Where Did Virginia Land on the Selection Committee's Initial Top 16 NCAA Tournament Seeds?

Virginia is one of the committee's top 16 seeds and they have a path to climb even higher

Feb 3, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory (2) talks with head coach Ryan Odom in the second half against the Pittsburgh Panthers at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

No. 14 Virginia is set for a big ACC matchup against Miami today, but just one hour before tipoff, CBS Sports and TNT Sports unveiled the selection committee's top-16 seeds for March Madness and Virginia landed as the No. 16 overall seed and the last of the No. 4 seeds in the regionals.

The current #MarchMadness Top 16 seeds 👀

1. Michigan
2. Duke
3. Arizona
4. Iowa State
5. UConn
6. Houston
7. Illinois
8. Purdue
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Nebraska
12. Gonzaga
13. Texas Tech
14. Michigan State
15. Vanderbilt
16. Virginia pic.twitter.com/DwOQ6EXqE0

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 21, 2026

This is good news for the Cavaliers and with their remaining schedule and the ACC Tournament, they have a chance to continue to climb. Along with their matchup against the Hurricanes today, Virginia has games against NC State, at Duke, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech left this season and then a chance to pick up multiple wins in the ACC Tournament.

If the Cavaliers can win out, don't be surprised if they are mentioned as a dark horse for a potential No. 1 seed.

Will they beat Miami?

Feb 18, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory (2) shoots against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

No. 14 Virginia raced to a 94-68 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 18. UVA (23-3, 11-2 ACC) drilled 10 of its 14 3-pointers to hold a 59-27 halftime advantage over the Yellow Jackets (11-16, 2-12 ACC). Thijs De Ridder led four Cavaliers in double figures with 22 points, while Malik Thomas scored 17. Dallin Hall recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Ugonna Onyenso and Johann Grünloh (11 points) each added four blocked shots for the Cavaliers. Jaeden Mustaf led Georgia Tech with 18 points.

Virginia ranks first in the ACC in rebounding (42.0), offensive rebounding (14.4) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.295), second in field goal percentage defense (.394), rebounding margin (+9.5) and blocks (5.9 bpg), third in scoring defense (67.4 ppg), defensive rebounds (27.7 rpg) and scoring
margin (+14.3), fourth in 3-pointers (10.1) and assists (16.9 apg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.55).

Thijs De Ridder ranks 14th in scoring (15.9 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (52.3%) and 18th in rebounds (6.5 rpg). Dallin Hall ranks first in assist/turnover ratio (3.3) and 12th in assists (4.3 apg). Ugonna Onyenso ranks second in blocks at 2.7 bpg, while Johann Grünloh ranks third in blocks at 2.1 bpg. Chance Mallory ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0), fifth in steals (1.8 spg), 14th in assists (3.6 apg), and 20th in free throw percentage (75.8%). Jacari White ranks 16th in 3-pointers made per game (2.1)

Miami has been efficient with its offense, leading the league in field goal percentage (50.5) and free
throw attempts per game (23.1) and is third in fastbreak points (12.1) and rebound margin (8.5). Tre Donaldson facilitates the offense with a team-high 153 assists and ranks fourth in the ACC and is 27th nationally in the category. Shelton Henderson ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage at 59.1%, which ranks in the top 35 nationally and is first in the country among all
freshmen.

Miami is going to pose a big challenge for UVA, but I think that the Cavaliers are going to win on the glass and on defense to pull out a victory and win their eighth straight game.