Virginia basketball is fresh off winning the national championship during this past season. Will the Cavaliers be able to defend their title?
Virginia basketball has easily been one of the best programs in the country for the last several years. Under the leadership of head coach Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers have emerged as a defensive juggernaut and national powerhouse. That much was never more evident than during this past campaign as the program managed to finish off an elite redemption story by going from becoming the first-ever No. 1 seed to lose in the first round to cutting down the nets as national champions.
It was a particularly impressive campaign for the Cavaliers as they solidified themselves as one of the nation’s top programs. Coach Bennett also proved that his system is able to win in March and that should greatly affect the future recruiting in Charlottesville. Looking ahead to this coming campaign, Virginia might have a tough time defending its national title. This is due to the fact that the Cavaliers had to wave goodbye to Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, DeAndre Hunter, and Jack Salt this offseason as major rotation pieces.
With that said, though, Coach Bennett’s success has been predicated more on his system than the players on his roster. There should be more than enough talent on his 2019-20 roster to compete near the top of the national rankings as long as all of the program’s newcomers quickly adjust to the collegiate game and UVa’s playing style.
Virginia looks poised to be a top-25 team in the country this year but there are definitely plenty of concerns regarding their significant personnel losses. Now, without any further ado, let’s dive deeper into a season preview for the Cavaliers.