ACC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

The Cavaliers are in a unique position where they return all five starters from last season and technically, the center duo of Kadin Shedrick and Francisco Cáffaro as well, making it the top six guys. Yet that may not be a good thing, since the program missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.

It’s a veteran lineup, including 5th-year starting guard, Kihei Clark. He was on the 2019 national title squad and has been leading the Cavaliers since. His backcourt partner, Reece Beekman, is one of the best defenders in the sport and led the team with 5.2 apg. Starting wing Armaan Franklin was second on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg but shot under 40% from the field.

And that’s part of the problem for Virginia and why they missed the Big Dance last season. Outside of leading scorer Jayden Gardner (15.3 ppg and 6.4 rpg), there was little offensive consistency from the supporting cast. However, they were able to add a key transfer in forward Ben Vander Plas, who averaged 14.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg at Ohio. Add a top-15 incoming recruiting class and the bench could be much improved this upcoming season.

With Tony Bennett at the helm and a top-5 defense, the Cavaliers will always be in the mix for a top-tier spot in the ACC. If the shooting and overall offense improve just a bit, they’ll make it back to the NCAA Tournament.