Going in to last season, the consensus was that Virginia was going to be a good team, one good enough to potentially challenge to win the ACC. It looked rather bleak early in the season, as there were some inexplicable losses, highlighted by a 35 point blowout loss to Tennessee just before New Year's. But the Cavs clicked after that, and went on to win the ACC regular season title, and the ACC Tournament, on their way to making the Sweet Sixteen. Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell, along with Teven Jones, are gone from that team. But Tony Bennett's squad is still loaded.
Backcourt
The biggest surprise for the Cavs last season was the emergence of point guard London Perrantes. His ball handling was outstanding, turning the ball over on average just once per game. His shooting wasn't the greatest, shooting just 38% from the field, but he is more of a pass first point guard. Malcolm Brogdon, on the other hand, is more of a playmaker, and figures to score more this year. The junior averaged 12.7 points per game last season, and also rebounded well, averaging over five rebounds per game. He does have a tendency to be a streaky shooter, but when he is on, watch out. Justin Anderson also returns after winning the ACC's Sixth Man of the Year award last season. He struggled shooting last year (40%), but he has the ability to defend all five spots on the court. The depth in Virginia's backcourt is going to be relatively unproven, however. Devon Hall, B.J. Stith, and Marial Shayok are all freshmen. Hall is a redshirt freshman who figures to get some time at point guard. Stith is the son of former UVA legend Bryant Stith, and Shayok originally committed to Marquette, but decommitted.
Frontcourt
Despite the departure of Akil Mitchell, the Cavs will be just fine up front. His replacement, Anthony Gill, showed a great ability to get good looks at the basket. He shot 58.7% from the field last year, averaging 8.6 points per game in the process. Gill averaged just under 20 minutes per game last year, and he should see more minutes this year. He could easily be a 10 point-seven rebound type of player this year. Returning center Mike Tobey put on some more weight in the offseason, and should be more of a force inside this year. He averaged six points, four rebounds, and one block per game last season. There is plenty of experienced depth in the frontcourt this year. Evan Nolte is a three point shooter who only hit on 33% of them last season. Senior Darion Atkins will provide veteran depth off of the bench as well. The two incoming freshman are very intriguing. Isaiah Wilkins is the step-son of Dominique, and has a pretty good offensive game, but needs time. The other is Jack Salt, who comes from New Zealand.
| Projected Starters |
|---|
| London Perrantes |
| Malcolm Brogdon |
| Justin Anderson |
| Anthony Gill |
| Mike Tobey |
Schedule
There are a few intriguing non conference games on the schedule this year. The Cavs play in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, where they will face La Salle, then either Rutgers or Vanderbilt. UVA gets a familiar foe in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge this year, as they will face off with former ACC rival Maryland. The Cavs will have a rematch with VCU this year as well, this time on VCU's court. The Cavs will also play Harvard just before Christmas.
In ACC play, the Cavs open up at Miami in what should be a sneaky good game. The Cavs get a brutal stretch in late January/early February where they face Duke, UNC, and Louisville all in a row. The Duke and Louisville games are at home, and the UNC game is on the road. The Cavs also close ACC play with consecutive road trips to Syracuse and Louisville.
Prediction
It's clear that Tony Bennett knows how to coach. He has been able to amass some really good talent in Charlottesville, and with only one senior of note, this team will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. This year's team will still be among the best defensive teams in the ACC. The biggest questions for UVA lies in the backcourt. How does London Perrantes progress from year one to year two, and which freshman will emerge off the bench and be a factor? The frontcourt has plenty of depth and experience, so they will be just fine. The Cavs definitely have the talent to be in the mix to win the ACC yet again this year.
by Will Ojanen @WillsWorldMN
Fantasy Player to Watch
For a guy that averaged just 12.7 points per game last season, Malcolm Brogdon is getting a lot of preseason buzz, and rightfully so. Our projections have his numbers jumping to 14+ points per game and his periperhal stats staying pretty much the same. Brogdon is a steal as a late first round pick in your ACC Fantasy Basketball draft.
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only)
Explanation of Statistic Projections
| Name | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | % Correct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Brogdon | 14.1 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 81 |
| Mike Tobey | 13.5 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 80 |
| Justin Anderson | 11.2 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 81 |
| Anthony Gill | 10.2 | 0.7 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 87 |
| London Perrantes | 8.5 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 85 |
| Evan Nolte | 7.7 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 89 |
| Darion Atkins | 7.7 | 0.6 | 5.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 87 |
| Devon Hall | 3.9 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 100 |
| Caid Kirven | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 99 |
| Maleek Frazier | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 99 |
Last Year's Player Statistics
| Virginia | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | GP | Mins | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | 37 | 31.4 | 12.7 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 41.3 | 37.0 | 87.5 | |
| Joe Harris | 37 | 28.8 | 12.0 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 44.1 | 40.0 | 64.0 | |
| Anthony Gill | 37 | 19.8 | 8.6 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 58.7 | 0.0 | 62.7 | |
| Justin Anderson | 37 | 21.6 | 7.8 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 40.7 | 29.4 | 71.6 | |
| Mike Tobey | 37 | 18.1 | 6.4 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 48.1 | 33.3 | 67.9 | |
| Akil Mitchell | 37 | 25.7 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 56.1 | 0.0 | 42.7 | |
| London Perrantes | 37 | 29.9 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 38.4 | 43.7 | 86.0 | |
| Darion Atkins | 37 | 10.4 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 48.4 | 0.0 | 58.3 | |
| Evan Nolte | 32 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 39.4 | 33.3 | 73.1 | |
| Teven Jones | 29 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 37.5 | |
| Thomas Rogers | 17 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 50.0 | 60.0 | 50.0 | |
| Caid Kirven | 13 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Maleek Frazier | 12 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Rob Vozenilek | 10 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 60.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | |
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