2023–24 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team American men's college basketball season
The 2023–24 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team was led by head coach Tony Bennett in his 15th year, and played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia , as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 13,992 in 17 games in 2023-24, the 17th highest in college basketball.[ 1]
The Cavaliers started the season with four straight wins and earned themselves the twenty-fourth spot in the AP Rankings to start the season. They lost the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off to Wisconsin and rebounded to defeat West Virginia in the third place game. The win wasn't enough to keep them in the rankings, as they fell out ahead of their ACC–SEC Challenge matchup with fourteenth ranked Texas A&M . They won that match and two more matches to return to the rankings at number twenty-two. They went 1–1 as the 22nd ranked team, losing to twenty-third ranked Memphis before falling out again. The Cavaliers then lost three of their next four ACC games, with the lone win coming against struggling Louisville . A rivalry win over Virginia Tech sparked an eight game winning streak for the Cavaliers as they also defeated NC State in overtime and Clemson during the stretch. They again returned to the rankings at number twenty-one. They lost to Pittsburgh and won a low scoring game against Wake Forest before falling out of the rankings again. The Cavaliers finished out the season 2–3 losing a rivalry rematch to Virginia Tech and to North Carolina and Duke , who were both ranked tenth at the time of the matchup.
The Cavaliers finished the season 23–11 and 13–7 in ACC play to finish in third place. As the third seed in the ACC tournament , they earned a bye to the Quarterfinals, where they defeated third seed Boston College in overtime before losing to eventual champions NC State in overtime in the Semifinals. They earned a controversial at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were placed as a tenth seed in the First Four in the Midwest region. They lost their matchup with Colorado State 67–42 to end their season. After the game, Virginia was widely criticized for its offensive performance, which included a stretch of nearly 14 minutes of game time and nearly an hour of real time during which they did not score.
Previous season
The 2022–23 Cavaliers finished the season with a 25–8 record, 15–5 in ACC play , to finish in a tie for first place and clinch a share of their sixth regular season title in ten seasons, and their eleventh ACC regular season title in school history. They defeated North Carolina and Clemson to reach the championship game of the ACC tournament , where they lost to Duke . They received a bid to NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the East region, where they were upset in the First Round by Furman .
Offseason
Departures
Incoming transfers
2023 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Blake Buchanan #12 PF
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Lake City
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Jul 3, 2022
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 84
Elijah Gertrude #6 CG
Jersey City, NJ
Hudson Catholic
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Sep 14, 2022
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 82
Anthony Robinson #52 C
Peachtree City, GA
Christ School
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
238 lb (108 kg)
Apr 29, 2023
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: NR
Christian Bliss SG
Queens, NY
George School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
Jun 30, 2023
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals : 16 247Sports : 12 ESPN : –
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
2024 recruiting class
Roster
Players
2023–24 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
0
Blake Buchanan
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Fr
Lake City
Coeur d'Alene, ID
G
1
Dante Harris
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
RS Jr
Lakeway Christian Academy (TN)Georgetown
Washington, D.C.
G
2
Reece Beekman
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
194 lb (88 kg)
Sr
Scotlandville Magnet (LA)
Milwaukee, WI
G
4
Andrew Rohde
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
So
Brookfield Central St. Thomas (MN)
Milwaukee, WI
G
5
Desmond Roberts (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
206 lb (93 kg)
Fr
St. Anne's-Belfield
Charlottesville, VA
G
10
Taine Murray
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
Jr
Rosmini College
Auckland, New Zealand
G
11
Isaac McKneely
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
So
Poca
Poca, WV
G
12
Elijah Gertrude
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Fr
Hudson Catholic Regional
Jersey City, NJ
G
13
Ryan Dunn
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
216 lb (98 kg)
So
Perkiomen School
Freeport, NY
F/C
21
Anthony Robinson
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
238 lb (108 kg)
Fr
Christ School (NC)
Peachtree City, GA
F
22
Jordan Minor
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
242 lb (110 kg)
GS
Brimmer and MayMerrimack
Kingston, MA
F
24
Tristan How (W)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Sr
Norfolk Collegiate
Virginia Beach, VA
G
30
Christian Bliss
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
Fr
George School (PA)
Queens, NY
F
34
Jake Groves
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
211 lb (96 kg)
GS
Shadle Park Oklahoma
Spokane, WA
G/F
35
Leon Bond III
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
RS Fr
Wauwatosa East
Wauwatosa, WI
G
42
Bryce Walker (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Jr
New Hampton School
Beltsville, MD
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Coaches
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 6, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX /ESPN+
Tarleton State
W 80–50
1–0
16 – Beekman
9 – Bond III
7 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,080)Charlottesville, VA
November 10, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCN
vs. Florida He Gets Us Hall of Fame Series
W 73–70
2–0
18 – Buchanan
8 – Dunn
5 – Beekman
Spectrum Center (6,783)Charlotte, NC
November 14, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
North Carolina A&T
W 80–51
3–0
13 – Dunn
11 – Dunn
7 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (12,905)Charlottesville, VA
November 16, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCN
Texas Southern
W 62–33
4–0
15 – Dunn
5 – Dunn
4 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (13,099)Charlottesville, VA
November 20, 2023 *6:00 p.m., FS1
No. 24
vs. Wisconsin Fort Myers Tip-Off semifinals
L 41–65
4–1
17 – Beekman
6 – Dunn
7 – Beekman
Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)Fort Myers, FL
November 22, 2023 *6:00 p.m., FS1
No. 24
vs. West Virginia Fort Myers Tip-Off consolation
W 56–54
5–1
13 – Dunn
7 – Bond III
5 – Beekman
Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)Fort Myers, FL
November 29, 2023 *7:15 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 Texas A&M ACC–SEC Challenge
W 59–47
6–1
13 – Rohde
6 – Rohde
5 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,061)Charlottesville, VA
December 2, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse
W 84–62
7–1 (1–0)
22 – McKneely
6 – Bond III
8 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)Charlottesville, VA
December 5, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
North Carolina Central
W 77–47
8–1
22 – McKneely
9 – Bond III
6 – Rohde
John Paul Jones Arena (13,459)Charlottesville, VA
December 16, 2023 *6:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 22
Northeastern
W 56–54
9–1
21 – Beekman
6 – Beekman
6 – Rohde
John Paul Jones Arena (13,676)Charlottesville, VA
December 19, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 22
at No. 23 Memphis
L 54–77
9–2
13 – Beekman
11 – Dunn
4 –
FedExForum (13,553)Memphis, TN
December 27, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCN
Morgan State
W 79–44
10–2
17 – Beekman
10 – Dunn
7 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)Charlottesville, VA
December 30, 2023 12:00 p.m., ACCN
at Notre Dame
L 54–76
10–3 (1–1)
15 – Beekman
5 – Dunn
4 – Beekman
Joyce Center (7,784)South Bend, IN
January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Louisville
W 77–53
11–3 (2–1)
18 – McKneely
10 – Dunn
8 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (13,703)Charlottesville, VA
January 6, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCN
at NC State
L 60–76
11–4 (2–2)
18 – McKneely
7 – Dunn
10 – Beekman
PNC Arena (14,821)Raleigh, NC
January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Wake Forest
L 47–66
11–5 (2–3)
10 – Beekman
5 –
4 – Beekman
LJVM Coliseum (9,855)Winston-Salem, NC
January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Virginia Tech Rivalry
W 65–57
12–5 (3–3)
16 – Tied
7 – Dunn
5 – Harris
John Paul Jones Arena (14,547)Charlottesville, VA
January 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., ACCN
at Georgia Tech
W 75–66
13–5 (4–3)
20 – McKneely
10 – Dunn
11 – Beekman
McCamish Pavilion (6,380)Atlanta, GA
January 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
NC State
W 59–53 OT
14–5 (5–3)
13 – Dunn
12 – Dunn
6 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (13,947)Charlottesville, VA
January 27, 2024 12:00 p.m., The CW
at Louisville
W 69–52
15–5 (6–3)
19 – Dunn
11 – Dunn
9 – Beekman
KFC Yum! Center (11,381)Louisville, KY
January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
Notre Dame
W 65–53
16–5 (7–3)
21 – Beekman
6 – Minor
6 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (13,947)Charlottesville, VA
February 3, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN
at Clemson
W 66–65
17–5 (8–3)
17 – Groves
10 – Dunn
4 – Beekman
Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)Clemson, SC
February 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN
Miami (FL)
W 60–38
18–5 (9–3)
16 – Beekman
8 – Dunn
7 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,165)Charlottesville, VA
February 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., The CW
at Florida State
W 80–76
19–5 (10–3)
29 – McKneely
5 –
5 – Beekman
Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (8,525)Tallahassee, FL
February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 21
Pittsburgh
L 63–74
19–6 (10–4)
19 – Beekman
6 – Beekman
6 – Rohde
John Paul Jones Arena (13,858)Charlottesville, VA
February 17, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 21
Wake Forest
W 49–47
20–6 (11–4)
20 – Beekman
9 – Dunn
4 –
John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)Charlottesville, VA
February 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN
at Virginia Tech Rivalry
L 41–75
20–7 (11–5)
11 – McKneely
5 –
2 –
Cassell Coliseum (8,925)Blacksburg, VA
February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 North Carolina
L 44–54
20–8 (11–6)
12 – Minor
10 – Minor
5 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)Charlottesville, VA
February 28, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Boston College
W 72–68
21–8 (12–6)
18 – Beekman
13 – Dunn
8 – Beekman
Conte Forum (4,851)Chestnut Hill, MA
March 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 10 Duke
L 48–73
21–9 (12–7)
18 – Beekman
6 –
7 – Beekman
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)Durham, NC
March 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., ACCN
Georgia Tech
W 72–57
22–9 (13–7)
21 – Beekman
6 – Tied
9 – Beekman
John Paul Jones Arena (13,877)Charlottesville, VA
ACC tournament
March 14, 2024 9:30 pm, ESPN
(3)
vs. (11) Boston College Quarterfinals
W 66–60 OT
23–9
15 – Groves
11 – Groves
11 – Beekman
Capital One Arena (17,627)Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2024 9:30 pm, ESPN2
(3)
vs. (10) NC State Semifinals
L 65–73 OT
23–10
23 – McKneely
9 –
11 – Beekman
Capital One Arena (18,722)Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2024 9:10 pm, TruTV
(10 MW)
vs. (10 MW) Colorado State First Four
L 42–67
23–11
15 – Beekman
5 – Dunn
4 – Beekman
UD Arena (12,247)Dayton, Ohio
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
[ 9]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final AP RV RV 24 RV RV 22 22 RV — — — — RV RV 21 RV — — — — — Coaches RV 25т 18 RV 23 21 20 RV — — — — RV RV 23 RV RV — — — —
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
References
^ http://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Attend.pdf
^ "NUGGETS SIGN ARMAAN FRANKLIN AND ANDREW FUNK TO TRAINING CAMP CONTRACTS" . NBA.com . July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023 .
^ Dimmitt, Zach (April 23, 2023). "Longhorns Land Virginia Transfer Kadin Shedrick" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ Newton, Matt (April 10, 2023). "Former UVA Center Francisco Caffaro Transfers to Santa Clara" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ Newton, Matt (March 31, 2023). "Virginia Transfer Isaac Traudt Commits to Creighton" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Men's Basketball Adds St. Thomas Transfer Andrew Rohde" . virginiasports.com . Virginia Athletics. April 20, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ Newton, Matt (April 13, 2023). "Merrimack Transfer Jordan Minor Announces Commitment to Virginia" . Sports Illustrated Virginia Cavaliers News, Analysis and More . Retrieved June 21, 2023 .
^ Newton, Matt (April 25, 2023). "Oklahoma Transfer Jacob Groves Commits to Virginia" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule" . Virginia Sports . Retrieved October 2, 2023 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics