March Madness: Virginia opens up tournament plat against UMBC
Virginia plays their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. What can be expected of them in their first round match-up?
Virginia is the number one overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Playing in the South Region, the Cavaliers are making their fifth straight and 22nd appearance overall in the Tournament. They are coached by Tony Bennett who is in his ninth season with Virginia. What should you know as they approach their first game against UMBC?
How They Got Here
Virginia made the tournament by going 31-2 overall. They won the ACC regular season by four games with a record 17 wins. They then proceeded to win the ACC tournament with wins over Louisville, Clemson, and North Carolina.
Top Players
Isaiah Wilkins. Wilkins finished the season with a team-leading 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He was also second on the team in steals with 1.2 per game. Wilkins set the tone for Virginia’s top-ranked defense and was named ACC Defensive player of the year.
Kyle Guy. Guy was the leading scorer on the ACC’s best team. He averaged 14.1 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from behind the arc. He was rewarded by receiving ALL-ACC first-team honors.
Devon Hall. Hall was one of Virginia’s best all-around players. He led the team in three-point percentage at 45.2 percent. He was also second on the team in points, assists, and rebounds. For his production, Hall received ALL-ACC second team honors.
Biggest Question
Can Anyone Score 70 on this team?
Virginia is usually the top team in the country in points per game. They were first again this season allowing a measly 53.4 per game, which was nearly four points better than the second-best team Cincinnati.
No team has scored 70 on them this season with the highest being the 68 West Virginia had on them back in early December. There are a lot of teams that have talented scorers in the South. If any of them can get hot, Virginia may not be able to advance as far as most think they will.
Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament
Prediction
Virginia 65, UMBC 36. The Cavaliers additionally have held 12 teams this season to under 50 points and three teams to under 40. They will overwhelm the Retrievers early and have the game well underway by halftime.