It was certainly a roller coaster of a first few months for the Virginia men’s basketball team. They were embarrassed to Purdue on the road by 29 points, and lost at Boston College. On the flip side, they’ve won at Syracuse, and defeated the fifth-ranked Florida State Seminoles. By all accounts, they’re a bubble team at the moment, but one trending in the right direction. According to Barttorvik, the Hoos currently have a 55% chance to make the big dance, with TeamRankings giving them a slightly better probability at 57%. With that said, there’s no doubt that the rest of the season will be just as wild as the earlier portion, so buckle your seatbelts UVA fans, things are about to get crazy.
Wed, Feb 5 vs Clemson – After an eight-day break after the exciting home victory over Florida State, the Hoos return to action at home against Clemson. The Tigers have been impressive over the last few weeks, defeating the likes of Duke and Clemson on their home floor. They haven’t been as good on the road though, dropping four of their five road games this season. A confident Virginia team stymies the Clemson offense and gets a big win.
The Pick: Virginia 58-46
Sat, Feb 8 @ Louisville – Louisville has been dominant recently, winning seven in a row. They’re probably the best team in the ACC at the moment, and have certainly looked it. That’s not to say that they’re not prone to the occasional close game against a bad team. In their seven-game win streak, three times have they been in nail-biters against lower-tier ACC teams, and if not for the ACC referees sucking, would have lost to Pitt. Virginia keeps it close for a while, but falls just short.
The Pick: Louisville 63-59
Tue, Feb 11 vs Notre Dame – 2020 Notre Dame is the best team to ever be 12th in the ACC. Despite going 3-6 in conference play, they are a very solid team. Losing by a combined four points to Louisville and FSU is enough evidence to back up that claim. John Mooney has been absolutely dominant for the Irish. The Hoos won’t have an answer for him, but win the game as Mamadi Diakite has his best game of the season.
The Pick: Virginia 62-55
Sat, Feb 15 @ North Carolina – To call this Carolina team confusing would be an understatement. They’ve been playing better recently, with Cole Anthony set to make his return soon. The matchups are a bit iffy for the Hoos in this one, but if one thing’s for sure, it’s that the Heels are terrible defenders. Virginia takes advantage of that, and pulls out a close road victory in the closing seconds.
The Pick: Virginia 56-54
Wed, Feb 19 vs Boston College – What happened the last time the Eagles faced the Hoos shall not be spoken about. It came as a big surprise though, and threw a wrench in Virginia’s tournament hopes. They’re back on track now though, and punish a struggling Boston College team.
The Pick: Virginia 60-45
Sat, Feb 22 @ Pittsburgh – So Pitt basketball is actually good for the first time in a few years. By good, I mean that they actually win conference games now. They’re 4-6 in the ACC, and actually kept it fairly close with Duke on the road for a while. They also would have beaten Louisville if not for a horrible call by ref. Virginia goes cold against them and loses on the road.
The Pick: Pittsburgh 55-48
Wed, Feb 26 @ Virginia Tech – After being picked ahead only of Wake in the preseason poll, the Hokies have been one of the biggest surprises in the league. However, in their last four they’ve only defeated Carolina, and that came at home by two points. Without the three ball falling, Virginia Tech can’t beat anybody. It won’t be the dominant performance of the first meeting, but Virginia walks out with the win.
The Pick: Virginia 59-52
Sat, Feb 29 vs Duke – It seems like Duke has been out of the spotlight this year because of all the hype surrounding last year’s team. This year’s version does not have a 6-foot-6, 284-pound behemoth. In fact, the Hoos match up pretty well with them. Duke is just slightly better at every position. It’s a close game, but Duke pulls it out at the end.
The Pick: Duke 67-61
Wed, Mar 4 @ Miami – Miami’s lost four of five, six of eight, and lost to Carolina by 24 recently. The Hurricanes are 14th out of 15 teams in the ACC, at 3-7. They’re not playing well right now. It shouldn’t be that difficult for Virginia to take care of them.
The Pick: Virginia 62-50
Sat, Mar 7 vs Louisville – Last year’s home game against Louisville was the regular season finale, started at 4:00, and ended with the Hoos holding scissors. Barring a miracle, only the former two will repeat again this year. JPJ was electric for the game last year, and it likely will be again this year. Beating Louisville would be a massive win, and would likely guarantee an NCAA Tournament berth. The Hoos battle back from an early deficit and pick up a second top-10 win.
The Pick: Virginia 63-61
So there you have it! Refer to these predictions, and you’ll know the outcome of every single game the rest of the way before it happens (not really). If by some mischance these picks do come true, Virginia will own a 13-7 conference record, which would mean the Hoos go 7-3 the rest of the way. That would leave them at 21-9 for the regular season and put them in a good position for an NCAA tournament berth.