Jay Bilas Predicts a Surprising Early Exit From The NCAA Tournament For Virginia

The Virginia Cavaliers have been one of the best and most underrated teams in the country this season and after nearly knocking off No. 1 Duke in the ACC Championship, the Cavaliers are heading to the Midwest Region as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UVA is not seen as one of the biggest threats to win the national championship, but they have sneaky Final Four potential thanks to their defense.

Early exit?

Top college basketball analyst Jay Bilas does not think that Virginia is going to hang around long in the big dance. Bilas does not have the Cavaliers losing to No. 14 seed Wright State in the first round, but he does not think that UVA is going to be able to beat No. 6 seeded Tennessee in the second round:

"Virginia is underrated and a very good defensive team, allowing just 68.4 points per game (top-50 in the country, fourth in the ACC). The Wahoos send Wright State home early on the back of Thijs De Ridder, the standout freshman forward from Belgium.

Virginia can protect the paint and the 3-point line, but Tennessee is physical and pounds the offensive glass. The Vols are better with Nate Ament in the lineup, and he returned for the SEC tournament. If he can approach his season averages of 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, alongside Gillespie's talent, they should take it."

Set up for success?

Virginia is not considered one of the favorites to come out of the Midwest Region, with most experts picking Michigan or Iowa State to win the region and get to the Final Four, but I think that the Hoos have a better chance than some think.

Anything can happen in March, but I think that UVA is going to win easily against Wright State.

Tennessee is not going to be an easy matchup, but I think that Virginia is going to be able to win that game due to the inconsistencies with Tennessee's offense. The Volunteers have a great defense, but I think that Virginia can find ways to score on it with Malik Thomas and Thijs de Ridder leading the way.

Virginia has a legitimate path to the Final Four and I don't think that they are getting enough credit for the kind of team that they have. They are not perfect, their offense is likely the reason they may not reach the Final Four, but for a team that went 29-5 and nearly knocked off No. 1 Duke last weekend, nobody seems to talk about Virginia.