The University of Virginia Cavaliers: A History of NCAA Tournament Appearances

The University of Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team, representing the University of Virginia, has a storied history in the NCAA Tournament, marked by periods of struggle, resurgence, and ultimate triumph. Competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) within Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Cavaliers have cemented their place as a prominent program in college basketball.

Early Years and Program Foundations

The foundation of Virginia basketball was laid by Henry "Pop" Lannigan, who initiated the program in 1905. Lannigan's early leadership propelled the Cavaliers to a position of near-dominance, highlighted by a perfect 17-0 record in 1914-15 and a Southern Conference title in 1921-22. In 1930, after Lannigan’s sudden death and with limited administration interest at the onset of the Great Depression, Virginia basketball did not maintain its momentum into the next several decades.

The Terry Holland Era: Resurgence and National Prominence

Terry Holland's arrival in 1974 marked a turning point for the program. In just his second year, Holland guided the Cavaliers to their first ACC Championship and NCAA tournament appearance. The 1975-76 Cavalier season was largely disappointing as they finished 13-11 overall (4-8, ACC) and limped into the ACC tournament as the 6th seed. Despite falling to NC State twice during the regular season, the Cavaliers upset the 3rd-seeded Wolfpack 75-63. The Cavaliers then drew 2-seed Maryland, longtime border rivals that had just defeated UVA five days earlier at Cole Fieldhouse. Virginia defeated the AP No. 9 Terrapins, before dispatching top-seeded and AP No. 4 North Carolina 67-62 in the championship game. It marked the first conference tournament title and NCAA appearance for Virginia, as well as only the 3rd time a non-North Carolina-based team won the conference title (following Maryland in 1958 and South Carolina in 1971). This era saw the rise of Ralph Sampson, one of the most dominant college players of all time, who chose to play with Jeff Lamp at Virginia over Kentucky in 1979. Sampson would become one of the most dominant college players the game has ever known, winning three consecutive Naismith College Player of the Year awards to tie him with Bill Walton as the most awarded individual player in NCAA history. During Sampson's era, Virginia achieved its first AP Top 5 rankings and reached its first Final Four.

The 1980s: Continued Success and Final Four Appearances

Led by Coach Terry Holland, National Player of the Year Ralph Sampson and his first team All-ACC teammate Jeff Lamp, the Cavaliers rolled to their best season in school history. After beginning the season with a 23-0 record, the Cavaliers would claim the ACC Regular Season title before falling in the ACC Tournament Semi-finals. UVA received a first-round bye and squeaked by Villanova 54-50 in the 2nd round. They then handled both Tennessee and Brigham Young by 14 points each in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 respectively to clinch a berth in the program's first ever Final Four in Philadelphia. Although UVA swept North Carolina in the ACC regular season, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers when it mattered most, in the national semi-finals. Following the loss of their vaunted All-American in Sampson, the Virginia basketball team took a step back in 1983-84, at least in the regular season. The Cavaliers limped into the ACC tournament with a 17-10 (6-8) record, promptly falling to Wake Forest in the first round. After escaping 10th-seeded Iona 58-57 in the first round, Virginia drew 2nd-seeded Arkansas in the 2nd round. The Cavaliers dispatched the Razorbacks 53-51 in an overtime affair before cruising past 3rd-seeded Syracuse 63-55 in the Sweet Sixteen. In the National Semi-finals, Virginia drew the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Cougars at the Kingdome in Seattle.

The Tony Bennett Era: Redemption and a National Championship

Tony Bennett's arrival in March 2009 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Virginia basketball. Bennett eventually restored UVA to (and beyond) its former prominence. His teams won UVA's second and third ACC Tournament championships, finished atop the ACC standings six times, and returned to the Final Four to win the 2019 NCAA Tournament championship. The Cavaliers got off to a forgettable 9-4 start, punctuated by a 35-point road loss at Tennessee. Following a pivotal conversation between star G/F Joe Harris and Bennett, UVA got on track and rolled through the ACC. On March 1, the 12th ranked Cavaliers would defeat No. After cruising against 8th seeded Florida State, Virginia held off 4th-seeded Pittsburgh in the final seconds of the semi-final, setting up a championship game against 3rd seeded Duke at Greensboro Coliseum. The Cavaliers would exact revenge for a regular season loss to the Blue Devils, defeating them 72-63 and claiming their first ACC tournament title in 38 years. Joe Harris was named tournament MVP while Malcolm Brogdon joined him as a 1st team selection. After losing all-conference point guard London Perrantes to graduation and the Cleveland Cavaliers, many expected 2017-18 to be a rebuilding year for Virginia basketball. The team would start the season unranked before getting off to an 11-1 non-conference start and climbing up to No. 13 in the country at the start of conference play. Virginia would then become the first team to go 17-1 in conference play, notably snapping a long losing streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke, scoring 5 points in 0.9 seconds to stun Louisville at the KFC Yum! They would open the ACC tournament by routing 9th-seeded Louisville 75-58 in the quarterfinals before dispatching 4th-seeded Clemson 64-58 in the semis. They would then rematch with a North Carolina team they had defeated earlier in Charlottesville and claim the ACC championship with a 71-63 win.

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One of the most notable seasons under Bennett was the 2018-19 campaign. Coming off a loss to 16-seed UMBC a year prior, the Virginia team returned with a vaunted Bennett defense along with the three-pronged offensive attack of De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy, and Ty Jerome. The Cavaliers began and ended the season ranked in the AP Top 5, with a 28-2 regular season record and both losses to Zion Williamson's AP No. 1 ranked Duke squad under Coach Krzyzewski. Those two Virginia-Duke matchups during the ACC regular season were the most watched college basketball games of the regular season with 3.8 million and 3.3 million viewers for their games in Durham and Charlottesville respectively. In the ACC Tournament, Virginia defeated bubble team NC State 76-56 before being defeated by Florida State, 69-59. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Virginia was a No. 1 seed in the South region, Duke was the No. 1 overall seed and placed in the East region, while North Carolina also received a No. 1 seed but in the Midwest region. The only No. Virginia was the sole No. 1 seed of the tournament to advance to the Final Four after defeating Purdue.

The 2019 NCAA Tournament Run

Virginia's journey to the 2019 National Championship was nothing short of extraordinary. After first defeating Gardner-Webb, Oklahoma, and Oregon, they met the Boilermakers in the Elite Eight. Purdue's Carsen Edwards scored 42 points against Virginia, setting an individual scoring record against a Bennett-coached team. With Virginia down by three points with 5.9 seconds to play, Ty Jerome stepped to the line for two free throws, converting the first but missing the second. Mamadi Diakite back tapped the ball into the backcourt where Kihei Clark recovered it and passed back to Diakite with one second remaining in the game. Diakite immediately scored, and the game went into overtime. Virginia then outscored Purdue 10-5 in the extra period to advance. De'Andre Hunter shut down Jarrett Culver and scored a career-high 27 points in the National Championship Game; he soon was the No. In the Final Four, Virginia met the Auburn Tigers who had already dispatched Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky to get there. This game was a back-and-forth battle as Virginia trailed the Tigers at halftime, 31-28. Virginia led by as many as 10 points in the second half before Auburn retook the lead late in the game. Down 61-57 with 7.7 seconds remaining, Guy scored a three-point shot from the right corner. Harper then converted one of two free throws to lead 62-60. Two controversial non-calls (one against Auburn, one against Virginia) by officials preceded Auburn being called for a foul with 1.5 seconds remaining. On the in-bounds play Jerome found Guy, again for the corner three, but Guy missed as an Auburn player fouled him by undercutting his lower body. The National Championship match was headlined by two of the top defenses in college basketball, Virginia and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech did not score a field goal for the first 7 minutes and 11 seconds of the game, but eventually tied the game at 19 with 7 minutes and 33 seconds remaining in the first half. ESPN called Virginia's 2018-19 campaign "the most redemptive season in the history of college basketball." CBS This Morning called it "basketball's ultimate redemption story" the morning after the national championship game. Kyle Guy was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. De'Andre Hunter became a lottery pick after a convincing title game showdown with Jarrett Culver and was drafted fourth in the 2019 NBA draft.

Key Moments and Statistics from the Championship Season

November: Virginia's first game since losing to UMBC in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament saw the Cavaliers win by 31 points. Junior guard Kyle Guy scored 17 points in the first half - the same number as George Washington as a team. Redshirt sophomore De'Andre Hunter individually outscored Coppin State 11-10 until the Eagles hit a 3-pointer with 6:10 left in the first half. De'Andre Hunter finished with 15 points, a career-high nine assists and eight rebounds. Virginia never trailed as it claimed the Battle 4 Atlantis title, limiting Wisconsin to just 2-of-11 shooting. In a road test against No. 24 Maryland in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Virginia committed just two turnovers and made 10-of-22 3-point attempts.
December: Virginia's defense allowed just two field goals in the first 18:03 of the second half. One game after Morgan State's top scorers finished with just seven points, VCU's leading scorer in the game, Isaac Vann, managed just 10 points. Virginia stifled South Carolina to 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range and the Gamecocks were just 20-for-55 from the field. The Cavaliers exploded for a season-high 100 points (their next-highest point total the rest of the season was 85 points in overtime of the national championship game) as Virginia coach Tony Bennett reached his 300th career victory. Kyle Gy set new career-highs with 30 points and eight rebounds.
January: In a game in which Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter were just 4-for-19 from the field combined, Kyle Guy stepped up with 18 points in the first half and 21 for the game, including a 5-for-6 performance from deep. Led by Mamadi Diakite and De'Andre Hunter's 18 points apiece, the quartet of Diakite, Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy scored 59 points. On the day of Clemson's football national championship parade, the Tigers hosted another (eventual) national champion. Virginia held Clemson to a 1-for-15 shooting start from the field. This was the first meeting between in-state rivals Virginia and Virginia Tech when both schools were ranked in the top 10 but the Hokies were no match for the Cavaliers. Ty Jerome logged a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists. This game was lopsided in the blink of an eye with the Cavaliers jumping out to a 25-3 lead.
February: With LeBron James in attendance, Virginia fell to Duke for the second time in the regular season. The star-laden Blue Devils were responsible for two of Virginia's three losses all season. Kyle Guy and De'Andre Hunter both scored 20 points as Virginia prevented one loss from turning into two. In a bit of foreshadowing, Virginia won a tightly contested game thanks to late free throws from Kyle Guy - four of them, in fact. Virginia had a 25-4 run during one stretch in the first half. Georgia Tech had 51 points … The 'Hoos rattled off a 21-2 run, which included 16 straight points.
March: Virginia cruised in its first postseason game of 2019 as it sought to move past its historic upset in 2018. Kyle Guy exploded for 29 points, while screen-setter extraordinaire Jack Salt went off for an unexpected 18 points. On the same floor where Virginia lost to UMBC in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament and where it lost as a No. 2 seed to No. 7 seed Michigan State in the 2015 NCAA tournament, Virginia was bounced from the ACC tournament by Florida State - the Cavaliers' first loss of the season to a school not named Duke. Initially, it was fair to wonder if lightning would strike twice as No. 1 seed Virginia trailed No. 16 seed Gardner Webb by as many as 14 points and by six at halftime. The Cavaliers didn't, starting the second half on a 25-5 run and blowing the game open. For perhaps the first time in the 2019 NCAA tournament, but certainly not the last, forward Mamadi Diakite came through for Virginia, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks. He started in place of senior Jack Salt, adding more athleticism and shooting touch to the Cavaliers' starting lineup. The Cavaliers' defense clamped down on a Sooners offense that dropped 95 points in the first round. Oklahoma entered halftime having made just four of its last 18 attempts. Oregon was arguably the closest thing to a multi-game Cinderella in the 2019 NCAA tournament and the Ducks played Virginia close but Ty Jerome hit a 3-pointer inside the four-minute mark to break a 45-all tie and put the Cavaliers ahead for good. They tied their season-low in scoring output, while shooting just 35 percent from the field, 26 percent from three and attempting just five free throws. This was one of the most exciting, high-level games of the 2019 NCAA tournament and with time, it may cement its place as an all-time great NCAA tournament game. This game didn't go to overtime but it felt like an OT-thriller as a 10-point Virginia lead slipped away in the final five-plus minutes and it looked as if the Cavaliers' season was going to end one game short of the national championship game. Guy sank all three to give Virginia a one-point lead and the win in the final second. Virginia's defense clamped down on Texas Tech's best player Jarrett Culver, who was just 5-for-22 on the night and 0-for-6 from deep. His Cavalier peer De'Andre Hunter - a similarly versatile wing who can score and defend - had a career night with 27 points despite being held scoreless for the first 18-plus minutes.

NCAA Tournament Record Since 2014

Since 2014, the Cavaliers have been a consistent presence in the NCAA Tournament, showcasing their competitiveness on the national stage:

Appearances: 9
Games played: 21 (13-8)
Highest seed: 1
Lowest seed: 10
Best finish: Won Championship (2019)

Year-by-Year Breakdown:

2024: Seed: 10, Overall record: 0-1, Lost to: No. 10 Colorado State, 67-42 (First Four)
2023: Seed: 4, Overall record: 0-1, Lost to: No. 13 Furman, 68-67 (First Round)
2021: Seed: 4, Overall record: 0-1, Lost to: No. 13 Ohio, 62-58 (First Round)
2019: Seed: 1, Overall record: 6-0, Won Championship, Defeated: No. 16 Gardner-Webb, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 12 Oregon, No. 5 Auburn, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 3 Purdue
2018: Seed: 1, Overall record: 0-1, Lost to: No. 16 UMBC, 74-54 (First Round)
2017: Seed: 5, Overall record: 1-1, Lost to: No. 4 Florida, 65-39 (Second Round), Defeated: No. 12 UNC Wilmington
2016: Seed: 1, Overall record: 3-1, Lost to: No. 10 Syracuse, 68-62 (Elite Eight), Defeated: No. 16 Hampton, No. 9 Butler, No. 4 Iowa State
2015: Seed: 2, Overall record: 1-1, Lost to: No. 7 Michigan State, 60-54 (Second Round), Defeated: No. 15 Belmont
2014: Seed: 1, Overall record: 2-1, Lost to: No. (Sweet 16), Defeated: No. 16 Coastal Carolina, No. 8 Memphis

Additional Postseason Appearances

Besides the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers have also participated in other postseason tournaments:

National Invitation Tournament (NIT): 14 appearances, 19-12 record
College Basketball Invitational (CBI): 1 appearance in 2008

Rivalries

As the Commonwealth's two power conference teams, the Cavaliers and Hokies have a long-standing rivalry. Following conference realignment, the Cardinals moved from the Big East to the ACC and were designated UVA's home-and-away rivals. The two programs had previously had two consecutive home-and-away series in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985, with the Cavaliers winning all four games. Justin Anderson's injury during the March 2015 matchup derailed No. 2 Virginia's national championship aspirations, while an improbable March 2018 Virginia victory-scoring five points in the final 0.9 seconds at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center-ended the Cardinals' NCAA tournament hopes. Both rivals have won recent NCAA Championships-Louisville in 2013 (vacated) and Virginia in 2019.

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