Virginia Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Cavaliers

Virginia basketball managed to overcome three Covid-19 pauses in 2019-20, so to speak, by winning the ACC basketball regular-season title and making the NCAA Tournament, though they were forced to withdraw from the ACC Conference Tournament due to a positive Covid-19 test.

They did suffer a first-round defeat in the NCAA Tournament to Ohio in the 4/13 game, but new beginnings are ahead. The Cavaliers have boasted the best defensive teams in ACC basketball for quite some time now under head coach Tony Bennett.

Their identity as far as the defense goes shouldn’t go anywhere, it’s the offense and the lack of usual star power and depth in the rotation that should have fans a bit worried heading into a new season.

Sam Hauser, Jay Huff, and Trey Murphy III are all off to the NBA, leaving UVA basketball without their top three scorers from a season ago. Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman return in the backcourt, but there will be plenty of holes to fill in 2021-22, though the potential pieces are in place.

The Cavaliers will welcome just four newcomers, two from the transfer portal while returning nine players from last year’s rotation. With just 43 combined starts among the returners from a season ago, someone will have to step up in a big way this year if Virginia hopes to get over the hump on offense.

Clark and Beekman are one piece of the puzzle but they’ve also got Jayden Gardner (East Carolina) and Armaan Franklin (Indiana) joining the ranks, giving them some much-needed scoring on the interior and on the wing.

UVA basketball should be their usual selves defensively, but with questions on offense, they could see some growing pains this season. Here’s a season preview and outlook for the 2021-22 season for the Cavaliers.