The start of Virginia basketball season is now within sight. The Cavaliers open with Tarleton State on Monday, Nov. 6 at the John Paul Jones Arena and then travel to Charlotte for a neutral site game against Florida on Friday, Nov. 10 in the first week. Both games are at 7 p.m.

Tony Bennett guided UVA to a 25-8 record and a share of the ACC Regular Season Championship last season. The Hoos made the ACC Tournament Championship Game as well where they fell to Duke and the season ended with a disappointing loss to Furman in the NCAA Tournament.

Each season before the Hoos hit the hardwood, there are 10 preseason questions on The Sabre. The questions are broken up this year. Previous questions can be read here: No. 10, No. 9, No. 8. Let’s look at another.

7. Who Is The ‘X’ Factor For Virginia Basketball?

One of the preseason questions every year, the general idea is to pick a player that could change the look or trajectory of the team. When you talk about an ‘X factor’ the terms takes on different meanings. Some may see it as a player who has the ‘it’ that could really swing games. Maybe it is someone that injects energy. Or maybe it is a player with an obvious skill that the team needs.

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