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Virginia Basketball Holds Steady As Top Contender In Latest Bracketology

The Cavaliers' field has shuffled
Xander Tilock|
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Virginia Cavaliers

College basketball season is slowly approaching on the distant horizon. Fall classes have begun, and the countdown to tipoff is within view. The Virginia faithful will be pining for postseason basketball soon enough.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi recently updated the projected bracketology for the 2027 NCAA Tournament. 

Virginia has held steady as a projected No. 3 seed, the same placement as July. This time, the Cavaliers are in the West Region in Los Angeles.

A new regional

In July, the Cavaliers were slotted in the South Region in San Antonio, Texas. If they won their first two games, then they would have been facing No. 2 Texas in its home state — an unideal matchup. In the August projection, Virginia has a less fearsome path towards the end, but a difficult opening stretch to advance into the deep rounds. 

Lunardi has No. 3 Virginia in Minneapolis, facing No. 14 Miami (OH) in the opening round. If the Cavaliers win that game, they would face the winner of No. 6 St John’s versus No. 11 Saint Louis.

If Virginia conquers the field in Minnesota, then it heads to Los Angeles — potentially facing the Longhorns. However, given the incredible depth of this projected West Region, nothing is guaranteed. Here is the full West Region quadrant:

  • No. 1 Arizona
  • No. 2 Texas
  • No. 3 Virginia
  • No. 4 Gonzaga
  • No. 5 Vanderbilt
  • No. 6 St John’s
  • No. 7 BYU
  • No. 8 Georgia
  • No. 9 Wisconsin
  • No. 10 Creighton/Oregon
  • No. 11 Saint Louis
  • No. 12 New Mexico
  • No. 13 Santa Barbara
  • No. 14 Miami (OH)
  • No. 15 James Madison/ETSU
  • No. 16 Bethune-Cookman/Long Island

That list is full of programs which are capable of authoring Cinderella runs and upsetting higher seeds. Virginia has crossed paths with a few of those teams over the past decade — namely Texas, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Oregon and James Madison. This predicted quadrant has a few teams with elite offenses and others with suffocating defenses, making for unpredictable matchups.

Other teams to note

Virginia’s schedule will be extremely arduous. Here are where its 2026-27 opponents checked in:

Ryan Odom and his Cavaliers have chosen to take on a difficult schedule. They hope it results in postseason boosts — particularly a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament.

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Xander Tilock
XANDER TILOCK

Xander Tilock serves as the lead editor for Virginia on SI. He previously spent four years as a Senior Writer/Sports Editor for The Cavalier Daily, where he authored the publication’s most articles since 2017 and was named Literary Writer of the Year in 2023. Xander has been referenced on ACC Network, Yahoo Sports, Sirius XM ACC Radio, UVA Today, The Virginian-Pilot, and dozens of other publications nationwide. Outside of journalistic endeavors, Xander graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia in 2026. He is also a proud owner of the Green Bay Packers — and for a final twist, you can find him acting, writing, directing, and producing films and plays. Follow Xander on X @xandertilock

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