2019-20 Virginia men's basketball preview

Overview: Virginia had a historic season last year, as the Cavaliers finally secured a National Championship win for the first time under head coach Tony Bennett. It would be ideal for the Hoos to ride the momentum of winning big last year to build their confidence going into this season, but the Cavaliers lost many of the key players that made up its winning formula. It was expected for the team to lose De’Andre Hunter to the NBA draft, but also sending off Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy was a much greater loss for Virginia. These two guards averaged 15.4 and 13.6 points per game respectively and returning for a fourth year would have given the Cavaliers the shooting depth that has come to define the emerging ACC power.

The greatest challenge for Bennett this year will be adjusting to many new faces in his starting lineup and learning to rebuild his team. The Cavaliers welcome freshmen, but some important players to look out for will be new transfer students on the team. Guards Casey Morsell and Tomas Woldetensae will be the ones to look to as replacements for Guy and Jerome. Woldetensae has a sweet touch from beyond the arc both off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations. While the newcomers get into the groove, veterans Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key will have to step up. This will be a big adjustment for these two as well as they will have their first opportunity to consistently start this season and will have to adjust to bigger roles on the team. 

One thing that needs to go right: The backcourt develops with Morsell and Woldetensae and UVA rebuilds its strong defensive reputation with new members.

One thing that could go wrong: The Cavaliers struggle finding chemistry on the court and they fall behind other conference powers like Duke and North Carolina.