Virginia’s rise from preseason obscurity to first-place ACC finisher is quite impressive. Even if the Cavaliers don’t win at Louisville tonight, or handle Notre Dame with a physically reclaimed Bonzie Colson, the 2018 ACC preseason player of the year, they’ve clinched a perch atop the regular-season standings and a certain top-5 finish in the AP poll.
But their rise from unranked to ACC leader is not as rare is one might think. The ’18 Cavs are the fifth ACC team this century to start unnoticed nationally, only to finish with a piece of first place in the league.