After finishing the regular season Sunday against Duke, it took a coin flip to determine where the Cavaliers would be seeded in the ACC tournament. Since Virginia was in a three-way tie with Duke and Miami for first place in the ACC, the tossing of a coin was the chosen method for determining how to rank the three teams. The Cavaliers were given the No. 2 seed, with Duke ranked No. 1 and Miami ranked No. 3.
The tournament will start on Thursday morning in Cary, N.C. The Cavaliers, however, have earned a bye in the first round and will start play on Friday against the winner of the match between No. 7 Clemson and No. 10 N.C. State.
Even though the Cavaliers have beaten both teams already in the regular season, they are well aware of the dangers of overlooking opponents.
"I think all the teams in the ACC are good this year," senior Nick Meythaler said. "The results have shown that there's a mixed match of wins and losses. To win the tournament you are going to have to beat the best teams in the ACC, whether you're on the top or on the bottom."
Even though the Cavaliers are entering the tournament with a bye and with a No. 2 ranking, they will certainly have to improve their play in order to bring back their third consecutive ACC championship. They have lost two of their last four matches and have performed inconsistently over the past two weeks. The good news for Virginia, however, is that they played well against Duke in their final game of the season.
"The guys have to realize that every day we need everyone's effort like we did on Sunday against Duke," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "We've had too many instances this year where some guys stepped up and the others relied on each other almost too much."
What Boland and the Cavaliers can count on in the postseason, however, is the senior leadership that has helped the team rise to the top of the ACC. The team has four fourth-year All-Americans in Meythaler, Darrin Cohen, Rylan Rizza and Doug Stewart. These four players not only play consistently, but they can be counted on to come up with a win when it is needed.
"I have confidence in these guys," sophomore Somdev Devvarman said in reference to the seniors and the rest of the Cavalier starting lineup. "I've seen them do it before and I expect them to do it again."
One senior the Cavaliers will need to give his best in the upcoming tournament is Doug Stewart. Despite a rough start to the season, Stewart has improved his play recently and has become one of the most reliable starters for the Cavaliers.
"I think Doug Stewart is stepping it up," Meythaler said. "He's one of the best competitors I've ever seen."
In order for the Cavaliers to be successful in the upcoming tournament, however, it will truly take a team effort. By suffering two in-conference defeats in the past two weeks, they have learned that nothing is guaranteed -- no matter how good of a seed they have.
"I think with the ACC being as strong as it is, it really is irrelevant whether you see the No. 1 or No. 10 seed," Boland said. "We absolutely have to take one match at a time."
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