Yes, UVA Is Back in the NCAA Tournament. Here’s What To Know

Tuesday’s game will broadcast on truTV. (A guide to finding truTV can be found here.)

UVA (23-10) is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in coach Tony Bennett’s 15 seasons at the school, and for the 26th time overall. 

The UVA women’s team has also reached the postseason. It will play on Thursday at 7 p.m. against High Point University at John Paul Jones Arena in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. 

What Is the First Four?

While the UVA men’s team has appeared in the Final Four three times in its history – including in 2019, en route to the national championship – this will be the Hoos’ First Four debut. 

The First Four, which was established in 2011, is a play-in round of the NCAA Tournament that decides the final four spots of the 64-team bracket. There are four games played over two days in Dayton – two between the four lowest-ranked teams in the tournament field and two between the lowest-ranked at-large teams, such as Virginia and Colorado State (24-10), in the field. 

Two First Four winners – Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011 and University of California, Los Angeles, in 2021 – have gone on to make the Final Four. 

What’s Ahead?

UVA is in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, where the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be played in Detroit. The top-seeded team in the region is Purdue University. 

The Cavaliers are seeking their first NCAA Tournament win since besting Texas Tech, 85-77, in overtime in the 2019 national championship game. 

Hoo To Watch 

Like Bennett’s teams from the past, the 2023-24 version of the Cavaliers is known for its stout defense. 

UVA, led by ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman and the ACC’s blocked shots leader Ryan Dunn, is third in the country in scoring defense, allowing fewer than 60 points per game. 

Beekman, a second-team All-ACC honoree, also leads the team in scoring (14.3 points per game) and assists (6.3 per game). 

Sophomore guard Isaac McKneely is coming off a 23-point performance against N.C. State on Friday. He’s averaging 12.5 points per game and is shooting a team-best 45% from 3-point range.