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Virginia basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 first-look preview

By Mike Phillips

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 07: Mamadi Diakite #25 and Braxton Key #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers walk off the court together after a game against the Louisville Cardinals at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 07: Mamadi Diakite #25 and Braxton Key #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers walk off the court together after a game against the Louisville Cardinals at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – MARCH 07: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – MARCH 07: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on March 7, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

How did Virginia do this season?

It is important to remember that expectations weren’t incredibly high for Virginia, which was ranked 11th in the preseason polls largely out of respect for their title last March. The Cavaliers were being asked to replace a lot of offensive firepower, which played a part in some of the struggles Virginia had during the season.

Tony Bennett‘s team was laden with senior leadership, which without a doubt was the major reason the Cavaliers’ January swoon didn’t sink the season. The fact that this team managed to win 11 of their last 12 games and go from squarely on the bubble into a tournament lock is extremely impressive.

One thing that did work in Virginia’s favor was a down year for the ACC, which was poised to send just five schools to the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers did score wins over the league’s top dogs down the stretch, but a more typical year may have seen Virginia struggle even more to make the dance.

The next question to consider is how far Virginia could have gone in the NCAA Tournament. Getting hot at the right time is certainly a big factor in March, but the tournament also exposes a team’s flaws, which in Virginia’s case was their anemic offense.

It is very hard to win six games in a row against tournament teams scoring in the high 50’s, no matter how good your defense is. This Virginia team would have fared similarly to most of the Cavaliers’ squads prior to last season, winning a round or two before making an early exit.