Tony Bennett’s miraculous 2019 title run remains an outlier, earned by a loaded squad which trailed in the final seconds of each of the final three rounds.

Virginia’s deliberate pace and small margin for error will always make it ripe for an upset.

Virginia was most famously upset by UMBC during March Madness in 2018.

It most recently happened against 13th-seeded Ohio in 2021.

The 27-win Paladins present similar problems with a high-scoring offense and a balanced attack, which can shoot over the top of a pack-line that can be exploited from outside.

If Furman gets hot with house money, Virginia will feel the pressure and struggle to counter.

We’ve seen it before.

In eight first-round contests under Bennett, the Cavaliers have covered just once.