Three Reasons Why Virginia Is A Legitimate Final Four Threat

Virginia is gearing up for March Madness and will be in action on Friday against Wright State. The Hoos have had a really debut season under head coach Ryan Odom and has continued to play at a high level. Let's take a look at why they can be a threat to reach the Final FOur.

A really good defense

In addition to the perimeter defense Virginia has, they also have two twin towers who are exceptionally good in Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso. Onyenso had two eight-block games in the ACC tournament and set an ACC tournament record in blocks. It will be hard for defenses to penetrate the Cavaliers and make plays consistently at the rim. We saw it against Duke as they held Cameron Boozer, who went 3-17 from the field. Virginia has consistently shut down opposing teams' best players and completely taken them out of the game. When you have that, it makes you a dangerous team.

“It's huge. I mean, it's a big reason why our two-point field goal percentage defense is one of the better ones in the country. And you know he's a big part of that. the length that he has, the timing that he has in and around the rim. I would include you know Johann in that as well. We have two guys that are, you know, excellent, you know, in that regard,” said Odom.

A consistent rotation

Virginia has been consistent with its rotation throughout the season, running the same starting five all year long. Head coach Ryan Odom also has used the same rotation off the bench with Jacari White, Onyenso, and Chance Mallory. That rotation has paid dividends for the Cavaliers and has them as a top-three seed. Coach Odom has even relied on certain lineups to finish games and has used a lineup of White, Onyenson, and Mallory. Coach Odom talked about the continuity of the roster.

“Yeah, it says a lot. I mean, about the sacrifice. I asked the seniors the other day, the guys that, you know, come off the bench, you know, if they wanted to start on senior night, and I certainly was willing to do that and switch it up, and they were like, "No, we don't want to do that. We want to keep it the way that it is, and we're comfortable where we're at in our roles, and we don't want to do anything, especially in a big game like this. We want to stay where we're at. I think ultimately this entire team has sacrificed the entire year, and you look at successful organizations, you look at successful basketball teams or any sporting team, there's going to be a common theme of sacrifice throughout. This team has done a really good job, the individuals on this team have done a really good job of you know sacrificing a bit of themselves for the greater good of the team. That's one thing that the coaches, our coaching staff is really thankful for and proud of these guys for because it's a lifelong lesson that they'll be able to take away from here.”

A favorable path

Virginia couldn’t have asked for a better path to a potential Final Four that doesn’t include Duke, Arizona, UConn, St. John's, Houston or Florida. All of these teams are high caliber and the Cavaliers would face them until late in the tournament, potentially. The bracket Virginia includes Iowa State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama, and Texas Tech. In all of these matchups, the Cavaliers could potentially win, especially with the competition they have played this season. Virginia is battle-tested playing Duke, Butler, North Carolina, Louisville, Texas, Butler, SMU, and more. Those games throughout the season have made Virginia better for it is a team that can play in any atmosphere. Their favorable path put them right in line with a potential Final Four berth