Busting Brackets
Fansided

ACC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

By Brian Rauf

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 05: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives past Jordan Chatman #25 of the Boston College Eagles during the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 80-55. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 05: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives past Jordan Chatman #25 of the Boston College Eagles during the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 80-55. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

. Cavaliers . 5. team. 446. . Last Year: 35-3 (16-2)

Virginia at No. 5 feels blasphemous, I know. I’ve been one of the biggest advocates campaigning for others to never doubt Tony Bennett, yet here I am.

Here’s the thing – I think the Cavaliers are going to be great again in 2020-21 and 2021-22, but this season looks to be the next edition of a cycle at UVA that starts with a “down” season.

In the 2012-13 season, which was the start of the Justin Anderson/Malcolm Brogdon/London Perrantes core, Virginia missed the NCAA Tournament altogether. They won the conference the next two years and then made the Elite Eight in 2016.

Once that group left and the Kyle Guy/Ty Jerome/De’Andre Hunter core came into the fold in 2016-17, Virginia finished – get this – 5th in the ACC. Obviously, they won the conference each of the last two seasons and are the reigning national champions.

This year will be that first season with a new core. Kihei Clark and Mamadi Diakite return along with Braxton Key and Jay Huff from last season’s rotation, but the Cavaliers are really high on freshmen Casey Morsell, Justin McKoy, and Kadin Shedrick as well. Throw in sharpshooting JUCO commit Tomas Woldetensae and you have the makings of a pretty solid group.

That said, it will take some time for all these pieces to come together, and it appears to be lacking firepower. We know the Cavaliers will be really good defensively but replacing the offense provided by Guy, Jerome, and Hunter is a tall order. That was what made that team different, right? I don’t think this roster has the ability to do that this season.