Fanshots

Virginia moves up to #5 in ESPN's Revised "Too Early Top 25"

+

5. Virginia Cavaliers If you're looking for draft-related intrigue, look elsewhere. (Other than the off-chance Malcolm Brogdon might sneak into the first round and fulfill his destiny as the San Antonio Spurs' latest personnel miracle, of course. Make it happen, R.C.!) Virginia's next roster has been more or less set since their 2015-16 season ended in March's Elite Eight heartbreak. As we wrote in April, Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett will not only rely on his customary corps of ever-improving veterans. The architect of three straight top-two seeds will also, for the first time, mix in a top-10 recruiting class exclusively stocked with top-100 talents -- plus elite Memphis transfer Austin Nichols. That sound you just heard was the rest of the ACC shuddering.

Eamonn Brennan, ESPN (Click for full Top 25)

Virginia Tech's Psychology graduation program is in Comic Sans

+

Invent the future, y'all.

SI: Tony Bennett is the "After-Timeout Efficiency King"

+

It’s a bizarro season when Bennett is winning offensive, rather than defensive, awards. But the master of the Pack-Line D had a great scoring team this season, and when strength-of-schedule adjustments are applied to Synergy Sports Technology’s after-timeout efficiency logs, Bennett’s Cavaliers come out on top. They scored an adjusted 1.065 points per possession in ATO situations, edging out an ACC team known for its offense (Notre Dame, at 1.063) and the national champion (Villanova, at 1.058). Having two highly efficient go-to seniors in guard Malcolm Brogdon and forward Anthony Gill helped Bennett’s case, but his team’s halfcourt execution was noticeably impressive, even with elite personnel.

-Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated (Click for full article)

Women's Rugby Playing for Championship

+

Virginia Women's Rugby, a club program at UVA, has made their first Division I championship game. The Cavaliers are set to face UC Davis in the finals, which take place at Saint Mary's College in California on 5 May. The Hoos have been to the Round of 16 fourteen years, with 11 trips to the Round of 8 and three Final Four appearances in that time frame. In the tournament, Virginia demolished James Madison University 82-12 (!!!) and scored 34 unanswered points on North Carolina to win 34-7 and secure their spot in the finals.

Virginia to host East Carolina in 2016-2017 basketball schedule

3

East Carolina has been added to Virginia basketball's 2016-2017 schedule, CBS Sports's Jon Rothstein reported. The game will take place in Charlottesville against the Pirates of the American Conference. ECU finished last season 12-20 and ranked #209 on KenPom.

Here's what we know so far about UVA's 2016-2017 schedule.

ESPN: Tony Bennett =Velociraptor

+

7. Virginia Cavaliers Remember the cafeteria scene in "Jurassic Park?" Of course you do. Dr. Grant asks Dr. Sattler if she's sure a rampant velociraptor has been "contained." "Yes," she replies, "unless they figure out how to open doors." Virginia coach Tony Bennett is that velociraptor. See, Bennett has always relied on player development to make up for the talent gap between his recruits and Duke's or North Carolina's, and now, after three years terrorizing the rest of the ACC, the Cavaliers face personnel losses (Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill) that should be beyond their immediate capabilities. Except -- gasp -- Virginia's 2016 recruiting class boasts not one but two top-10 players at their positions, plus Memphis transfer (and former elite prospect) Austin Nichols, plus London Perrantes and the rest of the returners. What is that? "It's ... Bennett. He's inside."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15123601/duke-blue-devils-kentucky-wildcats-college-basketball-top-25-2016-2017

Virginia finishes #3 in final KenPom rankings

+

The Virginia Cavaliers finished the season ranked as the #3 team in the nation according to KenPom, behind National Champion Villanova and runner-up UNC.

UVA was 5-1 against the KenPom top 10, beating Villanova, UNC, West Virginia, and Louisville twice, but falling in the ACC Championship game to UNC. The #3 finish is the highest in program history; the Hoos ended last season at #5 and the 2014 year at #4, though the team's end-of-year Pythagorean rating was highest at the end of last year.

Caid Kirven breaks the internet

1

Bench stud celebrates Darius Thompson's circus shot

NCAA Tournament Elite Eight: Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon is bored

1

Someone give that man some caffeine. Actually, don't change anything.

UVA Football: Virginia DE Passes Tempo Run, Joins Spring Practice

+

Virginia defensive end Naji Abdullah became the second Cavalier to join spring practice today after completing his "tempo run." Judging by this video that Virginia Sports TV produced, he looked ecstatic...and a little tired...after completion. It appears that Bronco Mendenhall wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to get these players into the best shape of their lives.