November.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (9-2): Mamadi Diakite (13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds) has been the only consistent source of production for the nation's 348th-ranked scoring offense (54.3 points), reaching double figures in all but one game after posting a career-high 21 points versus the Gamecocks. Bennett referred to sophomore Kihei Clark (9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists) as a "warrior" but acknowledged the 13 turnovers his point guard has committed over the last two games are too many. "Sometimes I forget he's in a brand-new role for him, and he still is in his second year, but I think he needs to clean those up for us to be as good as we can. And I'm asking an awful lot of him, because he has to do a lot defensively and offensively, but I'm going to hold him in high account. I hold all my point guards to that," Bennett said.

TIP-INS

1. Virginia's 19 turnovers against South Carolina matched its most in a game since Dec. 8, 2015.

2. Navy has lost 18 straight to ranked opponents since David Robinson led the Midshipmen to a 97-85 win over Syracuse in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament.

3. The Cavaliers have won the last seven meetings dating back to the 1967-68 season, but the Midshipmen hold a 32-13 lead in the all-time series.

PREDICTION: Virginia 57, Navy 42