After another successful run through the ACC, Virginia once again saw their season-long success fade down the stretch.
Losing a Wooden Award candidate to injury certainly doesn’t help, but at some point, we’re going to see more from the Cavs to believe that their regular season style can translate into deep NCAA Tournament runs.
Key Losses: Justin Anderson (NBA Draft), Darion Atkins (graduation)
Possible Losses: No announcements made
Key Returners: Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, London Perrantes, MIke Tobey
Key Newcomers: Darius Thompson (transfer, Tennessee), Jarred Reuter (three-star, power forward)
Breakdown: Losing Justin Anderson to an injury late in the season may have cost Virginia a run to the Final Four, as Anderson never truly regained his form. However, the Cavs lost him all over again recently when he decided to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft. That takes UVA from one of the two or three top national title favorites to a team that should be firmly behind North Carolina in the ACC. Not all is lost in Charlottesville though. Coach Tony Bennett brings back Brogdon, a potential All-American, alongside Perrantes, one of the best point guards in America. On the interior, the Cavaliers will be loaded with Gill, Tobey and Reuter holding things down for the pack-line defense. If they can get quality offensive production from Thompson, who was one of the nation’s best passing lane defenders in Knoxville, there’s no reason to think that Bennett can’t get this group playing at a high level. Still, it’s disappointing to think of what could have been with Anderson back another season.
