Virginia Cavaliers
ACC (29-3, 16-2)
The last time we saw Virginia in the NCAA Tournament they were making history for all the wrong reasons. But after another superb regular season, the Cavaliers will again be among the favorites to reach the Final Four. The important part for this group will be getting a couple wins under their belt. If they can make it to the Sweet 16, they can win it all.
Big Wins: 11/28 at Maryland (76-71), 2/11 at North Carolina (69-61), 2/18 at Virginia Tech (64-58)
Bad Losses: 1/19 at Duke (70-72), 2/9 Duke (71-81), 3/15 vs Florida State (59-69)
Coach: Tony Bennett
Why They Can Surprise:
As always, Virginia plays great defense. The opposition shoots just 37.4 percent from the floor against the Cavaliers. That ranks third in the nation. It gets even better beyond the arc where UVA holds their opponents to just nation leading 27.3 percent shooting. With defense like that, this is a team that can beat anybody. It does not take much offense for Virginia to win games, but they can get more than enough from Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome. That backcourt trio will do much of the scoring for this team. Guy and Jerome are prolific outside shooters, while Hunter is the most effective attacking the basket.
Why They Can Disappoint:
After losing to a 16th seeded UMBC in the first round last year, there are plenty of reasons why this group can disappoint. The biggest reason for another early exit could come in the turnover battle. Virginia does not commit too many turnovers and the numbers are very good, but they have had some stretches of games where they were committing around a dozen turnovers each game. That is way too many for a team that slows the game down and does not have that many possessions. Virginia cannot afford to have that many possessions without a shot and expect to reach the Final Four.
Probable Starters:
Kihei Clark, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 2.3 apg
Kyle Guy, Junior, Guard, 15.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg
Ty Jerome, Junior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.4 apg
De’Andre Hunter, Sophomore, Guard, 15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Jack Salt, Senior, Center, 4.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Key Role Players:
Braxton Key, Junior, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Mamadi Diakite, Junior, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.1 (189th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 54.6 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.9 (28, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.4 (3, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.5 (89, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.4 (3, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.6 (38, 3)
Rebound Margin: 5.6 (24, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (89, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.1 (2, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to UMBC |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over UNC Wilmington |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Florida |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Hampton |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Butler |
| 2016 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Iowa State |
| 2016 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Syracuse |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Belmont |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Michigan State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Coastal Carolina |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Memphis |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan State |
| 2013 | NIT | First Round win over Norfolk State |
| 2013 | NIT | Second Round win over St. John's |
| 2013 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Iowa |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Florida |
| 2008 | CBI | First Round win over Richmond |
| 2008 | CBI | Second Round win over Old Dominion |
| 2008 | CBI | Semifinal loss to Bradley |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Albany |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss Tennessee |
| 2006 | NIT | First Round loss to Stanford |
| 2004 | NIT | First Round win over George Washington |
| 2004 | NIT | Second Round loss to Villanova |
| 2003 | NIT | First Round win over Brown |
| 2003 | NIT | Second Round loss to St. Johns |
*all team stats through 3/10
