The Virginia Cavaliers have been knocking on the door of college basketball excellence for the last couple of years. The Cavaliers reached the Sweet 16 last season, the furthest they have gone in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Tony Bennett. The ACC may be the best conference in all of college basketball, but the Cavaliers fear no team.
The ACC isn’t getting any weaker. North Carolina lost the national championship on a buzzer beater and Duke is bringing in the #1 and #3 recruits in the country. Even though Virginia will never have the name recognition of a North Carolina or a Duke, Tony Bennett has built an extremely respectable and competitive program down in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers will look different on the court next season, as four of their top five scorers graduated: Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, and Isaiah Wilkins. The Cavaliers will be losing their senior leadership but point guard London Perrantes will quickly fill that void. Perrantes will enter his senior year as a four-year starter with his scoring numbers increasing each season, averaging 11 points last season.
Joining Perrantes in the starting lineup will be forward Austin Nichols, who sat out last year after transferring from Memphis. Nichols is a 6’9” 232 pound scoring forward who averaged 13.3 points on 49% shooting along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in the 2014-2015 season with the Memphis Tigers.
Another stand out player to look out for this season is junior guard Marial Shayok. Shayok can shoot the three, hitting 43% behind the arc last season. Shayok will have the opportunity to have a bigger role in the offense, so you can expect his scoring numbers to increase.
With Perrantes, Nichols, and Shayok expected to play major roles for the Cavaliers this season, there is no reason why they can’t contend in the ACC yet again. Tony Bennett has proved he can build a sustainable, winning program. Bennett landed the #27 recruit in the country, five-star shooting guard Kyle Guy. It is unclear how big of a role Guy will have in his freshman year. The scouting report on Guy is that he is a lengthy, athletic, play-making combo-guard who can shoot the rock. If Guy isn’t a main contributor next season, he sure will be in the coming years.
Coach Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers have earned the respect to consider them not only serious contenders in the stacked ACC, but also a pick to make a deep tournament run come March. Bennett owns a .696 winning percentage in his seven seasons as head coach, highlighted by the past three where the Cavaliers have netted an outstanding 89-19 record. Even though they are losing four seniors, the Cavaliers have the players in place to step in and keep this train moving smoothly. The Virginia Cavaliers will be contenders in the ACC next season. We will get an early look at this team, as the Cavaliers will enjoy August in Spain, going on an exhibition tour that will prepare them even more for the season.
