Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

By Matthew Travis

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of center court prior to the quarterfinals round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The remainder of the tournament will be played with only essential tournament personnel, limited school administrators and student-athlete guests, broadcast television and credentialed media members in attendance due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of center court prior to the quarterfinals round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The remainder of the tournament will be played with only essential tournament personnel, limited school administrators and student-athlete guests, broadcast television and credentialed media members in attendance due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 29: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 29: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

446. . . . Cavaliers . 2. team

After winning their first National Championship in program history in 2019, Virginia had an up-and-down 2019-20 season that included a 19-point loss to Purdue, an 11-point loss to South Carolina, three losses in a row to Boston College, Syracuse, and Florida State, and being unranked at one point, before ultimately finishing second in the ACC, and 16th nationally.

Virginia had an incredibly odd 2019-20 season, but with three of their top-five scorers from last season returning, plus having the third-ranked recruiting class in the ACC, Virginia has a great chance to get back to being a national and conference contender.

With Kihei Clark, Jay Huff, and Tomas Woldetensae all returning next season, Virginia will once again have a solid team, despite losing Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key. With that, I would expect to see Casey Morsell and Kody Slattmann also step into bigger roles, along with Clark, Huff, and Woldetensae.

Here is what Virginia’s 2020-21 roster will look like:

  • Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Freshman, Guard
  • Reece Beekman, Freshman, Guard
  • Malachi Poindexter, Freshman, Guard
  • Carson McCorkle, Freshman, Guard
  • Kadin Shedrick, Redshirt Freshman, Forward
  • Justin McKoy, Sophomore, Forward
  • Chase Coleman, Sophomore, Guard
  • Casey Morsell, Sophomore, Guard
  • Francisco Caffaro, Redshirt Sophomore, Center
  • Kihei Clark, Junior, Guard
  • Jayden Nixon, Junior, Guard
  • Kody Stattmann, Junior, Guard
  • Trey Murphy III, Junior, Guard
  • Austin Katstra, Senior, Forward
  • Tomas Woldetensae, Senior, Guard
  • Jay Huff, Redshirt Senior, Forward
  • Sam Hauser, Redshirt Senior, Forward

Virginia has the potential to be very impressive next season with a mix of impressive freshmen and upperclassmen. With a plethora of players from the 2019 Championship team still on the roster for next year, this Virginia team knows what it takes, and they have the legitimate potential to get back to that mark.

Virginia is right at the top of the ACC and could very possibly win the ACC Regular Season for the fifth time since 2014, or the ACC Tournament for the third time since 2014.

The question is; can Virginia be consistent next season? Their problem in 2019-20 was the fact that they would be a completely different team from week to week and had they been consistent, they might’ve won the ACC Regular Season title for the third season in a row, but that wasn’t the case.

Now, Virginia has a chance to improve upon their problems from last season as they have a rather similar team, with the addition of some impressive freshmen.