The Cavaliers, led by third year head coach Tony Bennett, played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

They lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC Basketball tournament to North Carolina State.

They received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Florida.

The team was led by senior forward Mike Scott, who finished the season as a First team All-ACC Selection and runner up for the Conference Player of the Year.

In December 2011, both Harrell and Johnson transferred from Virginia, to Auburn and San Diego State, respectively.