# 1981–82 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

The 1981–82 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented University of Virginia and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia was the top seed in the Mideast region of the 48-team NCAA tournament, but was upset by two points in the Sweet Sixteen by the UAB Blazers, before a partisan crowd in Birmingham.

## Roster

    Source

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov. 21* TVS | No. 7 | vs. BYU | W 63–61 | 1–0 | Springfield Civic Center (8,808) Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Nov. 27* | No. 7 | Fairfield | W 107–66 | 2–0 | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nov. 29* | No. 7 | George Mason | W 76–57 | 3–0 | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 2* | No. 5 | Randolph–Macon | W 82–50 | 4–0 | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 5* | No. 5 | at VMI | W 76–49 | 5–0 | Cameron Hall (4,460) Lexington, Virginia |
| Dec. 9 | No. 5 | Duke | W 92–83 | 6–0 (1–0) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Maryland |
| Dec. 19* | No. 5 | at Chaminade | W 75–59 | 7–0 (1–0) | Neal S. Blaisdell Center (3,052) Laie, HI |
| Dec. 21* | No. 5 | at BYU–Hawaii | W 118–84 | 8–0 (1–0) | Cannon Activities Center (1,739) Laie, HI |
| Dec. 29* | No. 3 | vs. Richmond | W 74–43 | 9–0 (1–0) | Richmond Coliseum (10,716) Richmond, Virginia |
| Dec. 30* | No. 3 | vs. James Madison | W 57–44 | 10–0 (1–0) | Richmond Coliseum (10,716) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan. 2* | No. 3 | James Madison | W 73–65 | 11–0 (1–0) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 6* | No. 2 | Notre Dame | W 87–54 | 12–0 (1–0) | Capital Centre (17,422) Landover, Maryland |
| Jan. 9 | No. 2 | at No. 1 North Carolina | L 60–65 | 12–1 (1–1) | Carmichael Arena (10,000) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Jan. 12 | No. 3 | Maryland | W 45–40 $^{OT}$ | 13–1 (2–1) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 14* | No. 3 | Wagner | W 99–67 | 14–1 (2–1) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Georgia |
| Jan. 16 | No. 3 | Georgia Tech | W 79–60 | 15–1 (3–1) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 17 | No. 3 | Clemson | W 89–68 | 16–1 (4–1) | University Hall (5,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 20* | No. 3 | at George Washington | W 80–54 | 17–1 (4–1) | Charles E. Smith Center (5,000) Washington, D.C. |
| Jan. 24* | No. 3 | at No. 17 Louisville | W 74–56 | 18–1 (4–1) | Freedom Hall (16,613) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Jan. 27 | No. 3 | at No. 18 Wake Forest | W 69–66 | 19–1 (5–1) | Greensboro Coliseum (15,867) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Jan. 30 | No. 3 | at Duke | W 77–65 | 20–1 (6–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| Feb. 3 | No. 3 | No. 2 North Carolina | W 74–58 | 21–1 (7–1) | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 6* | No. 3 | vs. Virginia Tech | W 80–66 | 22–1 (7–1) | Roanoke Civic Center (10,056) Roanoke, Virginia |
| Feb. 10 | No. 1 | at NC State | W 39–36 | 23–1 (8–1) | Reynolds Coliseum (12,400) Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb. 13 | No. 1 | at Clemson | W 56–54 | 24–1 (9–1) | Littlejohn Coliseum (11,000) Clemson, South Carolina |
| Feb. 15 | No. 1 | at Georgia Tech | W 56–52 | 25–1 (10–1) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum (6,939) Atlanta |
| Feb. 20 | No. 1 | NC State | W 45–40 | 26–1 (11–1) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 24 | No. 1 | No. 18 Wake Forest | W 84–66 | 27–1 (12–1) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 27 | No. 1 | at Maryland | L 46–47 $^{OT}$ | 27–2 (12–2) | Cole Field House (14,500) College Park, Maryland |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| Mar. 5 | (2) No. 3 | vs. (7) Clemson Quarterfinals | W 56–54 | 28–2 | Greensboro Coliseum (15,875) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Mar. 6 | (2) No. 3 | vs. (3) No. 16 Wake Forest Semifinals | W 51–49 | 29–2 | Greensboro Coliseum (16,034) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Mar. 7 | (2) No. 3 | vs. (1) No. 1 North Carolina Championship | L 45–47 | 29–3 | Greensboro Coliseum (16,034) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar. 14 | (1 ME) No. 3 | vs. (9 ME) Tennessee Second Round | W 54–51 | 30–3 | Market Square Arena (15,000) Indianapolis |
| Mar. 18 | (1 ME) No. 3 | vs. (4 ME) No. 17 UAB Sweet Sixteen | L 66–68 | 30–4 | Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center (16,754) Birmingham, Alabama |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern time. ||||||
    Source:

## Awards and honors

* Ralph Sampson, Adolph Rupp Trophy
* Ralph Sampson, Naismith College Player of the Year
* Ralph Sampson, USBWA College Player of the Year
* Ralph Sampson, John R. Wooden Award

## NBA draft

| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1982 | 4 | 77 | Jeff Jones | Indiana Pacers |
| 1983 | 1 | 1 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets |
| 1983 | 3 | 68 | Craig Robinson | Boston Celtics |
| 1984 | 2 | 35 | Othell Wilson | Golden State Warriors |
    Source: