No one would argue that this year’s Virginia basketball team has surpassed expectations so far under Coach Dave Leitao. After all, there’s even a little bit of bubble talk out there about the Hoos. But with 3 of the last 5 games on the road, any NCAA Tournament thoughts may be premature. And that’s a matter of maturity.

That’s because experience is a significant neutralizing factor in hostile environments. The question is whether this group of Cavaliers has gained enough experience after narrow, competitive losses at N.C. State and Maryland in recent weeks to start winning a game or two away from home.

Leitao frequently has mentioned this team’s thin margin of error because of depth and experience issues. He believes that margin grows even slimmer in other teams’ gyms.

“[It is] as much mental as it is physical,” Leitao said. “I think you have to be able to deal with and withstand [a variety of] things … without the help of the home crowd. That’s one of the tests of a really good, experienced team – that you can play through adversity, and obviously you get more adversity away from home.”

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