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Virginia Basketball: Cavaliers season-long path to reach 2019 Final Four

By Bryan Manning

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates after making a game-tying shot over Matt Haarms #32 of the Purdue Boilermakers to extend the game to overtime as time expires in the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates after making a game-tying shot over Matt Haarms #32 of the Purdue Boilermakers to extend the game to overtime as time expires in the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 30: Kyle Guy #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional to advance to the Final Four at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 30: Kyle Guy #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional to advance to the Final Four at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Virginia Basketball made the Final Four for the first time since 1984. It wasn’t an easy road. Here is the complete journey for the Cavaliers to this point.

When Tony Bennett took over as Virginia Basketball head coach in March 2009, he made it clear he wanted to build a program. Bennett’s first few years featured incremental progress as he found players who fit his style of play and who abided by his unselfish, team-first mantra.

The breakthrough finally happened in 2013-14, when the Cavaliers won the ACC regular-season title and conference championship. A 28-6 overall record that season earned the Hoos the No. 1 seed in the East region. After making it to the Sweet 16, UVa would lose a 61-59 heartbreaker to Michigan State ending a dream season for Virginia fans.

But the best was yet to come.

Beginning in that 2013-14 season, the Cavaliers would win the ACC regular season in four of the last six seasons and the tournament on two occasions. That success would lead to Virginia being a No. 1 seed on multiple occasions.

Yet, success in March largely eluded Bennett and his teams. The Wahoos did make one Elite Eight and one Sweet 16, but they also lost in the second round on two occasions and, of course, no one will ever forget last season’s historic loss to No. 16 seed UMBC.

Finally, though, after another ACC regular-season title 2018-19, the Hoos earned another No. 1 seed and made their way through the South Region and arrive at the school’s first Final Four since 1984 and Bennett’s first ever as a head coach. Here is a detailed recap of Virginia’s journey to Minneapolis.

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