2011-2012 Season in Review: Virginia

22-10 overall, 9-7 ACC

All things considered, this season has to be considered a success for Virginia.  They got back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years, earned a bye in the ACC Tournament, and for the most part met their expectations for the year.  Virginia definitely came in as one of the favorites in the ACC, with Mike Scott back for his final season and Coach Tony Bennett ready to take the program to the next level.  They started out the season as predicted, winning 14 of their first 15 games, including wins over Michigan, Oregon (on the road) and LSU (on the road).  The only loss was surprisingly to TCU at a neutral site.

ACC play went pretty well for Virginia.  For the most part, they beat the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams they were supposed to lose to.  The Cavaliers went 0-5 against the teams that finished above them, and 9-2 against the rest.  A good part of their success was how they were able to play on the road.  They finished 4-4 in conference on the road, including a one-point win over N.C. State.  If there's a negative to the season, it's how they finished. Virginia was unable to knock off the Wolfpack for a second time in the ACC Tournament, and then had a very poor showing in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Florida by 26.

Part of the reason Virginia struggled when they did was because of attrition.  They suffered a number of injuries, suspensions and transfers.  James Johnson and K.T. Harrell decided in the middle of the season that they were going elsewhere.  Assane Sene was injured and then eventually suspended, a huge blow on the inside.  Joe Harris got hurt in the meat of the ACC schedule, and amazingly didn't miss any games, but was not nearly as effective.  Only four players were able to play in all 32 games.

Scott was definitely the leader on the floor.  He was my pick for ACC player of the year, and ended the season averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game.  He offered the team consistent production, only three times failing to score in double figures.  Harris was the second leading scorer, and before he got hurt was producing consistently as well.  Sammy Zeglinski was up and down, but seemed to find his shooting touch after a mid-season slump.

Biggest Win:

70-58 vs. Michigan (November 29)

This was the game that proved Virginia would be a force to be reckoned with nationally.  Michigan was a very solid team that tied for the Big Ten regular season title.  But they were outclassed by the Cavaliers in a rare offensive output.  Virginia likes to play in the 50s but broke out for 70 in this one.

Worst Loss:

47-45 vs. Virginia Tech (January 22)

This was the only head-scratching home loss the Cavaliers had.  You could chalk it up to being a rivalry game, but UVA looked very flat in this one.  Only managing 45 points at home against your rival is not going to get it done.  Fortunately for the Cavaliers, they were able to bounce back after this game to win their next three.

Postseason Play:

As I mentioned earlier, the postseason was a disappointment.  They entered the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament with a chance to knock N.C. State out of the NCAAs, but ran up against a hungrier team.  At this point in the season it seemed like Virginia was just out of gas.  They went into the NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed, an underdog against Florida.  But they really got hammered, with a very poor offensive output.  They seemed overmatched against the talented Gators and lost 71-45.

Next Year:

It will be very interesting to see where Virginia goes from here.  They definitely lose a lot of talent, with Scott exhausting his eligibility.  Sene and Zeglinski are also graduating.  The key returnees for next year will be Harris and point guard Jontel Evans, who will have to be leaders on the floor.  Evans in particular needs to work on his shot this summer.  He is a solid player but is not an offensive threat.  Coach Bennett does bring in four four-star recruits, and you can expect to see freshmen get a lot of playing time next year.  If he can get this team back to the NCAA Tournament next year without Scott, he deserves a raise.