Basketball

Virginia will take on eighth-seeded Syracuse in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Orange having defeated ninth-seeded NC State in the second round. It will be the second matchup between the two teams this season, Virginia blowing Syracuse out 81-58 at John Paul Jones Arena the first time around. But Jim Boeheim’s squad has undergone significant improvement since then, and with plenty on the line for both sides this promises to be a tightly contested battle.

After winning the ACC regular season title, Virginia will look to repeat the feat with a tournament championship. The Hoos will carry the number one seed into Greensboro, having edged out Florida State on Saturday. The ACC Tournament starts Tuesday afternoon at 2, but Virginia will not take the court until Thursday at noon. Let’s take a look at Virginia’s path to a second tournament title in three tries.

Virginia never trailed in their regular season finale against Louisville, grabbing the lead just three seconds in and holding onto it for the duration of the game. The Hoos came into the game with a chance for an improbable ACC title, and didn’t let it slip by as they won their 10th regular season crown ever and fifth under Tony Bennett. The rock-solid performance they mustered is even more surprising when given their recent play. Coming into the game, the Hoos had dropped three out of four, the lone victory over Miami doing little to instill confidence. But that narrative was flipped on its head with what was perhaps Virginia’s most important win of the season. The Hoos will now carry the number one seed into Greensboro for the ACC Tournament, having pulled themselves out of the quagmire that they were bogged down in for the last few weeks. Here are three takeaways from the victory.

After defeating Miami at home on Monday, Virginia will travel to Louisville to conclude their regular season. The Hoos had lost three in a row before facing Miami, but they stopped the bleeding against the Hurricanes and will now look to build off the victory. They will get a chance to do so in the KFC Yum! Center, a place that holds many happy memories for the visiting Wahoos. The Yum! Center was the site of that incredible 2019 Elite Eight victory, and is also the place where De’Andre Hunter banked in a three to win at the buzzer just weeks before. The Cardinals were the last team Virginia faced last season, and a year later they will meet again with postseason implications on the line.

Some will tell you that bracketology is an art, others will tell you that it is a crapshoot. I belong in the latter group, and as such have decided to take a stab at predicting where Virginia will fall on Selection Sunday. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the first and probably only edition of… Packline-ology!

Virginia closed the first half on a 14-2 run, heading to the halftime locker room with an 11-point lead that they would never relinquish. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak, getting the Hoos back in the win column and keeping their ACC title hopes alive. Here are three takeaways from an essential, albeit unconvincing, win.

Virginia has struggled through a rough period, dropping three games in a row over the past couple weeks. They’re back in action against Miami after five days off, seeking an end to the losing streak that has tarnished what was previously a solid season. The Hoos and the Hurricanes will do battle at 6:00 in John Paul Jones Arena, both looking to break their longest losing stretches of the year.

Over the past half-decade or so, Virginia basketball has become known for its winning culture. But unlike one-and-done schools like Duke or Kentucky, Charlottesville has never really been thought of as a breeding ground for future NBA stars. That’s about to change. On opening day of the NBA season, there were 8 Hoos in the NBA, placing Virginia 11th amongst colleges. Guys like Malcolm Brogdon, Joe Harris, and De’Andre Hunter have established themselves as big-time players, while those like Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and Mamadi Diakite play smaller roles but are working their way up. The last few weeks have seen some exciting news pertaining to former UVA players. Let’s take a look at every Wahoo playing pro basketball in America and what they’re doing.

Virginia dropped their third straight game on Wednesday, falling 68-61 to NC State for their first home loss of the season. The Hoos came out flat, digging themselves into a 14-point first half hole that they were never able to climb out of. Read the story here: