NCAA tournament preview: Virginia vs. Belmont

No. 2 Virginia (29-3) vs. No. 15 Belmont (22-10)

Time, TV: 3:10 p.m., truTV

Where: Charlotte

Why Virginia will win: The Cavaliers (No. 2 in the East) rolled to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season crown with lock-down defense. They rank first nationally in scoring defense at 50.8 points per game, the third-lowest average since the shot-clock era began in 1986. Forward Darion Atkins, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, leads the way. All-ACC guard Malcolm Brogdon captains the offense, averaging 13.9 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Why Belmont will win: The Bruins upset then-No. 24 Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game. Sophomore Taylor Barnette played the hero, knocking down a three-pointer in the waning seconds. Barnette, who began his college career at Virginia, was named OVC tourney MVP. To spark the upset Belmont will need huge contributions from Craig Bradshaw (18.1 points, 3.2 assists) and Evan Bradds (14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds).

History lesson: This will be the teams' second meeting, the Cavaliers winning 94-74 on Dec. 28, 1999. The Bruins are 1-7 against current members of the ACC. The victory came at No. 11 North Carolina last season.