The wait for Virginia’s NCAA Tournament slot is finally over. The brackets unveiled Sunday placed the Hoos in the South Region as the No. 1 seed, joining the top line with Duke in the East, North Carolina in the Midwest, and Gonzaga in the West.
Analysts provided plenty of thoughts on the bracket after Sunday’s announcement with several saying that UVA’s potential path to the Final Four is among the most favorable for the top seeds. Of course, there was plenty of the obligatory ‘UMBC, so you never know’ commentary out there too.
Now that more than 24 hours have passed from the bracket reveal, however, here are a few reactions that I had about the South Region.
One Thing I Liked
No neighborhood rivalries. UVA fans had been holding out hope for the top spot in the East Region, but looking at how that bracket shook out could have meant several backyard brawls if the Hoos simply switched spots with the Blue Devils. The No. 8 seed in the East is VCU, which could have been a second round meeting. The No. 4 seed there is Virginia Tech and the No. 12 seed is Liberty, which if the state teams advanced could have been a Sweet 16 matchup. Then you look at the bottom half of the bracket where No. 6 seed Maryland and No. 7 seed Louisville are located to see a potential Elite 8 matchup with the old and new ACC rival partner.
One Thing I Didn’t Like
Familiarity. Virginia’s first game and the potential second game in the first weekend are against teams that don’t have much recent history with the Hoos and their style on offense and defense. After that, however, there are several potential opponents waiting that will have prepared and/or played against the Cavaliers recently.
One potential Sweet 16 opponents is Wisconsin, who have faced Tony Bennett’s teams four times since 2012, including earlier this year (UVA won 53-46). Another potential Sweet 16 team is Kansas State, who was in the eight-nine spot opposite the Hoos last season so you know the assistant coaches there did advanced scouting work in preparation for a potential game in last year’s tournament. Even Dana Altman’s Oregon team in that foursome has seen Bennett’s teams at UVA, though the program was in a much different place for that home-and-home series in 2010 and 2011.
In the bottom half of the bracket, you’ll find No. 6 seed Villanova. The Wildcats faced the Cavaliers in 2015 and 2017 in a home-and-home series and the two programs scrimmaged in 2016 and 2018 too.
One Thing I Hope Happens
ODU pulls an upset. No. 3 seed Purdue opens the tournament against No. 14 seed Old Dominion. Former UVA coach Jeff Jones, who is battling prostate cancer, leads the Monarchs, while one of his assistants is Wahoo legend Bryant Stith. This is the third different team that Jones has guided to the Big Dance. While things didn’t end on a high note at Virginia, I think there are plenty of Wahoos that would love to see ODU get one of those first around upsets that make March Madness mad.
One More Thing I Hope Happens
Final Four. That’s a given, right?
One Thing I’d Like To See
Good starts. The Cavaliers have trailed just six times at halftime this season, but five of those have come in the last 11 games (Duke, at Louisville, and both ACC Tournament games). The Hoos can make up ground in the second half, but they’re much more dangerous when forcing the other team to come from behind.
One More Thing I’d Like To See
Lots of De’Andre Hunter. Most observers expect Hunter to leave for the NBA after this season. If this is the finale for the talented sophomore, it would be great for him and the Hoos to finish with a flourish. He missed his first opportunity to play in the Big Dance last season due to an injury so making up for that with a big tournament would be a fitting trade.
So sorry to hear about Jeff Jones. Although it matters little in the scheme of things, I liked the guy as a player, and as a coach.
Good for him having Bryant Stith on his staff. I suggest that Bryant fill the next opening on CTB’s staff; learn to coach from him, and go on to a great career himself. Quality individual; destined to succeed. Come home again when CTB retires.
On offense, Hunter pulses with sparks of excellence, but not dominance. On defense, he is silently effective — and takes no vacations.
Overall, he is solid without flair. As for an NBA lottery pick — now there is a bubble prop.