UVA Basketball coach Ryan Odom said something today at his pre-ACC Tournament presser that got me wondering about how important it is, or isn’t, to be in position to cut down the nets on Saturday night in Uptown Charlotte.
“You just want your guys at this time of year to have, you know, you know, really fresh legs, clear minds,” Odom started an answer to a question about his goals for the week, which, to be fair, was entirely about him emphasizing that his team wants to go down there and win three games, so, not trying to say that he wasn’t trying to say that.
OK, but.
The last three ACC teams to win the national title – Duke in 2015, North Carolina in 2017, Virginia in 2019 – all lost in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Virginia teams, under Tony Bennett, won ACC Tournament titles in 2014 and 2018.
Both of those teams got #1 NCAA Tournament seeds.
The 2014 team lost to Michigan State in the Sweet 16; the 2018 team lost to a UMBC team coached by a certain Ryan Odom.
Two other Bennett teams lost in the ACC Tournament championship game – the 2016 team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in an Elite Eight heartbreaker to Syracuse that I’m still not over, and never will be; the 2023 team was eliminated in a first-round buzzer-beater upset by Furman.
I’ve been of the mindset that playing three games in three days, after playing two games a week for four months, is not good for, to borrow from Odom today at his presser, the legs, or clarity of mind, when it comes to getting ready for do-or-die games in the NCAA Tournament.
Looking back at the last few NCAA champs:
- Florida won the SEC Tournament in 2025. Duke, our ACC Tournament champ, the title favorite going in, with Cooper Flagg as the focal point, flamed out in the Final Four.
- UConn won the Big East Tournament in 2024, but was knocked out in the semifinals in 2023.
- Kansas won the Big 12 Tournament in 2022.
- Baylor was knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in the semis in 2021.
Meaning, my little theory is, what, 2-for-5 over the past five years?
Obviously, you want to go out and win this time of year; you don’t want to stink up the joint in your conference tourney, and then just say, OK, let’s go out and win six in a row.
“We want to try to compete and win in any tournament we’re in, regardless of what time of year it is. If it’s in November, you want to do your best, and that helps prep you for the rest of the season,” Odom said. “Obviously, this time of year, it’s really exciting. March is spectacular, and the ACC Tournament is going to be really fun, you know, this week, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
This conference tournament is a first for Odom in terms of having a team that has already sewn up an NCAA bid – his NCAA Tournament teams at UMBC, Utah State and VCU were all in one-bid leagues where you need to win your tournament to get the automatic bid.
“I mean, certainly, if you’re on the bubble, yeah, there’s a lot of pressure that goes into it. But, you know, I think our guys are just focused on just trying to win,” Odom said. “I mean, last year for us at VCU, you know, I can remember being in that moment, and our guys were committed. They weren’t really concerned about the NCAA Tournament. They wanted to win the championship. They wanted to cut down the nets. And I think we’re in a similar situation, you know, here at Virginia.
“There’s been a tradition of excellence that has existed. You look at the banners up top, and you see the teams that you know have been fortunate to cut down the nets in this tournament and in advance in the NCAA Tournament. You know, VCU is similar, and that particular team wanted to make their mark. And I think that’s where we’re at, you know, at this point we’re going to go for it,” Odom said.
No question about it, though – the focus since last spring has been on what happens beginning next week.
“These guys have been motivated to play in the NCAA Tournament, you know, since they arrived on campus,” Odom said. “That certainly was the number one goal, is to get back there and to have a chance, you know, in March, part of that is playing well in the in the ACC Tournament. And, you know, these guys have heard about, you know, all the great games in the ACC Tournament, and what a big stage it is, you know, to play on, and so, they’re, fired up about it.”
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Chris Graham
