Winston-Salem sports writer literally eats his words after predicting UVA basketball would be terrible

Look, it’s not easy to admit when you’re wrong. As we are well aware, A LOT of media members were very wrong about what to expect from the Hoos this season as the now No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (21-1, 10-0 ACC) were left out of the preseason rankings. Some folks have started issuing their mea culpas, like CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish, and some we’re still waiting on (looking at you, Myron Medcalf).

One writer, Conor O’Neill from the Winston-Salem Journal, took it to another level. For a refresher, O’Neill had some real gems in his pre-season previews regarding the Wahoos. He picked Virginia to finish in 11th place in the ACC with a 5-13 conference record, behind Boston College.

He did pick Virginia over Louisville in Charlottesville, but as an upset, saying:

Louisville heads to Virginia on Jan. 31 and, though this is far from the best team Coach Tony Bennett has had, they’ll still be well-coached and able to frustrate opponents with the methodical pace and hounding defense. They’ll knock off Louisville here.

Yesterday, O’Neill showed he’s a great sport and took to the internet to literally eat his words.

Said O’Neill, “In this case, Virginia basketball fans remember (and were reminded) that I picked them to be 5-13 in the ACC this season. It was the day before the ACC’s media day in Charlotte, and I had it in my head that replacing a four-year point guard and a couple of transfers would be too much for the Cavaliers to overcome. Obviously, I was wrong.”

He closed out his article with a little note on flavor: “The crow tasted like paper. And barbecue.”

Well done, Conor. Well done.