Three Takeaways From Virginia's Placement In The Field Of 68

Virginia officially earned a No.3 in the NCAA tournament despite the loss last night to the Duke Blue Devils. This was the best-case scenario for the Cavaliers as they clinched a three seed in the tourney. The Cavaliers won their quarterfinal and semifinal matchups, which helped their story and pitch to the committee for a top seed in the tourney. Let’s take a look at some other takeaways for Virginia.

`1. Virginia Will Be In The Tougher Brackets

Probably not the most ideal location for the Cavaliers as they head to the Midwest, which could be difficult geographically for fans to travel and support the Hoos. Ideally, it would have been the East region for Virginia, but Duke occupies the region along with UConn, Michigan State, Kansas, St.John’s and Louisville. That is a gauntlet of a region for the Cavaliers; you have to take the good and head out to the Midwest. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem with the Hoos having a solid college basketball brand and one that is respected. They probably still would have liked for it to be closer in proximity.

2.A favorable bracket for the Hoos

It was one of the best outcomes the Cavaliers could have hoped for, locking down the No.3 in their bracket. Notable teams in the region include Iowa State, Alabama, Texas Tech, and Michigan. The Cavaliers are at the bottom of the bracket and have a favorable chance to make it to the Elite Eight. They will match up first with Wright State. Then, if they win, they could play the winner of the Miami (OH)/SMU vs Tennessee game. An area where the Cavaliers should be able to dominate is the offensive glass; they are one of the better teams at that in the nation.

"Yeah, I think it is unique when Boozer is at the 5, it gets a little bit harder because there's so much attention there. Our big is away from the basket, and it's not guards running in there trying to shoot over Ugo. It's a totally different animal, which we haven't really seen a lot. I thought our guys did a really good job. Had we come up with some of those, maybe the game would have had a little bit of a different story, but we didn't, and we've just got to be better in that regard,” said Odom.

3. Avoid the same region as Duke

This was huge for the Cavaliers, who avoided a rival of theirs. Duke has been a thorn in the side for the Cavaliers this season, and despite nearly knocking them off in the ACC title game, it's probably a matchup they want to avoid. The Cavaliers wouldn’t see them potentially until the Final Four, which makes their run easier. The Hoos also avoided Arizona, Michigan State, Purdue, Arkansas, Gonzaga, and some of the major teams. For Virginia, it makes the path easier, and they can use it to their advantage to make a deep run.