TheSabre.com Poll: Who Will Be UVa Basketball’s ‘X Factor’ This Season?

The Virginia men’s basketball team held its media day Wednesday so that means preseason basketball is officially in full swing! TheSabre.com poll turns its attention to basketball once again this week.

One of Editor Kris Wright’s favorite questions in his annual “10 questions” preseason feature provides this week’s question for the poll:

Who Will Be UVa Basketball’s ‘X Factor’ This Season?

Over the last two seasons, Wright tabbed Justin Anderson (2013-2014) and Anthony Gill (2014-2015) as his preseason ‘X Factor’ picks.

Define ‘X Factor’ however you like to determine your vote. You could vote for someone who may be a key, though lightly discussed (yeah right with this team!), contributor for the upcoming season. You could vote for someone whose performance may be a key factor in the season’s ultimate outcome. You could vote for a proven player or a newcomer. You could vote for someone who has a specific skill (3-point shooting, offensive rebounding, etc.) that you think is really important. It’s up to you!

All 11 scholarship players available to play this season are in the poll. Vote!

The poll remains open until next Thursday at noon and the results will be recapped the following Thursday (see last week’s results below).

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Last week, Virginia basketball took over the site’s polls. USA Today released the preseason coaches’ poll and the Hoos checked in at No. 6. With that poll in place, The Sabre’s question was easy:

How Many Wins Will The Virginia Basketball Team Achieve This Season?

With a seasoned group returning after two successful seasons, the results are understandably positive. In total, 953 of 1,001 voters predicted that the Cavaliers would win 25 or more games this season. Those are some high expectations. But in a true sign of just how lofty the hopes are for the Hoos, let’s break it down a step further. The majority predicted that Virginia will win 30 or more games this season with 534 voters picking that choice. That’s a robust 53% of the vote! The program has reached this plateau just three times: 1981-92, 2013-14, and 2014-15.

It won’t be easy to three-peat that feat. Circling back to the preseason coaches’ poll, UVa’s schedule features six teams in the preseason top 25. Non-conference opponents like Villanova, Cal, and West Virginia plus the usual competition within the ACC will try to keep the Wahoos short of 30 for a third straight season. The ride begins on Nov. 13 with Morgan State.

The full results: