London Perrantes sat at his locker in Chicago stunned last season. The end was surprising and swift. Once Syracuse made halftime adjustments, Virginia’s season, and large lead in the Elite Eight, came crashing down.
Perrantes will have another shot in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is announced Sunday.
It has been an interesting recovery year for Virginia. It had a late slide that produced a four-game losing streak. Since, it closed the season with three consecutive wins, including a man-handling of fifth-ranked North Carolina.
The Cavaliers enter the ACC Tournament as just the No. 6 seed despite being ranked No. 21 in the country. Contrary to those slots, Kenpom.com remains impressed with Virginia. The analytics site pegs the Cavaliers as the fifth-best team in the country.
Record: 21-9, 11-7
Path to the tournament: The Cavaliers will receive at least an at-large bid on Sunday night, giving coach Tony Bennett his fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with Virginia. Any success in the buzzsaw ACC Tournament will only drive up Virginia’s seed.
Tournament projections: ESPN has Virginia as a No. 5 seed playing in Milwaukee. CBS has the Cavaliers as a No. 5 seed playing in Greenville, South Carolina. USA Today projects Virginia as a No. 4 seed that plays in Milwaukee.
Up next: Wednesday, March 8 vs. Georgia Tech/Putt winner, 9 p.m., Barclays Center, New York, ESPN2
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