On February 22nd, the Virginia Cavaliers women’s basketball team earned its biggest win of the season, a 74-72 statement victory on the road over then-No. 8 Louisville. At the time, it was the second consecutive Quad 1 win for UVA, which had established itself as a near-lock to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2018.
But since their triumphant trip to the KFC Yum! Center, the ’Hoos have closed out the season with three-straight disappointing losses — the latest of which coming on Thursday
afternoon, a 63-50 defeat at the hands of the Clemson Tigers in Virginia’s opening game of the ACC Tournament.
UVA, which fell to 19-11 on the season with Thursday’s loss, looked tired and unmotivated for the 11 AM EST tip-off inside Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. The sleepy ’Hoos shot just 32.8% from the field and 21.2% from 3-point range, as only Paris Clark (15 points, 7-13 FG) managed to find any sort of rhythm offensively.
After a slow start, which led to a two-point halftime deficit, Virginia appeared to briefly snap out of its funk in the third quarter, putting together a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead. But the ’Hoos would run out of gas, allowing the Tigers to close the game on an extended 30-14 run. Virginia scored 14 or fewer points in each quarter, as Clemson overcame the Cavaliers’ size advantage by draining 10 3-pointers and outscoring Virginia’s bench 25-11.
Here are three takeaways from UVA’s latest lackluster outing:
Virginia’s offense didn’t show up
Give the Tigers credit, as they looked like the far more inspired squad on Thursday, but Virginia’s offense simply didn’t give itself a chance to win the game.
The ’Hoos picked a horrible time to deliver a season-worst 50 points, thanks to 4-of-19 shooting from beyond the arc and hitting just 6-of-13 free throws. Even Kymora Johnson, who earned First-Team All-ACC honors this week for the second-straight season, couldn’t find her footing in Duluth, finishing just 5-of-18 from the floor and 2-of-11 from distance.
Early on, it seemed like Virginia might be able to overcome its poor shooting by dominating the glass and using its length advantage to wreak havoc on the Tigers (the ’Hoos pulled down four offensive rebounds in the first quarter, leading to five second-chance points). But ultimately, the Cavaliers’ ice-cold shooting set them up for a failure, and an 11-point fourth quarter did them in.
The ’Hoos are cursed in the ACC Tournament
Virginia’s lack of success in the ACC Tournament is getting scary. The ’Hoos are just 1-4 in the Coach Mox era in conference tournament games, and the program is still searching for its first trip to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals since 2018.
Since 2022, Virginia has played six ACC Tournament games. The ’Hoos are now 1-5 in those contests, and with yet another dismal offensive showing, are averaging just 56.2 points per game.
Coach Mox has revived this Virginia program, pulling the ’Hoos up from the cellar of the conference and turning them into a competitive ACC program. But the lack of postseason success is rightfully frustrating for Virginia fans. The ’Hoos pulled a (self-induced) tough draw this year, and had they advanced, would’ve run into Duke, the regular-season conference champions, on Friday. But with a chance to erase some bad recent postseason memories and regain some momentum, Virginia once again fell short.
Now … the wait begins
ESPN’s Charlie Creme still had Virginia safely in the NCAA Tournament as of Thursday morning, projecting the ’Hoos as one of the field’s ‘Last Four Byes.’ A win over Clemson would have all but punched its ticket to the Big Dance; instead, Virginia now has a nerve-wracking two-week wait on its hands leading up to Selection Sunday on March 15th.
The win over Louisville is doing most of the heavy lifting for Virginia’s resume. As of Thursday morning, the ’Hoos were 36th in the NET with a 3-6 Quad 1 record. The early-season Quad 4 home loss to UMBC hurts, but the case for Virginia lies in earning 11 conference wins in a solid ACC.
Ending the season on a three-game losing streak is far from ideal. Virginia, however, might have done just enough beforehand to hear its name called for the first time since 2018. A trip to the First Four could be the most likely landing spot for the ’Hoos, but for now, all Virginia can do is keep its fingers crossed and stay ready in case there’s more basketball to be played this March.
