Three and a half weeks ago the Virginia Cavaliers were the #12 team in the country and riding a five game winning streak. The Hoos travelled to Philadelphia to take on the defending champion and #1-ranked Villanova Wildcats in a rare non-conference game in late January. Looking back, this game, specifically the second half, appears to have been a turning point in UVA’s season.
Coming into the match-up, the Cavaliers were 16-3, having just defeated #14 Notre Dame by 17 earlier in the week and owning other key road wins over Louisville and California. Virginia was outscoring opponents by 16 points per game and outshooting them as the stats show below.