Virginia Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Cavaliers

Overall season outlook

Virginia might be younger and a bit less experienced than normal this season, but the expectations for the team should not change. The Cavaliers have averaged 29.7 wins over the last six seasons with head coach Tony Bennett in charge and his system just consistently yields results. It will be difficult for the team to defend their national title but they should be a top-25 team in the nation with hopes of making a deep run in March.

Defense is widely known as a tremendous predictor of success and the Cavaliers feature plenty of that. Even with their personnel changes, Coach Bennett preaches superb discipline in his system and the team should be a top-10 defensive unit in the country once again. This will at least make them an opponent that nobody will want to see. Additionally, the additions of Casey Morsell and Tomas Woldetensae could keep their offense operating at a relatively high level.

Clark, Key, and Diakite will reprise major roles in the rotation and should take on more leadership as returning “veterans” in Charlottesville. Watch for Clark to improve his playmaking and look for more scoring opportunities while continuing to pester opposing guards. Key should be the all-around…well…key to the team and Diakite projects as a two-way star during his senior season.

Coach Bennett might not use a deep rotation but there are also some depth pieces that are definitely intriguing prospects. Watching who emerges as key reserves and monitoring their development will be interesting.

Virginia might not be expected to compete for the ACC title this season, but they might not be that far off. They still boast plenty of talent and arguably a top-5 coach in the entire nation. I’m willing to give the Cavaliers the benefit of the doubt considering their recent run of success both in the regular and post-seasons.