Coming off their ACC regular season and conference tournament titles, the Virginia Cavaliers are poised to make another serious run at the league championship. In order to do so, defense must once again be the name of the game.
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS
Last Season: 1st, 16-2 in ACC, 30-7 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 2nd
Projected Depth Chart
C: Mike Tobey (Jr)/Jack Salt (Fr)
F: Anthony Gill (Jr)/Darion Atkins (Sr)
SF: Justin Anderson (Jr)/Evan Nolte (Jr)/Marial Shayok (Fr)/Isaiah Wilkins (Fr)
SG: Malcolm Brogdon (Jr)/Devon Hall (Fr)/B.J. Stith (Fr)
PG: Landon Perrantes (So)
Gone: G/F-Joe Harris, F/C-Akil Mitchell, PG-Teven Jones (transfer-Appalachian State)
2014-2015 Outlook:
Virginia allowed less points per game than any other team in the country last season and without a ton of offensive firepower, that end of the floor is vital to the team’s success. With seven of their nine rotation players back in the fold, Tony Bennett has the pieces in place to duplicate that performance.
Even with Joe Harris graduating, UVA returns a talented backcourt and group of wings which features four new faces. Malcolm Brogdon led the Cavs in scoring last season and will undoubtedly be the team’s go-to offensive option. London Perrantes returns to run the point after a solid freshman campaign and is also the team’s top three-point threat. The ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year, Justin Anderson should move into the starting five and brings a ton of physicality and aggressiveness to the wing.
Playing time is up for grabs off the bench with redshirt freshman Devon Hall competing for minutes with true freshmen, B.J. Stith, Marial Shayok, and Isaiah Wilkins. That quartet brings great size to the wing but the one concern is the lack of a true point guard behind Perrentes. Returning role player Evan Nolte is a combo forward who should see some minutes at the three as well and can stretch defenses with his outside shooting.
With Akil Mitchell gone, Mike Tobey and Anthony Gill will see increased roles up-front. Tobey is a big body inside but didn’t take the step many were hoping he would during his sophomore season. Gill is an offensive-minded forward and the Cavs need his scoring ability to help take some of the load off Brogdon. Darion Atkins brings energy off the bench while Nolte should see some time at the four as well. Jack Salt adds size inside if Bennett needs to go deeper on his bench.
Virginia also picked up a transfer in Tennessee point guard, Darius Thompson. He will add needed depth behind Perrantes once he becomes eligible during the 2015-16 season.
The Cavaliers do not possess the individual talent of Duke, North Carolina, or Louisville; but their embracing of team basketball on both ends of the floor will drive their success this season. With the pieces in place, Bennett should have UVA once again competing for an ACC Championship.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/21 vs. George Washington
11/28 vs. La Salle (Barclays Center Classic)
11/29 vs. Vanderbilt/Rutgers (Barclays Center Classic)
12/3 at Maryland
12/6 at VCU
12/21 vs. Harvard
12/30 vs. Davidson
OTHER ACC PREVIEWS:
#3 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
#4 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
#6 SYRACUSE ORANGE
#7 FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
#14 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS
AAC PREVIEWS:
#1 UCONN HUSKIES
#7 UCF KNIGHTS
#8 SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS
#9 HOUSTON COUGARS
#10 TULANE GREEN WAVE
#11 EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
SEC PREVIEWS:
#1 KENTUCKY WILDCATS
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.