Cavaliers Now

Top Plays of the Virginia Basketball Season So Far

Highlights from the first eight games of the 2022-2023 UVA men's basketball season

Matt Newton

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
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The Virginia men's basketball team (8-0, 1-0 ACC) is off to its best start in a few years and the Cavaliers are ranked No. 2 in the AP poll for the first time since the end of the 2018-2019 season. Naturally, the Hoos have had more than their fair share of highlights through the first month of the season. 

Here's our pick of the top plays of the 2022-2023 Virginia men's basketball season so far (in no particular order):

Ryan Dunn has a strong argument for the play of the year so far, as he threw down this thunderous dunk in transition against JMU that ended up earning the top spot on SportsCenter's Top Ten:

In the same game, Kihei Clark knifed to the basket and finished off the glass plus a foul to put UVA up by eight with four minutes to go:

Jayden Gardner helped seal the win over Florida State in the ACC opener with this rejection that looked more like a volleyball spike:

Kihei Clark left it all on the floor on this play against FSU, laying out to save possession and then breaking his defender's ankles and kicking out to Ben Vander Plas for a three-pointer:

Trailing by one point at Michigan, Jayden Gardner hit this clutch jumper from the right elbow to put the Cavaliers ahead for good:

Reece Beekman has unlocked a new level of aggressiveness on the offensive end this season and he showed it in Ann Arbor, driving down the lane for a two-hand slam dunk:

Beekman was named the MVP of the Continental Tire Main Event tournament in Las Vegas and he earned the honor with plays like this, stealing the ball on one end and finishing through contact on the other for a big-time momentum play late in the game against Illinois:

Kadin Shedrick has displayed some impressive quick hands this season, swiping the ball away from opposing ball-handlers while hedging ball screens. He did just that against Baylor and finished with a dunk on the other end:

In another instance of a Virginia steal-and-score, Armaan Franklin poked the ball away and then used a smooth spin move to get to the basket for a transition layup against Baylor:

Franklin showed off his hops on a rare dunk against Monmouth, climbing the ladder to finish the alley-oop off the feed from Beekman:

The fan-favorite Chase Coleman made the most of his opportunity late in the game against Monmouth, driving baseline and kicking out to Isaac McKneely for a three-pointer that barely touched the net:

The Hoos will certainly have more highlights throughout the rest of the season and UVA fans are hopeful to see that happen on Saturday against Houston. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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