With a three-point victory against Florida State over the weekend, the No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers have once again reclaimed a share of the top spot in the conference with No. 5 North Carolina.
Virginia's impassioned play -- exemplified by a 9-1 record in the team's last 10 games -- will most likely result in an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Cavaliers (18-7, 9-3 ACC) for the first time in five years. During the 2000-2001 season, then-head coach Pete Gillen led a 20-8 Virginia squad with nine conference wins to the Big Dance, where they were promptly upset by the then-relatively unknown Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Nine wins has traditionally been a magic number for ACC teams vying for a tournament berth. In what many believe to be the toughest conference in all of college basketball, a 9-7 (above .500) conference record has historically equated to having your "ticket punched." Therefore, Virginia with nine conference victories already and four games remaining, would seem to be in great shape.
"It's a great feeling to be in a position like this right now," said junior forward Adrian Joseph, the star of Saturday's contest against Florida State. "We've just got to get in the gym and work on what we do best."
Few things in life are certain, however, as Florida State found out last season. Just 12 months ago the Seminoles capped off a successful ACC regular season with two victories against Duke and Miami, bringing their conference record to 9-7. After a disappointing first round loss in the ACC tournament to Wake Forest, however, Florida State did not find its name among the 65 teams invited to dance last March. Despite the team's impressive performances thus far, Virginia's players realize that there is work left to do.
"We're playing for something special," senior captain J.R. Reynolds said. "It's very big for us [win over FSU]. We have put ourselves in a very big position."
After Virginia's win over the weekend, ESPN's resident "Bracketologist" Joe Lunardi has the Cavaliers as a No. 5 seed in the upcoming tournament. A No. 5 seed would be the highest starting spot for a Virginia team since the 1995 Jeff Jones-led Cavaliers earned a No. 4 seed and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight. According to Lunardi, a spot in the NCAA Tournament may not be the only thing Virginia fans have to look forward to as the regular season comes to a close.
"Tied for first in the ACC, it's not unthinkable that the Cavaliers could win their last four (at Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, at Wake) and win the regular season crown outright if UNC loses again," Lunardi wrote on ESPN.com.
A share of the ACC title would be Virginia's first since that Elite Eight run in 1995. An outright ACC regular season title, however, would be Virginia's first since Ralph Sampson's sophomore season -- 1981.
While any predictions are just speculation at this point, with four regular season games to play, the Cavaliers have certainly positioned themselves well for postseason success. For Cavaliers fans, it feels great to be back on top.
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