Virginia Cavaliers Basketball: A look at their 3 toughest non-conference opponents

Virginia Cavaliers Basketball: 3 toughest non-conference opponents for 2018-19

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

Dec. 19 @ South Carolina

The Cavaliers don’t have many true road games on the 2018-19 schedule, but the South Carolina Gamecocks are one of them. The Gamecocks are one of two road games on Virginia’s non-conference schedule. Virginia has seven home games on their 12-game non-conference schedule.

Head coach Frank Martin’s Gamecocks will face the Cavaliers for the first time since March 13, 2002. Virginia lost that meeting 74-67 and has lost that lost two meetings in the matchup. A year removed from a Final Four appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, South Carolina went 17-16 in 2017-18.

Forward Chris Silva will be back for his senior season after averaging a team-high 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game along with 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest. The Virginia Cavaliers won’t take any teams on their 2018-19 schedule lightly especially considering how last season ended abruptly to 16-seeded UMBC in the NCAA Tournament.

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It should be a tough defensive game for both teams as South Carolina should be the biggest threat the Virginia Cavaliers face outside of the ACC. Granted, they could face Florida, Oklahoma, Wisconsin or Stanford in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game, but their game against South Carolina is on the road.

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