ACC Preview: #5 Virginia Cavaliers

Projected Starters
C-Jason Cain 6'10 220 SR- 7.4ppg 7.6rpg 48%FG 69%FT
PF-Laurynas Mikalauskas 6'8 240 SO- 6.2ppg 4.5rpg 57%FG 54%FT
SF-Adrian Joseph 6'7 195 JR- 9.4ppg 4.5rpg 40%FG 34%3pt
SG-J.R. Reynolds 6'2 197 SR- 17.0ppg 3.1apg 41%FG 35%3pt
PG-Sean Singletary 6'0 175 JR- 17.7ppg 4.2apg 40%FG 85%FT 35%3pt

Background
Virginia has much to be excited about heading into this season. They haven’t fielded an NCAA-caliber team in a while, so a successful postseason year will be greatly supported and followed by a loyal fan base in Charlottesville. Coach Dave Leitao has instilled an up-tempo, rapid style of play that will fit right in with the Cavs three-point shooting capabilities and their excellent backcourt.

Premiere Players
You have to start with arguably the best backcourt in college basketball. Virginia returns both guard starters in J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary, both utterly capable of putting up 20 points a night this season. The season swings with these two players. When the offense meshes, Singletary and Reynolds are out in transition, nailing threes one by one and this team might score 90 points any given night. Singletary is the point guard and led the team in scoring and assists last year. He still has many critics, and will be looking to prove them wrong with an all-ACC season. Reynolds is absolutely lethal from outside. He can shoot the three-pointer with ease and anywhere on the court. He’s a lot like J.J. Redick in being able to come off screens, score with a defense right in his face, and make defenses completely focus on him. It’s all about consistency. Even if these two guards are average, Virginia has a chance. Any sour games will cost the Cavs.

Role Players
Small forward Adrian Joseph still has a lot of room for improvement, but he has strengths in his rebounding and three-point shooting. His partner at the forward position is Laurynas Mikalauskas, who is the interior scorer for the Cavaliers, carrying much of the weight and scoring down low. If they can get a quality season out of Mikalauskas, it will take loads of pressure off Reynolds and Singletary. Unfortunately, sometimes is looks like he has bricks attached to his shoes and was smoked by Craig Smith and Shelden Williams last season. Jason Cain, the center, works well with the offense and gets plenty of easy looks. This will happen again with most of the players returning for Virginia and the same offensive philosophy kept for this season. The recruiting class for Virginia is very good; two top 75 recruits in Jamil Tucker and Will Harris lead the pack. Tucker is tall and lanky and has decent post moves. Harris is an undersized forward who can pop the three but also drive to the paint and get some easy buckets.

Final Thoughts
The starting backcourt is simply awesome. These guys have total all-around games that will stun casual college hoops fans all over the nation. The frontcourt returns everyone, so doubters of those players will be surprised when Virginia is able to feed the ball down low and get scores. They have talent in that area. Regardless, it’s obvious the backcourt controls the Virginia offense and the team will revolve around their play. The NCAA Tournament is likely for the Cavaliers and coach Dave Leitao.

Schedule and Projection
11/12 vs. Arizona- L
11/19 vs. Morgan State- W
11/22 vs. UNC-Asheville- W
11/26 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore- W
11/29 @ Purdue- W
12/3 vs. NC State- W
12/16 vs. Hampton- W
12/19 (N) vs. Appalachian State- W
12/20 (N) vs. Utah (likely)- W
12/21 (N) vs. Vanderbilt (likely)- W
12/28 vs. American- W
1/3 vs. Gonzaga- W
1/7 vs. Stanford- W
1/10 @ North Carolina- L
1/13 @ Boston College- L
1/16 vs. Maryland- W
1/21 vs. Wake Forest- W
1/24 @ NC State- W
1/28 @ Clemson- W
2/1 vs. Duke- L
2/3 vs. Miami- W
2/6 @ Maryland- L
2/10 @ Virginia Tech- L
2/13 vs. Longwood- W
2/17 vs. Florida State- W
2/21 @ Miami- W
2/24 vs. Georgia Tech- L
3/1 vs. Virginia Tech- W
3/3 @ Wake Forest- W

Projected Record: 22-7 (10-6)