Going on with our 2019-2020 College Basketball Preview, we delve into the reigning champions, the Virginia Cavaliers. They took the title a year after losing the first 16-seed upset in tournament history against UMBC. The ultimate redemption story is back for another season, with fewer expectations, but just as much opportunity to retake the title. The Cavaliers lost a lot of talent from that championship team and will attempt to come back better than ever. However, with a tough ACC schedule, will they Cavs be able to repeat the magic of a year ago? We’ll just have to wait and see, but for now, let’s get into the details of this year’s team and where they may end up by the time Selection Sunday rolls around.
Key Returners
- Mamadi Diakite
- Braxton Key
- Kihei Clark
The trio of Diakite, Key, and Clark will make up the soul and the center of this Virginia Cavaliers team. All three players had solid seasons last year and only improved up until they won the championship. Diakite has become a household name for many NCAA basketball fans with his performances in March to go along with his blonde hair. Cavaliers fans are hoping this trio has improved as much as many analysts believe they will. Braxton Key was the leading rebounder a season ago with 5.3 a game, while Diakite swatted a team-high 1.7 shots a game. There is a ton of excitement around this team, and these three are much of the reason why.
Key Losses
- Kyle Guy
- De’Andre Hunter
- Ty Jerome
Kyle Guy dropped the dagger on UNC for @UVAMensHoops ??pic.twitter.com/Lk1p5BT5YO
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 12, 2019
As important as Diakite, Key, and Clark maybe for the Cavaliers this season, these three guys were that and more for Virginia in the 2018-2019 season. Guy, Hunter, and Jerome averaged 15.4, 15.2, and 13.6 points per game respectively. No one else on last season’s squad averaged more than 7.4 (Diakite) a game. They pulled in 13.8 rebounds a game combined and threw out 9.6 assists combined last season. All three players were drafted in the 2019 NBA Draft with Jerome and Hunter taken in the first round. Tony Bennett has a lot of lost production to make up for this season. Three draft picks are never easy to replace, and neither is 44.2 points a game on a team that only averaged 71.8 points per contest last season. However, Bennett is one of the best in the business and should have his team poised for another impressive season.
Key Newcomers
- Kadin Shedrick
- Sam Hauser (transfer, sitting one)
The 2019 recruiting class was not spectacular for Virginia this season, but they are never typically very flashy in recruiting anyway. Two great pickups that will undoubtedly help this season and beyond have to be incoming freshman Kadin Shedrick and transfer from Marquette Sam Hauser. Shedrick is a 6-11 center, ranked 68th in the country Shedrick needs to put on weight and hone his craft, but this kind of size is invaluable. I don’t think we will see a lot from Kadin this season, but his development and ability to go at guys like Diakite in practice will help the overall development of the team. Sam Hauser is a transfer from Marquette who averaged 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 40.3% from three. While Hauser will end up not playing a minute of game time this season, having a guy like that in practice, in the locker room, around the team, in general, is going to pay dividends not just in 2020-21 but right now.
Projected Starting Lineup
- Kihei Clark
- Braxton Key
- Kody Stattmann
- Mamadi Diakite
- Jay Huff
Season Outlook
Record Prediction: 25-6 (14-4)
I really think that Virginia is going to have a really good season. If the pieces fall where they need them to, and their returners mesh well with the new guys and guys develop like they should Virginia could be a top-10 team easily. KenPom, an advanced stats ranking system, has Virginia ranked 5th in the preseason with the 2nd best-adjusted defense in the country coming into the year. KenPom is one of the things I rely on most when I don’t have a lot of information on a team, and while Virginia lost about two-thirds of their offensive production, their defense and slow style of play is only going to help them this season. They’ll lose some games, but overall they will be one of the most dangerous teams in the country come tournament time.
