When did the ACC tournament stop counting as the post-season?
From 2014 to 2018, UVA went 10-3 in the ACC tournament with two titles, another appearance in the finals and a better conference tournament record that anyone else. Last year, UVA lost to FSU in the conference semis, and then won 6 straight in the NCAAs to win the Natty. It was never a style of play issue. Anyone watching the games knew that if UVA kept knocking on the door, they were too good not to get in at some point. You don't go 16-2, 16-2, 13-5, 11-7, 17-1, 16-2 in the ACC over a six year period in the best conference in the county with a style of play that 'doesn't work on the highest level'.
Claiming a certain style 'doesn't work' in the post-season is just lazy. UVA didn't lose to UMBC in 2018 because of the style of play, any more than Duke lost to Mercer in 2014 because of their style of play (BTW, Duke then won the Natty in 2015). The one and done style of the tournament is geared to produce random results: despite have the best recruits each year by far, neither Duke or nor Kentucky has made a final 4 in 5 years. That's a collective 0 for 8 despite having the most lottery picks and most talent by a mile. Are we now going to claim that Kentucky's and Duke's style doesn't work in the post-season?