Coming off of two highly successful regular seasons in 2014 and 2015 , but with early exits from the NCAA Tournament each time , and with the final season for seniors Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill , expectations were high for the program in 2015 – 16 . However , the regular season was mixed : despite wins against programs like West Virginia , Villanova , California , and North Carolina , the team also suffered upsets to Virginia Tech , Georgia Tech , and Florida State . Despite this , the Cavaliers finished the season 29 – 8 overall and 13 – 5 in conference play , finishing in second place in the ACC . They fell in the ACC Tournament championship to North Carolina . However , they received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament , and received their second No. 1 seed in three years . In the Tournament , they defeated Hampton , Butler , and Iowa State to advance to their first Elite Eight in twenty-one years . There , they lost to Syracuse , despite leading by 14 at halftime
ACC Tournament
2015 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
2016–17 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team