UVA Basketball

The No. 7 Duke men's basketball team suffered a 69-68 upset loss to unranked Virginia on Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Virginia guard Reece Beekman drilled a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to push the Cavaliers in front. Duke star freshman Paolo Banchero had a last-gasp attempt, but it didn't connect.

Beekman, a sophomore, finished with seven points, three assists and two steals to help the Cavaliers improve to 15-9 and 9-5 in the ACC. The game-winner was just Virginia's second three-pointer in 12 attempts.

Senior forward Jayden Gardner poured in 17 points with eight rebounds to lead the Cavaliers. Sophomore forward Kadin Shedrick added a career-high 16 points off the bench on perfect 8-of-8 shooting. 

The Cavaliers did a great job shutting down Banchero, limiting him to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting. It was the first time he was held under 10 points this season. He recorded a game-high nine rebounds with three assists and three blocks, but he also turned the ball over four times.

Duke's five-game winning streak ended, and it fell to 19-4 overall and 9-3 in conference play. Sophomore center Mark Williams led the Blue Devils with 16 points, and freshman guard Trevor Keels had 12 points, all in the second half.

Virginia will try to keep the momentum going Saturday when it hosts Georgia Tech. Duke will look to bounce back Thursday in a road matchup against Clemson.

The University of Virginia men's basketball team is pausing all activities because of COVID-19 issues within the program.

Ranked No. 18 in the country, the Cavaliers were set to face off against No. 4 Michigan State on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge before UVA was forced to postpone. The school has since announced the cancelation of Sunday's game against William & Mary.

No decisions have been made regarding the Cavs' scheduled games following Sunday.

UVA has now seen three games impacted by COVID-19 with a previously postponed contest against Wake Forest originally scheduled for December 16.

No makeup dates have been announced for any of the three matchups.

At 3-1 on the season, the Cavaliers are expected to contend for an ACC title yet again with forward Sam Hauser (14.5 points per game) leading the way.

Head coach Tony Bennett's team is now slated to face No. 9 Villanova next on December 19, but the status of that game remains to be determined.

Wednesday's men's college hoops contest between No. 4 Michigan State and No. 18 Virginia has been postponed following an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Cavaliers' program. 

The marquee matchup in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is one of the highlight's of this year's cross-conference slate.

No make-up date has been announced yet, and the status of Virginia's Sunday home game against William & Mary remains to be determined.

Michigan State is still scheduled to face Oakland at the Breslin Center on Sunday, per a release from the Spartans.

UVA last played at home on Friday in an overtime victory over Kent State. A Dec. 16 contest between the Cavs and Wake Forest has also been postponed. 

Both Virginia (3-1) and MSU (5-0) are expected to contend for a national title this year. A matchup between the two served as a resume-defining clash early in the season. Now it's on hold. 

The Cavaliers did not disclose any further information regarding COVID-19 within their program. 

The No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team was upset 61-60 by the unranked San Francisco Dons in the HomeLight Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday.

Senior guard Jamaree Bouyea led San Francisco in the shocking victory, as he scored a game-high 19 points.

Virginia fell to 1-1 after opening the campaign with an 89-54 win over Towson, while San Francisco is 2-1 after previously losing to UMass Lowell and beating Towson.

Despite trailing 61-54 with just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Cavaliers had a chance to win it after San Francisco's Josh Kunen missed the front end of a one-and-one with 10 seconds left while the Dons were clinging to a 61-60 lead.

Senior forward Sam Hauser launched a three-point shot with two seconds left, but it was off the mark, which allowed San Francisco to secure the win.

Adam Zagoria of the New York Times noted San Francisco hadn't beaten a Top Five team in nearly 40 years before Friday's upset:

Virginia held a 24-21 lead at halftime in what was a defensive slugfest, but San Francisco turned up the heat in the second half with 40 points thanks largely to some hot shooting from beyond the arc, as the Dons went 13-of-28 from three while Virginia made just three of 13 attempts.

The Cavs had three players score in double figures Friday, but their leading scorers had just 11 points apiece, as Justin McKoy and Reece Beekman shared that distinction.

Virginia is no stranger to being on the wrong side of a massive upset. The Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round when they fell 74-54 to UMBC in 2018.

Head coach Tony Bennett's team overcame that loss in a big way, however, as Virginia won its first national title in school history the following season.

Last season, Virginia was 23-7 and finished as the No. 16 team in the nation before the remainder of the campaign was called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, San Francisco has not been ranked since going 25-6 during the 1981-82 season.

The Dons won national titles in 1955 and 1956 with the legendary Bill Russell to lead the way, but the West Coast Conference team has not reached the NCAA tournament since 1998.

With a win over Virginia under its belt, San Francisco may be on its way to ending that drought.

Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball coach Tony Bennett was offered a raise by the school this offseason but turned it down, instead asking athletic director Carla Williams to focus on "additional compensation for his staff and improvements that would benefit his program," per Jeff White of VirginiaSports.com.

Bennett spoke about that decision:

"Laurel [his wife] and I are in a great spot, and in the past I've had increases in my contract. We just feel a great peace about where we're at, all that's taken place, and how we feel about this athletic department and this community and this school. I love being at UVA.

"President [Jim] Ryan and Carla were very gracious in what they offered to me as a potential contract, but I have a very good contract. I have more than enough, and if there are ways that this can help out the athletic department, the other programs and coaches, by not tying up so much [in men's basketball], that's my desire."

Williams applauded the Bennetts for their commitment to the school, which included a $500,000 donation to a career-development program for current and former Cavaliers players:

"I'm thankful for their consideration of the department, for their gift to the Master Plan, and for their commitment to the young men in our basketball program. We want to lead the way, nationally, in regards to the student-athlete experience. Career development programming for our men's basketball players will help set that standard and differentiate our program."

Bennett did agree to add another year to his contract, which will now keep him with the program for another seven years.

Bennett said he and the school could afford its student-athletes more opportunities:

"Whether your players play professionally for 15 years, five years or zero years after college, they can still be working on the things that are going to help them out. For a lot of players, when their [basketball] careers are done they're starting over and they say, 'Coach, can you help us?' This is a way, without monopolizing a lot of their time, to be actively working on figuring out what it is they want to do and preparing them, giving them opportunities.

"Carla said this is generational. That's where my heart is. This might be more significant than what we can do for them with the championships and winning. Whether they know it or not, two-thirds, three-quarters of their life is going to be outside the game. It's going to be in work and providing for their families."

On the court, Bennett has helped build a powerhouse. In his 10 seasons as the men's basketball coach, the Cavaliers have reached the NCAA tournament seven times (the last six years in a row), won four ACC regular-season titles, secured two conference tournament titles, reached the Elite Eight twice and won the national championship this past season.

His teams have become famous for their stifling defense and for being consistently competitive in the ACC, regularly the deepest conference in men's college basketball. But his work off the court is clearly just as important to him.

Virginia continues to fill its 2020 class with the addition of Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who announced his decision on Twitter Wednesday:

"I felt most comfortable with the staff and I felt they would best prepare me to win on the college level and achieve my ultimate goal of playing in the NBA," he said, per Jeff Borzello of ESPN. 

The small forward is the son of former NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but he is a top prospect in his own right. Jabri is considered a 4-star talent, rated the No. 11 player in the country at his position and the No. 44 overall player in the 2020 class, per 247Sports.

At 6'5", he has good size to play the wing in college and could potentially switch to guard if he makes the NBA. Regardless of where he lines up, he has showed he can be a high-level scorer who can drive into the lane and finish with consistency.

Perhaps more importantly for the Cavaliers, he is also an active defender who averaged 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals per game this past season, per 247Sports.

If the Blair Academy product can add more strength and improve his outside shot, he could be a star at the next level. Of course, expectations are high as he tries to live up to his family name.

Shareef was a 12-year NBA veteran and one-time All-Star and is currently the president of the NBA's G-League.

Virginia is coming off a national championship but head coach Tony Bennett has remained aggressive on the recruiting trail, already getting commitments from three players in the 2020 class. Along with Abdur-Rahim, Reece Beekman and Carson McCorkle help create the No. 1 class in the country.

Virginia forward Mamadi Diakite will return to the defending national champion Cavaliers after initially declaring for the 2019 NBA draft:

The 6'9" Diakite averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 21.8 minutes per game during his junior season. The 22-year-old made 55.0 percent of his shots, none more important than when he forced overtime in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament against Purdue:

UVA will have some new faces alongside Diakite in the lineup, as Ty Jerome, De'Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy are making the leap to the NBA.

Still, the Cavaliers should be ranked highly heading into the 2019-20 season with Diakite returning. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com put the Cavaliers at eighth overall, and Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com ranks the Hoos 14th.

Diakite's presence will certainly help. He was an anchor on UVA's Pack Line defense, which ranked fifth in the nation in efficiency, per KenPom.com. Diakite blocked 1.7 shots per game and saved his best work for the NCAA tournament when he swatted 16 shots in his final five games, including seven in the Final Four.

Even with Diakite back, however, UVA has an uphill climb in the ACC, let alone the nation. Duke, North Carolina and Louisville added fantastic recruiting classes that rank top 11 in Division I, per 247Sports. Of note, No. 4 class of 2019 recruit Cole Anthony is headed to UNC, and No. 6 Vernon Carey and No. 11 Matthew Hurt are going to Duke.

Still, UVA should be able to compete with the conference's best. The Cavaliers have one of the game's best coaches in Tony Bennett and also return talent around Diakite led by Kihei Clark and Braxton Key. The Hoos also have the No. 27 class, led by 4-star shooting guard Casey Morsell and 4-star center Kadin Shedrick.

The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team won't visit President Donald Trump at the White House to celebrate its 2019 national championship, citing the logistical difficulties of reuniting the roster for the occasion.

"We have received inquiries about a visit to the White House," head coach Tony Bennett said in a statement on the team's Twitter account. "With several players either pursuing pro opportunities or moving on from UVA, it would be difficult, if not impossible to get everyone back together. We would have to respectfully decline an invitation."

Although Jack Salt is the only senior on the squad, Virginia saw a number of underclassmen declare for the 2019 NBA draft. Final Four Most Outstanding Player Kyle Guy, Mamadi Diakite, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter all entered their names into the draft pool.

Trump sent out a congratulatory tweet to Virginia following the Cavaliers' 85-77 overtime victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on April 8:

Asked during the Cavaliers' victory celebration about whether he and his team would travel to the nation's capital, Bennett declined to answer one way or the other.

"Today is all about celebrating the national championship, with this team and this community," he told reporters. "There's no information about the White House, and again, this is just going to be about us today, and taking it in."

The White House didn't extend an invitation to the Villanova Wildcats following their national title in 2018. Head coach Jay Wright also echoed Bennett's comments about the difficulties of getting everybody together for the occasion if the White House had reached out.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who won the women's basketball tournament a year ago, didn't receive an invitation either.

The Baylor Lady Bears, however, will visit Trump on Monday to commemorate their 82-81 victory over the Fighting Irish in the 2019 title game.

Virginia junior guard Kyle Guy announced Tuesday he's signing an agent with the intent to enter the 2019 NBA draft after winning the 2019 NCAA tournament championship with the Cavaliers.

Guy, who noted he's not ruling out a return to UVA for his senior season, posted the update on Twitter:

The 21-year-old Indianapolis native was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading Virginia to victories over Auburn and Texas Tech to capture the national title.

Guy averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 44.9 percent from the field, including 42.6 percent from three-point ranges, across 38 appearances during the 2018-19 season.

The Lawrence Central High School (Ind.) product was named First Team All-ACC and Third Team All-American each of the last two seasons with the Cavs.

Guy likely capped his collegiate career by scoring 24 points in the team's triumph over the Red Raiders in the title game last week.

"Yeah, we came in here together and said that we were going to win a national championship, and to be able to hug each other with confetti going everywhere and say we did it, it's the greatest feeling I've ever felt in basketball," he told reporters afterward.

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Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman listed Guy as the No. 73 overall prospect in the projected 2019 class on his most recent big board in mid-March:

"Though Guy lacks the size and athleticism of a typical NBA off-guard, his shooting could be worth gambling on with a second-round pick. Making 46.3 percent of his threes and 43.8 percent of his pull-ups, his shooting percentages also rank in the 96th percentile on spot-ups and the 84th percentile off screens. Guy could be a shot-making specialist, though it's difficult to picture him defending NBA 2s."

The shooting guard can now go through the NBA draft process with hope of determining whether it's worth staying in this year's class or if he should return to Virginia for the 2019-20 campaign.

Guy has until June 10 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw from the draft.