UVA was viewed as a rebuilding team after departures of London Perrantes , Marial Shayok , and Darius Thompson , and the first AP poll had Virginia unranked for the first time since 2013 . A '' Winston-Salem Journal '' reporter projected the worst season of Bennett 's career at 5 – 13 in ACC play . UVA was ranked after winning the NIT Season Tip-Off . They defeated No. 12 North Carolina 61 &ndash; 49 to continue a home streak of 5 &ndash; 0 against the Heels since 2013 . No. 2 Virginia then overcame No. 4 Duke on the road for Bennett 's first victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium . The '' Winston-Salem Journal '' reporter literally " ate his words " about Virginia , ingesting a copy of his previous article with barbeque sauce . UNC prepared for their Duke rivalry game by reviewing tape of UVA suffocating No. 18 Clemson 61 – 36 ; Joel Berry II explained , " We want to be like Virginia defensively . " UVA attained its first AP No. 1 ranking since 1982 . With a 66 – 37 victory at Pitt , Virginia won its third outright regular season title in five years . The Cavaliers won the 2018 ACC Tournament , defeating North Carolina 71 – 63 in the ACC Championship Game . UVA earned the first overall seed in the NCAA Tournament , but the next day lost ACC Sixth Man of the Year De'Andre Hunter to a broken wrist . The '' New York Daily News '' changed their pick from Virginia winning the national title to losing in the Sweet Sixteen after the injury . Virginia then notoriously lost to UMBC in the opening round , the first time since expansion in 1985 that a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 , in the first ever regional to have its No. 1 , No. 2 , No. 3 , and No. 4 seeds all lose in the opening weekend . Bennett 's even-keeled reaction was featured in '' Inc. '' magazine as a lesson in emotional intelligence and leadership . For defying rebuilding expectations to finish 31 – 3 , Bennett won a third Henry Iba Award
2018 ACC Tournament
2018 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
Tony Bennett (basketball)