CHARLOTTESVILLE – For the eighth time previously 10 years, Tony Bennett guided Virginia to the ACC basketball event semifinals. A lot of these groups rolled into the convention event after dominant common seasons.
That wasn’t the case this yr.
This yr, Bennett’s Cavaliers had been much less a juggernaut and extra junkyard canine.
“I really feel like we get missed slightly that method,” senior level guard Reece Beekman mentioned. “That’s the model of play. The way in which we play, we don’t have the tempo to blow groups out by 20 each evening however we’re grinding out video games and getting the wins.”
The NCAA choice committee took notice, together with the Cavaliers (23-10) on this event as one of many ultimate 36 at-large groups within the area. Tenth-seeded Virginia will play Colorado State in a First 4 recreation Tuesday in Dayton.
This shall be Virginia’s ninth look previously 10 tournaments.
A win would ship the Cavaliers to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face Texas within the first spherical on Thursday. The Longhorns roster contains former UVa middle Kadin Shedrick.
UVa seemed to be safely within the area after opening ACC event play with a gritty additional time win over Boston School within the quarterfinals on Thursday. However Friday, it blew a six-point lead within the ultimate 51 seconds in opposition to North Carolina State, doomed by missed free throws, a silly foul of a 3-point shooter and a doomed determination to not foul the Wolfpack on their ultimate two possessions.
Virginia went 11-1 in video games determined by single digits this season, with Friday being the lone loss. That, mixed with quite a few unhelpful outcomes on Saturday, together with State upsetting top-seeded North Carolina to take the ACC’s automated bid to the NCAAs, left UVa nervously awaiting the choice committee’s determination.
Virginia made the event after ending third within the ACC, proudly owning Quad 1 victories over NCAA-bound Clemson and Florida and going 13-0 in Quad 3 and 4 video games.
The issue going into the day for UVa was a 2-7 mark in Quad 1 contests, a No. 68 ranking within the Kenpom effectivity rankings and 7 blowout losses by 16 factors or extra. Its blemishes had been past unpleasant, together with a 34-point drubbing at rival Virginia Tech on Feb. 19.
Virginia went 7-2 following losses this yr, displaying the struggle and resilience it wanted to beat its offensive limitations and defensive inconsistency.
“That’s a credit score to us for persevering all through the entire season,” mentioned sophomore guard Isaac McKneely, who missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one Friday with 5 seconds left that would have sealed a visit to the ACC title recreation. “We had some ugly losses, however we didn’t let that deter us an excessive amount of and we simply saved combating.”
It’s been 5 years since Virginia final received a recreation within the NCAA event. That, in fact, was the 2019 nationwide championship. However since that highwater mark, Bennett’s program has misplaced a pair of first-round video games and was relegated to the NIT in 2022.
In 2020, the Cavaliers ended the common season on an eight-game successful streak, however there was no NCAA event as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike Barber (804) 649-6546
mbarber@timesdispatch.com
VIRGINIA VS. COLORADO STATE
First 4 in Dayton, Ohio
Tuesday: Time and TV TBD
College of Virginia and Virginia Tech Sports activities Reporter
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