Considering the program received a transformational multi-million dollar donation last year, expectations should no longer be about improving on the margin. In the 2025-26 season, Virginia must be an NCAA Tournament team.
Virginia and Duke headline the top of a ‘middle of the pack’ section. The Blue Devils are in second place while the Cavaliers are in third, but both teams have had wildly different results to date.
The Orange that came to JPJ, however, showcased stingy defense all afternoon and forced Virginia into multiple shot clock violations, errant passes and a whopping 21 turnovers.
“It's been really refreshing for me to realize in a landscape where there's so many narratives [about the portal or playing time] that at the end of the day these are young people that want to win football games,” Elliott said.
Virginia only outscored the Seminoles in two of the six periods of play, and Florida State shot 41 percent from deep after halftime.
“I'm so blessed to be in this position,” Morris said.
When informed of this news, several University community members were surprised.
A season of firsts ended fittingly — with a stressful, gritty win and a trophy in hand.
The Cavaliers are set to go fish in the portal pond again to replace outgoing stars. But who should they target?
“Really proud of our players,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I thought that was a great team win.”
