Virginia Basketball: 5 reasons why the Cavaliers can win the ACC in 2018-19

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 3: Justice Bartley #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers and the rest of the bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at John Paul Jones Arena on March 3, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia defeated Notre Dame 62-57. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: The Virginia Cavaliers celebrate. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

5. Somehow they are still an underdog

Lastly, UVA has flown under the radar throughout this offseason as a possible ACC title contender. North Carolina and Duke (especially) have received a ton of publicity in terms of their potential to win the conference. This is largely due to the impressive freshmen joining their teams for this upcoming campaign. And while all three of these teams will likely enter this upcoming season in the national preseason top-10, Virginia clearly has the most experience of the group.

In addition, with their steady defensive play, it is arguably more rare for UVA to have an “off night” over the course of 18 games compared to Duke and UNC. Even when the Cavaliers are not hitting shots like they normally do, they can still shut down opponents to the point where they win anyways. Head coach Tony Bennett is incredible during the regular season and that could lead to another ACC title.

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Of course, I think most UVA fans would be totally fine with a top-5 finish in the conference if it ended with the team reaching the Elite Eight (or further) in the Big Dance. This last display in the NCAA Tournament will be difficult to get over and that could potentially affect the play on the court. However, if the youngsters rise to the occasion and fight that narrative to a big year, then Cavaliers’ fans (and the nation) might be able to forget the UMBC game a little quicker.

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