Virginia Basketball: Keys to beating Oregon in Sweet 16 matchup

Virginia basketball made it through the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Now in the Sweet 16, how can the Cavaliers take down the Oregon Ducks?

Virginia Basketball is in the Sweet 16. These words were not written a year ago but the entire program, fanbase, and the nation should agree that it is great to see this time around. The Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the nation for the last several years and their response to the disappointment of last season during this campaign has been tremendous. Head coach Tony Bennett is clearly one of the best leaders in the country and the ability of his players to keep a clear head amidst the doubters also needs to be commended.

With this said, though, the journey is not yet over for Virginia. They have already reached the Sweet 16 but, as arguably the best team in the country, this achievement is just the next step en route to cutting down the final nets in Minneapolis. The Cavaliers have all of the ingredients needed to be named the national champions this season and their quest to achieving that goal continues soon as they take on the Oregon Ducks to begin the second weekend.

Oregon enters this matchup as arguably the hottest team in the country but they are also the lowest seed remaining for a reason. The Ducks might be scorching right now but facing off against the Cavaliers is an entirely different animal. With this said, though, momentum can be a crazy thing in sports so Virginia absolutely cannot take this game lightly (and they won’t).

Without any further ado, let’s dive into three potential keys to success for Virginia basketball as they take on Oregon in the Sweet 16. (Note: All statistics used in this article were found via Sports-Reference or KenPom.)