# 2014–15 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, in their 110th season of play. The team was led by head coach Tony Bennett, in his sixth year, and played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Building on the success of the previous season, the Cavaliers had their best regular season in program history with a record of 28–2, their first undefeated non-conference regular season record since 2000–01, and their highest national ranking since 1982–83, ranking at number two on the AP Poll for a total of seven weeks. The Cavaliers also became the first team outside of Tobacco Road to win back-to-back ACC regular season championships, with their conference record of 16–2. Particular highlights included holding Rutgers, Harvard, and Georgia Tech to under thirty points each. Virginia also held Harvard to a single field goal in the first half of their game, tying the NCAA record for fewest field goals allowed in the first half of a game since the shot clock was instituted in 1986. However, late-season injuries, in particular Justin Anderson's nearly five-week-long absence due to a broken finger and appendectomy, hurt the team, with the Cavaliers falling in a close loss to North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinals. In the NCAA tournament they defeated Belmont in the second round before losing in the third round to Michigan State.

## Last season

The Cavaliers finished the season 30–4 overall and 16–2 in conference play, finishing in first place in the ACC outright for the first time since the 1980–81 season. They proceeded to win the ACC tournament for their second-ever conference championship. The team also tied for the most wins in a season in school history, set a school record for the most single-season conference wins, and earned their highest final national ranking since 1982. The Cavaliers received a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Coastal Carolina and Memphis before losing to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Teven Jones | 5 | G | 6'0" | 182 | Sophomore | Kannapolis, NC | Transferred to Tarleton State |
| Joe Harris | 12 | G | 6'6" | 225 | Senior | Chelan, WA | Graduated/Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Akil Mitchell | 25 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduated/Houston Rockets/Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Thomas Rogers | 30 | G | 6'6" | 206 | Senior | Farmville, VA | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Darius Thompson | 51 | G | 6'5" | 181 | Sophomore | Murfreesboro, TN | Transferred from Tennessee. Under NCAA transfer rules, Thompson must redshirt for the 2014–15 season. After this season he will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

## Class of 2014 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jack Salt C | Auckland, New Zealand | Westlake High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 09/18/2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Marial Shayok SG | Ottawa, Ontario | Blair Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 04/22/2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| B. J. Stith SG | Brunswick, Virginia | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 09/03/2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Isaiah Wilkins SF | Norcross, Georgia | Greater Atlanta Christian School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 09/01/2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| 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: "Virginia Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Roster

On November 7, 2014, head coach Tony Bennett announced, via a Virginia athletic department press release, that London Perrantes and Evan Nolte would be suspended for two scrimmages and the first game of the season due to a violation of team rules. Following the first game of the season against James Madison, Bennett stated that Jack Salt was "leaning" towards a redshirt, but he had not made a final decision yet.
On February 7, 2015, Justin Anderson suffered a broken finger in his left hand during the Louisville game. He had surgery the next day, and was expected to return to playing after four to six weeks, but an emergency appendectomy on March 5 kept him sidelined. Anderson returned to play seven days later, against Florida State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench |
| F/C | Anthony Gill | Mike Tobey |
| F | Darion Atkins | Isaiah Wilkins |
| G/F | Justin Anderson | Evan Nolte |
| G | Malcolm Brogdon | Marial Shayok |
| PG | London Perrantes | Devon Hall |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov. 14* 7:00 pm | No. 9 | at James Madison | W 79–51 | 1–0 | 18 – Anderson | 10 – Atkins | 4 – Brogdon | JMU Convocation Center (6,782) Harrisonburg, VA |
| Nov. 16* 7:00 pm, RSN | No. 9 | Norfolk State Barclays Center Classic | W 67–39 | 2–0 | 11 – Anderson | 8 – Gill | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (12,845) Charlottesville, VA |
| Nov. 18* 7:00 pm, RSN | No. 9 | South Carolina State | W 75–55 | 3–0 | 17 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 3 – Brogdon | John Paul Jones Arena (12,493) Charlottesville, VA |
| Nov. 21* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 9 | George Washington | W 59–42 | 4–0 | 18 – Anderson | 11 – Atkins | 3 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (13,706) Charlottesville, VA |
| Nov. 25* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 8 | Tennessee State Barclays Center Classic | W 79–36 | 5–0 | 20 – Anderson | 16 – Tobey | 3 – Brogdon | John Paul Jones Arena (12,056) Charlottesville, VA |
| Nov. 28* 9:30 pm, NBCSN | No. 8 | vs. La Salle Barclays Center Classic | W 64–56 | 6–0 | 20 – Brogdon | 10 – Gill | 3 – Tied | Barclays Center (4,118) Brooklyn, NY |
| Nov. 29* 9:30 pm, NBCSN | No. 8 | vs. Rutgers Barclays Center Classic | W 45–26 | 7–0 | 13 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 4 – Perrantes | Barclays Center (4,105) Brooklyn, NY |
| Dec. 3* 9:15 pm, ESPN2 | No. 7 | at No. 21 Maryland ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 76–65 | 8–0 | 18 – Brogdon | 6 – Tied | 7 – Perrantes | Xfinity Center (15,371) College Park, MD |
| Dec. 6* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 7 | at VCU | W 74–57 | 9–0 | 21 – Anderson | 8 – Tied | 9 – Perrantes | Siegel Center (7,647) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 18* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 6 | Cleveland State | W 70–54 | 10–0 | 16 – Tied | 8 – Gill | 5 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (11,812) Charlottesville, VA |
| Dec. 21* Noon, ESPNU | No. 6 | Harvard | W 76–27 | 11–0 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Tobey | 6 – Brogdon | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| Dec. 30* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 3 | Davidson | W 83–72 | 12–0 | 25 – Gill | 13 – Gill | 7 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Jan. 3 5:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | at Miami (FL) | W 89–80 $^{2OT}$ | 13–0 (1–0) | 26 – Perrantes | 12 – Atkins | 8 – Perrantes | BankUnited Center (5,377) Miami, FL |
| Jan. 7 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | NC State | W 61–51 | 14–0 (2–0) | 16 – Anderson | 9 – Anderson | 5 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (12,929) Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan. 10 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | at No. 13 Notre Dame | W 62–56 | 15–0 (3–0) | 14 – Atkins | 8 – Atkins | 4 – Brogdon | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Jan. 13 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | Clemson | W 65–42 | 16–0 (4–0) | 16 – Brogdon | 6 – Atkins | 3 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (13,604) Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan. 17 2:00 pm, RSN | No. 2 | at Boston College | W 66–51 | 17–0 (5–0) | 20 – Brogdon | 10 – Gill | 6 – Perrantes | Conte Forum (8,112) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Jan. 22 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | Georgia Tech | W 57–28 | 18–0 (6–0) | 13 – Brogdon | 8 – Atkins | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,809) Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan. 25 1:00 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | at Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash | W 50–47 | 19–0 (7–0) | 12 – Anderson | 7 – Gill | 7 – Perrantes | Cassell Coliseum (9,847) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan. 31 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | No. 4 Duke College GameDay | L 63–69 | 19–1 (7–1) | 17 – Brogdon | 6 – Brogdon | 5 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb. 2 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at No. 12 North Carolina | W 75–64 | 20–1 (8–1) | 17 – Brogdon | 7 – Gill | 7 – Anderson | Dean Smith Center (20,102) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb. 7 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | No. 9 Louisville | W 52–47 | 21–1 (9–1) | 15 – Brogdon | 8 – Gill | 6 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb. 11 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | at NC State | W 51–47 | 22–1 (10–1) | 15 – Brogdon | 9 – Tobey | 3 – Brogdon | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| Feb. 14 2:30 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | Wake Forest | W 61–60 | 23–1 (11–1) | 19 – Gill | 9 – Brogdon | 5 – Brogdon | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb. 16 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | Pittsburgh | W 61–49 | 24–1 (12–1) | 18 – Brogdon | 6 – Tied | 6 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (13,953) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb. 22 6:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 2 | Florida State | W 51–41 | 25–1 (13–1) | 13 – Gill | 9 – Gill | 3 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb. 25 7:00 pm, RSN | No. 2 | at Wake Forest | W 70–34 | 26–1 (14–1) | 11 – Gill | 7 – Gill | 4 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (10,772) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Feb. 28 4:00 pm, ACCN | No. 2 | Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash | W 69–57 | 27–1 (15–1) | 19 – Brogdon | 8 – Brogdon | 6 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,245) Charlottesville, VA |
| Mar. 2 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at Syracuse | W 59–47 | 28–1 (16–1) | 17 – Gill | 9 – Tied | 10 – Perrantes | Carrier Dome (25,338) Syracuse, NY |
| Mar. 7 6:30 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 16 Louisville | L 57–59 | 28–2 (16–2) | 17 – Brogdon | 7 – Atkins | 5 – Perrantes | KFC Yum! Center (22,788) Louisville, KY |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 12 Noon, ESPN ACCN | (1) No. 3 | vs. (9) Florida State Quarterfinals | W 58–44 | 29–2 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Gill | 9 – Perrantes | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| Mar. 13 7:00 pm, ESPN ACCN | (1) No. 3 | vs. (5) No. 19 North Carolina Semifinals | L 67–71 | 29–3 | 25 – Brogdon | 5 – Brogdon | 3 – Perrantes | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 20* 3:10 pm, truTV | (2 E) No. 6 | vs. (15 E) Belmont Second round | W 79–67 | 30–3 | 22 – Brogdon | 7 – Atkins | 3 – Perrantes | Time Warner Cable Arena (16,551) Charlotte, NC |
| Mar. 22* 12:10 pm, CBS | (2 E) No. 6 | vs. (7 E) No. 23 Michigan State Third round | L 54–60 | 30–4 | 11 – Gill | 14 – Atkins | 2 – Perrantes | Time Warner Cable Arena (18,482) Charlotte, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

On April 28, 2014, ESPN's preseason top-25 rankings listed Virginia at seventh in the nation. On August 11, Sporting News ranked Virginia eighth in their preseason poll.
Virginia's #2 ranking on Week 10 (January 12, 2015) was the first time Virginia was ranked in the top two nationally since the week of March 8, 1983.
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 2 (1) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | N/A |
| Coaches | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2015 | 1 | 21 | Justin Anderson | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2016 | 2 | 36 | Malcolm Brogdon | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2018 | 2 | 58 | Devon Hall | Oklahoma City Thunder |

## Awards and honors

Awards by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) were released on March 8. ACC coaches awards were released the following day, and then followed on March 10 with individual awards from the United States Basketball Writers Association. On March 16, USBWA released All-American selections, naming Brogdon to their second team. One week later, USBWA named Bennett the Henry Iba Award winner. On March 27, the National Association of Basketball Coaches released their District 2 awards. On March 30, the Associated Press and NABC named their All-American teams, including Brogdon on both organizations' second teams, and Anderson on the NABC third team.
* Tony Bennett
** Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)
** USBWA District 3 Coach of the Year
** Henry Iba Award
** NABC District 2 Coach of the Year
* Justin Anderson
** All-ACC Second Team (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)
** USBWA All-District 3 Team
** NABC All-District 2 First Team
** NABC Third-Team All-American
* Darion Atkins
** ACC Defensive Player of the Year (ACSMA)
** ACC All-Defensive Team (ACSMA)
** Lefty Driesell Award
* Malcolm Brogdon
** ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year (ACC Coaches)
** All-ACC First Team (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)
** ACC All-Defensive Team (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)
** USBWA All-District 3 Team
** All-ACC tournament Second Team
** USBWA Second Team All-American
** NABC All-District 2 First Team
** NABC Second Team All-American
** Associated Press Second Team All-American
* Anthony Gill
** All-ACC Third Team (ACSMA)
** ACC All-Defensive Team (ACC Coaches)
* London Perrantes
** All-ACC Honorable Mention (ACSMA)
* Mike Tobey
** ACC Sixth Man of the Year (ACC Coaches)