In the backdrop of last night’s 68-44 thrashing of Wake Forest beamed Mike Scott’s face — plastered on a fan’s hand-crafted dollar bill with the slogan, “In Scott We Trust.”

After shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the field while scoring 19 points, the senior forward demonstrated why he’s earned John Paul Jones’ faith.

Scott kick-started a Cavaliers team, which had suffered a last-second 58-55 loss against Florida State Saturday, by immediately nailing two jumpers. Sophomore guard Joe Harris followed with back-to-back threes, and Virginia’s most potent playmakers traded baskets while scoring the Cavaliers’ first 15 points on 6-of-6 combined shooting.

The quick start “was huge confidence-wise for our team,” Harris said. “To be knocking down the open looks that we had, I felt like the team was feeding off of that on both ends.”

Scott rode his hot hand to a 9-of-9 night, and although most players must rely on relatively safe inside baskets to post such an efficient percentage, Scott earned all of his 19 points from mid-to-long-range jumpers.

“[It’s] pretty impressive, especially because he wasn’t just around the basket and making lay-ups and jump hooks,” Harris said. “He was spreading it out, hitting shots all over the court. I think that’s a testament to Mike and the work that he’s put in with his jumper. His confidence level is really high right now.”

When the 6-foot-8 forward was on the bench most of last season with an ankle injury, the Cavaliers’ repeatedly missed Scott’s presence in the paint. This season, as 7-foot center Assane Sene sits sidelined with his own ankle injury, Scott could theoretically shoulder even more of an interior burden. His teammates, however, said he’s honed in on his outside shooting instead. The ACC’s fourth-leading scorer now boasts one of the conference’s best multi-dimensional games and an uncanny ability to create mismatches on the perimeter.

“Today wasn’t a game where he needed to lock up and get down there because there were some nice openings and creations off of penetrations,” coach Tony Bennett said. “He caught it in rhythm and shots certainly were dropping, but that versatility he has added to his game makes him a hard matchup.”

Scott’s performance high lighted a strong offensive effort across the Cavaliers’ lineup, where five players finished in double figures, including freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon. When Wake Forest exhibited a fleeting sign of life and drew the score to 15-11, Brogdon silenced the Demon Deacons by draining a three and following with a layup.  Brogdon finished with 10 points, and although Bennett said he remains committed to starting senior Sammy Zeglinski at guard, he recognizes the freshman’s potential contribution as a dual threat both in the paint and behind the arc.

“He played well at the end against Florida State — yes he’s a freshman, but he’s physical enough to play in those games,” Bennett said. “He has a deceptive first step that he can get in there and cause some problems with the rim, and when he’s stretching it with his outside shot, as that gets more consistent, I’m hopeful for his future.”

Junior guard Jontel Evans also tallied 10 points, two of which came as time was expiring in the first half and John Paul Jones Arena was on its feet. Evans drove inside for a last-second layup and his shot rattled around the rim, looked to lean outside but ultimately fell in for a 40-19 lead. The play typified a first half in which the Cavaliers could seemingly do no wrong, shooting 70.8 percent from the field while holding Wake Forest to just 36.8 percent.

“I thought tonight was one of those games when the offense and the defense came together,” Bennett said. “We were moving the ball but making it hard for them to score, and it was nice to see that because there was good effort and good execution.”

During the break, Bennett said he reminded his team, “It was a great first half but as they say the score is 0-0, let’s see what we can do in these first four minutes.”

His players did not disappoint and hammered home a dominant performance against the Demon Deacons with a 14-2 run to start the second half. Virginia averages 63 points per game, but hit the 60-point mark with more than 10 minutes to play. The team’s lopsided lead allowed Bennett to sit some of his starters, including Scott, for the game’s final 12 minutes 41 seconds.

The short-handed Cavaliers often employ a six-man rotation, so the extra rest is especially crucial before entering the toughest portion of their schedule, starting with No. 5 North Carolina this Saturday. As Virginia increasingly reflects the “In Scott we Trust” strategy, Bennett knows he needs his star forward fresh for the ACC’s fiercest competition.

“Whenever we can rest some of the key guys that have been playing a lot of minutes, that’s a good thing,” Bennett said. “That was the case tonight with Mike [only playing 26 minutes]. It was nice to rest up. We know we are getting ready to play one of the best teams in America, hopefully we’ll be ready for that.”