Virginia Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Virginia Cavaliers

ACC (23-7, 15-5)

 
Two years ago Virginia became the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed. Last year they won the national championship. This time around the Cavaliers will not enter the tournament as a #1 seed after an up and down campaign, but this is still a team that will not give up many points and that should keep them in most games.
 
Big Wins: 1/28 Florida State (61-56), 2/29 Duke (52-50), 3/7 Louisville (57-54)
Bad Losses: 12/22 South Carolina (59-70), 1/7 at Boston College (53-60), 1/11 Syracuse (55-63)
Coach: Tony Bennett
 
Why They Can Surprise:
The Cavaliers led the nation allowing just 52.4 points per game. They also rank second in field-goal percentage at 36.9 percent. Those are some impressive numbers and UVA can win a national title again with performances like that. Mamadi Diakite has stepped into a larger role during his senior season and has not disappointed. The 6-9 big man averages 13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The offense will work through Diakite, but Kihei Clark and Braxton Key are solid perimeter scorers. Clark is a solid outside shooter and Key is a big 6-8 wing who averages a team high 7.4 rebounds.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
As we saw two years ago, Virginia can lose to inferior teams. And that was a much more proven Virginia squad than this one. Coach Tony Bennett often runs just a seven man rotation and that can be difficult for those players to keep up their defensive pressure. Virginia is going to make every game close and then it all comes down to a few key possessions down the stretch. That can result in six wins and a national title or it could result in a big upset. This group has played relatively well this season but they have not had many big wins either. As is often the case, Virginia will likely do something between an early upset and a national title and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen would be a good showing for this team.
 
Probable Starters:
Kihei Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.2 rpg
Braxton Key, Senior, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 1.8 apg, 7.8 rpg
Tomas Woldetensae, Junior, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
Mamadi Diakite, Senior, Forward, 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Jay Huff, Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Kody Stattmann, Sophomore, Guard, 3.6 ppg
Casey Morsell, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 57.0 (348th in nation, 15th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 52.4 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.3 (297, 13)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.9 (2, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (305, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.4 (314, 14)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.7 (143, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.6 (70, 4)
Assists Per Game: 11.4 (294, 14)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (92, 7)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 Gardner-Webb
2019 NCAA Round of 32 win over Oklahoma
2019 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Oregon
2019 NCAA Regional Final win over Purdue
2019 NCAA National Semifinal win over Auburn
2019 NCAA National Final win over Texas Tech
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 3/8