5 reasons Virginia won't win the 2018 NCAA Tournament

NCAA Tournament 2018: 5 reasons Virginia won’t win it all

By Chris Stone | Mar 12, 2018

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: Kyle Guy #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates with teammats after being named tournament MVP after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates on the court after the team defeated the USC Trojans 75-61 to win the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

5. Virginia will likely face a talent deficit in the Sweet 16

Remember the talent deficit we talked about earlier? Well, if the Cavaliers make their way to the Sweet 16 in the South Region, they’re almost certainly destined to face a significant one. That’s because the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats and the No. 5 seed Kentucky Wildcats are loaded with NBA talent.

Did anyone watch the Pac-12 conference tournament? Deandre Ayton is literally a mutant. The 7-foot-1 big man is averaging 24.3 points and 13.8 rebounds per 40 minutes this season. He’s dominating in the post and can punish defenses that double team down low like Virginia does with his passing. Ayton also has a smooth mid-range stroke and can even step out to the 3-point line on occasion. His teammate, junior Allonzo Trier, may be one of the most efficient scoring guards in America. Trier’s averaging 21.5 points per 40 minutes on a 66.7 true shooting percentage this season. In a potential matchup, Arizona would have the two best players on the floor.

Next: The full NCAA Tournament bracket

Kentucky, meanwhile, isn’t as stacked with one-and-done talents as in previous years, but John Calipari once again seems to have pushed the right buttons with his cadre of 5-star high school stars as we head into March. The Wildcats are playing their best basketball of the season now that Calipari has limited the minutes of Hamidou Diallo and Nick Richards. Oh, and Kentucky’s still waiting on pogo stick rebounder Jarred Vanderbilt to return from injury.

Virginia would no doubt be the more disciplined team in these matchups, but talent almost always rises to the top in March.

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