Would Bernie have performed better had he actually competed in the South?

[Mehmentum]

Virginia was never winnable for Sanders.  He would've had to win the D.C. suburbs, which is implausible to say the least. 

What really killed Sanders in the South wasn't just his losses with Blacks, it was the fact that he lost whites as well.  In 2008, Clinton lost blacks by just as much against Obama, but she didn't get blown out of the water in the way that Sanders did because of her massive wins with Southern Whites (and Hispanics, where the existed).

Take a look at Texas:
Whites: Clinton +16
Blacks: Clinton +68
Hispanics: Clinton +42

A complete blowout with every demographic.

We can only speculate why Sanders did so terribly with southern whites, though a big clue is that he won whites in North Carolina.  I wonder why?  I have to imagine that if Sanders had actually invested in these states, he could have done at least somewhat better.