CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ When we last saw Virginia in Charlotte, the dazed and confused Cavaliers were trudging off the court at Spectrum Center. They had just become the first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed.
Now the Cavaliers have returned to the scene of the UMBC crime. They are the top seed in the 2019 ACC tournament that revs up in earnest Thursday in Charlotte when the top four teams debut in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 seed Virginia goes first, playing No. 8 seed N.C. State at 12:30 p.m. while trying to erase the memory of what happened a year ago.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett told reporters Tuesday: "Everybody says, 'Going back to Charlotte, that's where you played and you lost to UMBC.' We've tried to grow as much as we can and learn from it. It's all been talked about enough. It's time, really, to press on."
The way for Virginia to press on and dismiss that memory _ the No. 1 seeds had previously been 135-0 in those opening-round matchups _ is to win the ACC tournament on the same floor Saturday night. It's quite possible, even if Zion Williamson returns at full strength for Duke. Virginia (28-2) appears to have an even better team than last season, with more scoring punch and the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year in De'Andre Hunter.
"Offensively," said Virginia's Kyle Guy, "we're as good as we've ever been. It's a lot easier for us to hang with anybody. The defense will always keep us within striking range."
