Given the shooting struggles of fifth-year senior guard Sammy Zeglinski in conference play so far, Virginia Coach Tony Bennett was asked Monday whether he had considered bringing Zeglinski off the bench in the hopes of igniting an offensive resurgence.

“Nothing’s out of the realm,” Bennett said during his segment of the ACC coaches’ teleconference, “but I don’t think that’s the answer.”

Bennett noted the Cavaliers are mostly playing a six-man rotation right now and all six of those players will have ample minutes on the floor whether they’re starting or playing in reserve. Zeglinski has logged a team-high 34.9 minutes per game in ACC play. None of Virginia’s top six healthy players is playing less than 22 minutes per conference game, and four have averaged at least 30 minutes.

But none of the six depends more on his shot from beyond the arc than Zeglinski, who has shot just 26.7 percent (12 for 45) from three-point range in the past eight games. During that span, three-fourths of Zeglinski’s field goal attempts have come from three-point range.

Zeglinski – who has made more three-pointers in his career than all but four players in program history – shot 1 for 5 from three-point range Saturday during Virginia’s 58-55 loss at Florida State. Bennett said the Seminoles excel at closing quickly on opposing perimeter shooters and forcing them to rush their shots. Florida State ranks No. 7 in the ACC in three-point percentage defense in conference play (31.4 percent allowed).

All four of Zeglinski’s missed three-point attempts Saturday were air balls – the Seminoles’ crowd loudly reminded him of that in game’s later stages – though Bennett said film review did not reveal any technical flaws in Zeglinski’s shooting form. Bennett noted that at least all of Zeglinski’s attempts were “strong,” which was more encouraging to the coach than had Zeglinski left his shots short.

“When you’ve played as many games as Sammy has or as many minutes as all of our perimeter guys are getting, it’s just a matter of continuing to try to find the right kind of looks and impact the game in as many ways as you can, including shooting, but also in the other areas,” Bennett said. “I feel like that wouldn’t necessarily be the issue, but we’ll just keep looking at how things go.”

During ACC play, Zeglinski has recorded a 1.5 assist-to-turnover rate and has tallied nine steals, which is the second-highest mark on the team during that span.

Bennett also said Monday that doctors removed the cast from senior center Assane Sene’s right ankle and checked on the plate and three screws that had been surgically inserted Jan. 20.

“I was hoping maybe you could see a little healing or filling in of the fracture area, but that didn’t seem to be the case,” Bennett said. The coach said it would be a while before the staff can tell how far Sene’s recovery has progressed. Sene is expected back in early March.