Virginia got a stellar second half from senior forward Jayden Gardner and held on in a wild finish to knock off visiting Mississippi State, 60-57, in the opening round of the NIT Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

Perhaps in his last season with Mississippi State, BenHowland knows exactly what to expect when the Bulldogs play at Virginia on Wednesday night in a first-round NIT game at John Paul Jones Arena (7 p.m., ESPN2).

Virginia (19-13) faces Mississippi State (18-15) in the first round of the 2022 NIT on Wednesday. Jerry Ratcliffe and Chris Graham break down the matchup from all angles.

If there was any doubt about how Tony Bennett would approach his team would take into the NIT, the Virginia coach ended that speculation on Monday.

The great Ralph Sampson will be featured tonight as part of the ACC LEGENDS series on the ACC Network.

Virginia will host Mississippi State in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

On Thursday night, in a quarterfinal matchup against North Carolina, the Cavaliers’ offense was ice cold and the defense didn’t live up to its reputation in a 63-43 blowout loss that likely knocked UVA out of consideration for an NCAA bid.

It was a long night for Virginia fans Thursday, as they saw their beloved Cavaliers struggle mightily on the offensive end and North Carolina rolled to a 63-43 win in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Brooklyn, in a game that was never really close.

Tony Bennett was asked in his postgame interviews Wednesday night, what has changed with his team since Jan. 8.

“The Jerry Ratcliffe Show” welcomes Chris Graham for a discussion of Virginia’s 51-50 win over Louisville in the second round of the 2022 ACC Tournament, a look ahead to tonight’s game with #3 seed UNC, and a little UVA football at the end.

Virginia’s DNA is composed of smothering defense, a natural genetic trait with Tony Bennett’s roots linked to his father’s creation of the “Pack Line” defense. The Bennett’s are disciples of defense-first.

Virginia overcame a sloppy start and hung on late for a hard-fought, 51-50 win over a scrappy Louisville squad Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn.

When Virginia last faced Louisville five days ago, the Cardinals were a team that had lost its spirit according to interim head coach Mike Pegues. The No. 6 seed Cavaliers may face a reinspired Louisville team in tonight’s second round of the ACC Tournament.

It’s been 46 years, but Virginia Basketball fans still hold fond memories of the 1976 ACC Tournament. Tournament MVP Wally Walker joins “The Jerry Ratcliffe Show” to reminisce.

A crime was committed Monday by the panel that overlooked Virginia guard Reece Beekman for ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

After last Saturday’s loss to Florida State, Tony Bennett challenged sophomore guard Reece Beekman to be more consistent.

With the victory, the Cavaliers wrapped up the No. 6 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament and made it 13 wins in 15 meetings over Louisville since the Cardinals became a conference member.