CHICAGO — Virginia basketball this season has been known for its defense.

Coach Tony Bennett has created one of the nations best defensive teams, and it has shown all year.

Yet when the Cavaliers left the floor of the United Center in Chicago on Friday with their sights now set on the Elite Eight, it wasn’t their stellar defense that everyone was talking about.

It was their offense. And the Cyclones couldn’t do anything to slow it down.

No. 4 Iowa State (23-13) fell to No. 1 Virginia (30-7) 84-71 on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, ending the Cyclones hopes of a trip to Houston this season for the Final Four.

“I don’t think we played average,” said point guard Monté Morris. “We all don’t think that. I think we was below average tonight.”

Virginia jumped to a 12-2 lead, hitting five of its first seven shots. Nearly halfway into the first half, the Cavaliers had a 17-point lead.

Iowa State just couldn’t stop them.

“Defense was definitely an issue when it came to that quick start,” said junior guard Matt Thomas. “We just dug ourselves too deep of a hole to come back.”

Virginia has one of the most efficient offenses in the country. The Cavaliers average less than 80 points per game, but are the seventh-most efficient offence in the league, according to Kenpom.com.

They even shot more than 60 percent from the field in the first half, missing just 11 total shots.

Thomas said it wasn’t an issue of being unprepared, though. They knew what was coming.

“We knew exactly what they were going to do heading into the game,” Thomas said. “I don’t know. We just didn’t guard the way we needed to guard. They we’re just picking us apart.”

ISU coach Steve Prohm agrees, citing the first half defense as the biggest reason for their early stumble.

“We weren’t good enough defensively in the first half,” Prohm said. “If you want to break the game down, our first half defense wasn’t good enough to win at this level. Our second half defense was, but our first half defense wasn’t.”

The second improved briefly for the Cyclones, who found themselves within just seven points after the first six minutes of the second period.

Virginia, though, was just too much to handle. The Cyclones couldn’t string together a run with scores and defensive stops, which allowed the Cavaliers to stretch their lead back out — and eventually giving them the 13-point win.

“Of course we always thought we could come back, but they just continue to grind it out. That’s what makes them good, they grind it out,” said center Jameel McKay. “If they hit shots at the clip they did tonight and play defense the way they do, they won’t lose no more this year.”

The season is over for the Cyclones. They’ll fly back to Ames, and start preparing for the next one. But there are still things to be proud of.

Iowa State has now reached their fifth Sweet 16 in school history, and did so this time with a first-year coach. That’s no easy task.

Sure, it was a solemn affair in the locker room after the game Friday. Heads were down. Voices were hushed. Nobody was happy.

But Thomas said he knows they have a lot to appreciate, and that’s not going to go unnoticed.

“The fact that we got to this point is impressive,” Thomas said. “We’ll all walk out of here with our heads held high because of that.”