Cavs keep upper hand on Heels
Todd Billet makes five 3-pointers in the first half and scores 24 as UVa wins its fourth straight over UNC.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Nobody who watched North Carolina on Saturday could think that Virginia will dominate the Tar Heels indefinitely.
Given the history of the series, the Cavaliers will take pride in their four-game winning streak over Carolina after holding off the Tar Heels 79-72 at University Hall. The streak is UVa's longest over Carolina in 84 years.

"That's the first I'd heard about that," said UVa senior Travis Watson, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds. "That's pretty impressive. I'm glad to be a part of it."

Virginia (10-3, 1-1 ACC) was coming off a loss in its ACC opener Sunday at North Carolina State and, with three straight road games upcoming, was in a virtual must-win situation Saturday against the Tar Heels (9-5, 1-1).

"Oh, definitely," UVa guard Todd Billet said. "Any time you're looking at the situation we've got in front of us, you need to win your home games. It was a case of, 'We've got to take care of business right now.'"

Billet accepted the challenge personally, hitting five 3-point field goals in the first half, the last one with nine seconds remaining to give Virginia a 48-28 lead.

Billet, who shot better than 40 percent on 3-pointers in two seasons at Rutgers, had gone 4-for-20 from behind the arc in four games before Saturday.

"We talked to him," UVa coach Pete Gillen said, "but this was all on him. He did it all. I did nothing. He spent extra time the last five or six days in the gym, doing extra. To be a good player, you can't just punch the clock."

A 21-6 Cavaliers run late in the first half coincided with an appearance by Majestic Mapp, who twice had undergone reconstructive knee surgery and had not played in a game since March15, 2000.

Once the crowd realized Mapp had checked into the game during a timeout with 7:23 remaining, it rose and gave him a standing ovation.

"Getting out there was a monumental victory for him," Gillen said. "His coming back was probably more important than winning the game, as great as the victory was."

Mapp came out with 5:11 and did not return, but he moved easily and reported no pain after the game.

"It wasn't that emotional," said Mapp, who missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt. "My big thing is getting better and becoming one of the best players again."

Injuries were a subplot. UVa freshman starting forward Derrick Byars injured his left shoulder less than a minute into the game. Byars returned and played a total of eight minutes but did not score.

Seldom-used UVa post man Jason Rogers was in street clothes after injuring a knee in practice. Another inside player, Nick Vander Laan, did not play for what Gillen termed a "coach's decision," although Vander Laan had an ice pack on his neck less than an hour before the game.

More critical for the Tar Heels was the absence of 6-8, 272-pound freshman center Sean May, out for an estimated 8-10 weeks after undergoing surgery Dec.27 for a broken foot.

"It may seem crazy to say it, but I'm as excited about my group as I've been," said UNC coach Matt Doherty, whose team cut the deficit to 75-69 and had possession of the ball after a UVa turnover with 2:03 left. "As young as this team is, [that's] encouraging."

The Tar Heels, who had scored on 10 of 11 possessions at that point, got three shots - the last a 3-pointer by Rashad McCants - before Jason Clark grabbed the rebound. Carolina missed five straight shots and had a turnover as UVa pulled away to a 79-69 lead.

Billet had 24 points to lead four Virginia players in double figures. Sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer had one of his best games, with 10 points, six assists and two turnovers in 33 minutes.

"He played against Raymond Felton, who is a high-profile point guard, and he didn't back down," Gillen said. "He didn't get embarrassed or anything like that."

Felton had 11 points, five assists and five turnovers. Sophomore forward Jawad Williams, whose younger sister has signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Virginia, led the Tar Heels with 18 points.

The Cavaliers have won six of the last seven games in the series after losing six in a row against the Tar Heels from 1997-99. Virginia has an overall record of 46-114 against North Carolina.

"They're a big rival; they won the Preseason NIT," Gillen said. "I think we beat a tremendous team today."

 

U.Va. foils UNC
Cavs hold off Tar Heels' rally
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 12, 2003

U.VA. 79 UNC 72
INSIDE: Columnist Bob Lipper looks at the return of U.Va.'s Majestic Mapp; a preview of today's Duke-Wake Forest battle; ACC roundup. Page C9

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The University of Virginia couldn't have scripted a much more satisfying afternoon for its men's basketball team. To the delight of a sellout crowd at University Hall that included some 70 former Cavaliers, point guard Majestic Mapp played for the first time in nearly three years, and U.Va. extended its recent mastery of ACC rival North Carolina.

The Cavaliers, up 18 at the break, withstood an inspired second half by the Tar Heels and won 79-72 yesterday before 8,392 fans and an ESPN audience. For U.Va. (1-1, 10-3), which visits top-ranked Duke on Wednesday night and won't play at U-Hall again until Jan. 23, losing wasn't an option.

"It was really a must-win game," junior guard Todd Billet said. "You don't want to go down to Duke 0-2 in the conference."

Travis Watson, who took only eight shots last weekend in a loss at N.C. State, was an integral part of the Cavaliers' offense yesterday. The 6-8, 255-pound senior finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds - his 45th double-double - and also had three assists, three blocked shots and a steal.

Billet did his part, too, and then some. As a Rutgers freshman in 1999-2000, he made eight 3-pointers and totaled 31 points in a win over Notre Dame, then coached by Matt Doherty. Now in his third season at UNC, his alma mater, Doherty watched Billet hit six treys yesterday and score a game-high 24 points.

"When Todd plays like that," U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said, "we're at another level."

In his previous seven games, Billet had missed 30 of 40 attempts from beyond the arc. But extra work in the gym paid off against the Tar Heels (1-1, 9-5), who started three freshmen and two sophomores.

Doherty called Billet a tough kid who's "just what this team needed: a guy who can shoot but also be the secondary point guard."

Mapp's return may allow Billet to stick to shooting guard. A McDonald's All-American as a high school senior, Mapp has had four operations- two major - on his right knee since playing 25 minutes as a freshman March 15, 2000, in a first-round NIT loss to Georgetown. Not until Friday night did, Mapp said, did he learn he'd play against UNC.

With 7:23 left in the first half, the 6-2 Mapp entered to a standing ovation. He missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt, but drew a UNC foul on a drive and didn't appear to favor his leg before leaving for good with 5:11 remaining in the half.

"We were thrilled to have him back on the court," Gillen said. "I think him just getting out on the court was a monumental victory for him. That was probably more important than the game, to be very honest with you."

For the first time in nearly 83 years, Virginia has won four straight over UNC. At halftime, when Billet had 17 points and the Cavaliers led 48-30, a blowout seemed imminent. But the Heels abandoned the zone defense U.Va. had torched in the first half and battled back into contention.

"They came out re-energized, and then we had to fight for our lives," Gillen said.

Freshman wing Rashad McCants, who took only four shots before intermission, opened the second half by making a jumper and then buried a 3-pointer. Virginia point guard Keith Jenifer answered with a trey, but UNC ran off nine straight points to pull to 51-44.

The Cavaliers built their lead back to 15 with 10 minutes left, only to see the Tar Heels rally again. Starting with a McCants dunk at the 9:22 mark, UNC scored on 10 of 11 possessions, and when 6-8 sophomore Jawad Williams made two free throws, it was a six-point game with 2:35 left.

Carolina didn't score again, though, until Williams' 3-pointer made it 79-72 with 5.8 seconds left. Williams led the Heels with 18 points. McCants had 16, and freshman point guard Raymond Felton added 11.

Jenifer gave no quarter against Felton, the nation's most heralded prep point guard last season. The 6-3 sophomore from Baltimore hit 4 of 7 shots from the floor, scored 10 points, passed for six assists, made two steals and committed only two turnovers. Felton missed 6 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. He had six rebounds and five assists but turned over the ball five times.

Virginia forward Derrick Byars, a 6-7 freshman, injured his left shoulder about a minute into the game. Byars later returned but was scoreless in eight minutes.

The injury "affected him," Gillen said. "He wasn't the same."
 

Maryland, N.C. State, Virginia
Poised To Dismantle
ACC Power Structure?

By The ACC Insider, ACC Sports Journal
January 6, 2003

GREENSBORO — Have we seen a changing of the guard in ACC football? It certainly appears that way.

Ever since Florida State became eligible in 1992, the Seminoles have dominated the conference as no team in history ever has done. In their first nine years in the ACC, they went 70-2 against league opposition. The two losses were at Virginia in 1995, when the Cavaliers made a goal-line stand on the game’s final play, and at N.C. State in 1998, when rookie QB Chris Weinke played as ineffectively as he has in the NFL.

On each occasion, FSU wound up in a tie for the conference title — with UVa in 1995, with Georgia Tech three years later — but there was no question about the best team. FSU never lost more than two games in a season, including the bowls, and won two national championships. The Seminoles became regulars in the title game, even though they also played Miami and Florida every year.

In an era of relative parity, FSU dominated. From 1987-2000, Bobby Bowden’s team was ranked in the top four in the nation every time. To be accurate, FSU finished fifth in the coaches’ poll in 1995 and fifth in the Associated Press rankings in 2000. Still, what FSU did was beyond amazing. From 1992-2000, Bowden’s team was 99-11-1, a mark that may stand forever. The “worst” year was 1995, when FSU finished 10-2, although it won the Orange Bowl over Notre Dame.

Last year came the first major stumble. The Seminoles lost the ACC title to Maryland, although they thrashed the Terps 52-21. They were stunned in Chapel Hill by then-winless North Carolina, 40-9, and also were beaten at home by N.C. State, 34-28, in their first ACC loss at Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU also was beaten, badly, by Miami and Florida. Despite handling Virginia Tech easily in the Gator Bowl, the Seminoles finished 8-4, the first time they had won so few games since 1985. They wound up 15th in both polls, their lowest ranking since 1986.

But that relatively poor season was viewed by most as an aberration. FSU had been too young. It started a redshirt freshman quarterback in Chris Rix, a first for Bowden, who always had a capable veteran backup in the wings awaiting a chance. At the annual summer meeting, in 2002 at Pinehurst, Rix and defensive end Alonzo Jackson had the swagger back. Jackson reminded everyone within earshot that FSU players were mindful of what had occurred the previous year and that payback would be a normal consideration.

It never happened. When Florida State was outclassed in the Sugar Bowl by Georgia, 26-13, the Seminoles had lost for the fifth time. They obviously were in the game only because of the BCS rules that provided for the ACC champion to get a bid. The last time Bowden lost five games was 1981. FSU gave every indication of a program in disarray, although this time the Seminoles had more senior starters then any ACC team except Wake Forest.

Quarterback was a mess. Adrian McPherson, who replaced Rix in midseason, was booted off the team after a check-stealing caper. Rix, who some say was demoted because so many players campaigned for McPherson, missed two final exams because he overslept and was suspended. Then came 22-year-old sophomore Fabian Walker, who, charitably, has had a checkered career. He was overmatched. FSU’s best QB in New Orleans was receiver Anquan Boldin, who threw one TD pass, caught another and should have thrown a second on a perfect heave that was dropped after going nearly 60 yards in the air.

FSU never has overcome the losses of assistants Chuck Amato (N.C. State) and Mark Richt (Georgia). Ironically, each coached his team to a record number of wins this season, while humbling the Seminoles along the way.

For the first time, there was heavy grumbling about the 73-year-old Bowden. His staff, including son Jeff, wasn’t nearly as strong or cohesive as in the past. Even the trademark defense, coached by Mickey Andrews, had all sorts of problems. While FSU’s recruiting appears to have remained strong, the Seminoles lacked the dominant players that made their program the envy of Division I-A.

Nobody knows how long Bowden will coach. He still trails Joe Paterno in victories, and his health remains good. But clearly the program has fallen on relatively tough days, and the bigger question now is no longer how long will Bobby stick around, but who will replace him?

In this atmosphere, no fewer than three ACC programs stepped forward. Each is coached by an alum in his mid-50s. Virginia, Maryland and N.C. State all had an excellent season, then played spectacularly in a bowl game. Underdog UVa trounced West Virginia for second-year coach Al Groh. Maryland, led by second-year coach Ralph Friedgen, mauled Tennessee in the Peach Bowl. State soundly whipped Notre Dame in the Gator for third-year coach Amato.

All three schools appear able to challenge FSU — and anybody else — for the ACC title in 2003.

Groh has proved to be a spectacular recruiter since returning to his alma mater after being a head coach in the NFL with the New York Jets. With a youthful and enthusiastic staff, UVa had a great recruiting year that lived up to the hype when 14 true freshmen saw significant playing time. The Cavaliers are having another banner recruiting campaign. They had very few seniors on the two-deep.

Groh has used his NFL connections to his program’s benefit, and the Cavaliers play in a state-of-the-art stadium. He still has to prove he can catch Virginia Tech in the in-state battle, but the difference has become minimal. While George Welsh was a record-setting coach at UVa, he let his recruiting slip badly in the last few seasons, giving the Hokies an opportunity to capitalize that they didn’t waste.

Friedgen is different from Groh and the flamboyant Amato. He inherited good players, including all-world linebacker E.J. Henderson, who is headed for the NFL. But primarily what the bulky coach did was hire the finest staff in the ACC and one of the best in the nation. A renowned coordinator himself while at Georgia Tech, the Fridge has shown an ability to find top-quality help. Charlie Taaffe and Gary Blackney — offense and defense — are as good as they get. Both are former head coaches, giving Maryland an unusual perspective. Offensively, Maryland is opportunistic, and doubtless Freidgen’s experience is a plus. On defense, the Terps have been solid as a unit and have improved as individuals.

Maryland hasn’t yet recruited as well as Virginia or State, but that doesn’t mean it can’t. And, in consecutive seasons, the Terps have done well offensively with unheralded players such as Shaun Hill and Scott McBrien at quarterback. The Terps have been the most-balanced offense in the league, if not the nation.

Amato has pushed the envelope hard at State. He has had the backing of chancellor Marye Anne Fox, whose stated goal is to win a national championship. He was able to start his head coaching career with a million-dollar staff, and the school has spent — and will spend — millions on facilities. After playing modest competition outside the ACC since his arrival from FSU, Amato steps up in class next year at Ohio State. Perhaps as much as anybody, he wears his ambition on his sleeve. He also has received unprecedented media support from the hometown newspaper, which doesn’t hurt.

The situation for Amato resembles that of Groh. Next season he will have a senior quarterback and a tailback who starred as a true freshman. In Raleigh, the names are most familiar: four-year starter Philip Rivers and 1,000-yard rusher T.A. McLendon.

There is not much to choose from among the three programs. Amato has the advantage of an extra year on the job, and he gets UVa and Maryland (both beat the Pack in 2002) in Raleigh next fall. But all three programs clearly are on the rise. Each should start next season nationally ranked, and one or more could be in the top 10.

For sure, the pressure will be on Florida State for the first time to continue as the ACC leader. There is even more on one of the sons, Tommy, at Clemson. The Tigers laid an egg in the Tangerine Bowl, when they were blitzed, out-played and out-coached by Texas Tech 55-15. What’s more, the school that has the reputation of traveling well in the postseason deeply disappointed officials in Orlando.

Another former NFL head coach, Georgia Tech’s Chan Gailey, will be under more pressure in his second year. The Jackets had injury problems all season, and also ineffective play at quarterback. For Gailey, the honeymoon is over, especially after Georgia crushed Tech 51-7 and then finished 13-1 for Richt.

Next to T. Bowden, the coach most under the gun in 2003 will be UNC’s John Bunting. Thanks to a last-second field goal, the Tar Heels avoided a winless ACC season, but the candid and still-popular Bunting will have to show significant improvement in his third year. State and Amato’s nearby presence simply magnify the situation. Carolina fans won’t settle for eighth place for long, but it will be difficult to move up.

Wake Forest showed in a convincing Seattle Bowl romp against Oregon that Jim Grobe simply is as good a coach as the school ever could expect to have. As long as Grobe remains in Winston-Salem, the Deacs will not be pushovers, although it is expecting too much of them to become true contenders.

That’s not the case right now at Maryland, N.C. State or Virginia. The ACC long has hoped that another team in the conference would evolve into a true long-term threat to FSU. As the 2002 season indicated, at least three programs have offered impressive applications for the job.

Billet propels Cavs
Guard regains shooting touch to beat Tar Heels
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published January 12, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A shooter knows two ways to handle a slump. Either he becomes timid, or he keeps firing.

Todd Billet chose the latter, and he was the primary reason Virginia was able to lead North Carolina wire-to-wire in a 79-72 victory Saturday afternoon in University Hall. The Cavaliers had a lopsided size advantage, but they won this one on the perimeter.

Billet, who was 4-of-20 from the 3-point arc in his last four games, scored 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting from downtown as Virginia (10-3, 1-1 ACC) defeated the Tar Heels for the fourth straight time. Travis Watson was a factor inside with 18 points and 12 rebounds - his 45th career double-double - but Billet's stroke was the difference.

"When Todd plays like that," Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen said, "we're on another level."

Billet, a transfer from Rutgers, has been your classic streak shooter this season. He was 6-of-14 from the floor in the opener, then 7-of-25 over the next three games. He went 8-of-16 at Michigan State, then 2-of-12 in his next two outings. He hit 8-of-17 in a victory at Rutgers, then 7-of-26 in his next four games.

"I had been shooting a lot of extra shots lately, doing some extra work," Billet said. "I did something every day, whether it was showing up early and shooting a couple hundred shots or staying late."

Maybe North Carolina coach Matt Doherty brings out the best in him. Three seasons ago, Billet torched Doherty's Notre Dame team for 31 points while playing for Rutgers.

In a game it had to have, Virginia played its best half of the season in building a 48-30 lead at the break. Virginia led 7-0 by the time UNC (9-5, 1-1) got off its first shot. Devin Smith's 3-pointer in transition gave the Cavs a 10-point lead with 14:36 left.

Carolina clawed back to trail 29-26 on a Jawad Williams follow, but Virginia outscored UNC 19-4 over the final 4:55 of the first half. Smaller inside, Doherty had the Heels come out in a zone. It worked against the Cavaliers last week for N.C. State, but not for Doherty. Billet had 17 at the break on 6-of-9 shooting; Watson and Brown were a combined 9-of-12 in the half.

"They didn't shoot well against N.C. State, but they shot well today," Doherty said. "You make a decision. We thought our zone was pretty good at Miami, but Billet hit shots and they got some offensive rebounds against it."

Carolina cut 11 points off Virginia's halftime lead in 31/2 minutes. But the Tar Heels never got closer than six points.

"We just needed a win," Billet said. "We were 0-1 and had a home game, and then we go to Duke (Wednesday night). You don't want to go into your third league game, especially at Duke, 0-2. It was a must-win situation."

Believe it or not, Gillen said the win wasn't the most important thing that happened in U-Hall Saturday. With 7:23 left in the first half, guard Majestic Mapp entered to the loudest ovation of the day. After severely injuring his right knee in August of 2000, Mapp underwent four surgeries. He hadn't played since March 15, 2000, a stretch of 70 games.

Mapp was in for only two minutes, and he missed the only shot he attempted. But his presence was large.

"It was a thrill to see him back on the court," Gillen said. "To get out on the court was a monumental victory for him. That was more important than the game, to be honest with you."
 

Tar Heels settle for moral victory in loss

1-12-03

News & Record

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- In the aftermath of an ACC road loss, North Carolina's basketball team managed to feel pretty good about itself Saturday afternoon.

After falling behind by 20 points near the end of the first half, the Tar Heels played well enough to give themselves a chance to win before Virginia was able to wrap up a sorely needed 79-72 victory.

"A loss is a loss, but this one made us realize we're gonna be OK," said Raymond Felton, the freshman point guard whose execution of North Carolina coach Matt Doherty's halftime adjustments in the offense was a factor in the rally.

Virginia (1-1 ACC, 10-3) appeared to need the victory more because its next league game will be on the road against front-running Duke. North Carolina (1-1, 9-5) will face Clemson at home Tuesday night.

When North Carolina cut its deficit to 75-69 inside the last three minutes, two Virginia turnovers enabled the Tar Heels to crash the offensive boards effectively enough to get five shots. But none found the mark, and the Cavaliers sealed the outcome from the free-throw line.

"It may seem crazy to say it, but I'm as excited about my group as I've been," Doherty said. "I'm not into moral victories. But to be down by that much and get back in the game is encouraging."

Although many Virginia students hadn't returned for the spring semester, a sellout crowd of 8,392 made University Hall almost as noisy as usual while long-range shooter Todd Billet and bulky post players Travis Watson and Elton Brown shredded North Carolina's zone defense in the first half. What turned out to be the game's decisive run was a 14-0 spurt in the last three minutes of the first half.

In an effort to minimize the Cavaliers' size and strength advantage inside, Doherty gambled Virginia wouldn't get hot from 3-point range. Billet quashed that strategy, making 5 of 7 3-pointers in the first half.

"Virginia struggled against East Tennessee State's zone (in a a closer-than-expected 84-76 win), and they didn't shoot well (in last week's ACC opener) against N.C. State," Doherty said. "So we made a choice to go zone. But Billet came out and shot well today. Maybe we should have gotten out of it earlier, but we adjusted at halftime."

Doherty also altered his offense, which shot 4-for-18 from 3-point range against Virginia's matchup zone in the first half and saw scoring leader Rashad McCants shoot 1-for-4 from the field.

In the second half, McCants and his teammates took advantage of more two-point opportunities by filtering inside the perimeter of the zone.

"When we took all those 3s in the first half, we let their big men discourage us from attacking the foul line area," Doherty said. "Once Rashad started flashing into the middle of the zone and we got more dribble penetration, we found the gaps in it."

The Tar Heels actually outrebounded the bigger Cavaliers 40-35. The primary source of Doherty's relatively upbeat reaction to the defeat was the play of 6-foot-11, 272-pound freshman center Damion Grant, whose progress had been restricted by tendinitis in both knees.

Grant played 10 minutes and recorded 3 blocked shots, two points and one rebound.

"Damion's knees have been feeling a little better this week, and we felt we needed him against Virginia, as big as they are," Doherty said.

Never a problem for Grant before, tendinitis has curtailed his availability for practice as well as games at North Carolina.

"My practice schedule has been modified to reduce the stress on my knees," Grant said. "I wasn't sure of myself at first today, but my timing came around."

Saturday's game also provided Virginia coach Pete Gillen with some favorable injury news. Junior point guard Majestic Mapp played just two minutes and didn't score, but his appearance alone represented a triumph for a player who had missed 70 consecutive games as a result of four major knee operations.

"Getting out there was a monumental victory for him," Gillen said of Mapp. "His coming back was probably more important than us winning the game, as great as it was. He's not nearly what the old Majestic was, but he's getting better. We'll take it day-by-day."

Heels run over on road
By NEIL AMATO : The Herald-Sun
namato@heraldsun.com
Jan 11, 2003 : 11:08 pm ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Travis Watson was getting the ball in scoring position inside. Todd Billet was firing away unfettered from the outside. North Carolina was forcing 3-pointers as the shot clock wound to zero.

Those first-half trends put UNC well on the way to a blowout loss at Virginia on Saturday. The Cavaliers eventually won 79-72, handing UNC its third defeat in the past five games, but they had to work harder than anyone at University Hall expected after bolting to a 20-point lead late in the first half.

That lead was 48-30 at halftime, and UNC seemed sunk. Top scorer Rashad McCants had barely touched the ball, and Rutgers transfer Billet had open chances to launch his from-the-hip outside shot.

But, 3½ minutes into the second half, UNC had whittled the lead to 51-44 on a dunk by Jackie Manuel, igniting its small group of fans and worrying the Virginia faithful.

Yes, Virginia, there was an end to the UNC scare. But it wasn’t until the final minute in front of 8,392 fans. Watson, a fixture in Charlottesville so long that Doherty joked he was 38 years old, finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. But his turnover with 2:03 left gave the Tar Heels their best chance to make a game out of a contest that appeared over in the first 20 minutes.

Watson plowed into McCants, and a charge was called. On the other end, UNC had four shots to cut into a 75-69 lead, but none of them fell.

The best chance — and last of the possession — came from McCants, who was open for a 3-pointer. It was straight but a tad long, and Virginia’s Jason Clark corraled the rebound. UNC didn’t get another point until the final six seconds.

McCants, the ACC’s third-leading scorer, said he thought his shot was going through the net.

"Most of my shots I think are down," McCants said.

That’s how Billet apparently feels, once he gets going. But before Saturday, Billet had made just 10 of his previous 40 3-point attempts. He finished 6-of-11 overall, 5-of-7 in the telltale first half.

"You can’t just punch the clock," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "You have to put in the extra time in the gym. Todd did that this week. I thought he was more aggressive today."

UNC (9-5, 1-1 ACC) was less than aggressive early on offense, taking 18 first-half 3-pointers. The Tar Heels employed a similar strategy against Davidson on Wednesday on the way to making 13 of 35 in a win over the Wildcats. Jawad Williams noted one key variance in Saturday’s strategy.

"The difference was, we didn’t make them," said Williams, who led UNC with 18 points, taking 19 shots. "We took the shots they wanted us to take, not the ones we wanted to take."

UNC got back into the game in the second half by positioning McCants differently. He got the ball around the free-throw line or on the baseline instead of on the wing. After going 1-of-4 in the first half, McCants finished 5-of-13 for 15 points.

On defense, the Tar Heels were boosted by the play of freshman center Damion Grant, who has acute tendinitis in both knees and had played in just five games this season. However, Grant blocked three shots and added a dunk in 10 minutes of spelling fellow freshman Byron Sanders.

"[Grant] didn’t practice much before the Davidson game, so I didn’t think it was wise to put him in that game," Doherty said. "I felt like we’d need him against Virginia, as big as they are, if he was healthy enough to go."

His time in the lineup helped the Tar Heels win the rebounding battle 40-35, but Virginia won the game, thanks mainly to its late first-half play.

With 6½ minutes left in the first half, it was 29-26 Cavaliers, an amazing score considering UNC fell into a 9-0 hole with three turnovers in the first 59 seconds and seven in the first seven minutes. The Tar Heels had two possessions to further slice into that margin but couldn’t take advantage. Manuel clanged two free throws, and Sanders missed a shot in the lane.

Virginia (10-3, 1-1) then erupted, using inside muscle and outside touch to outscore the Tar Heels 19-2 and put the game away — or so it seemed. Watson did his usual dirty work inside, recording his 45th career double-double — in the first half.

Billet, who burned Doherty-coached Notre Dame for 31 points three seasons ago, had 17 points in 18 first-half minutes, making 5 of 7 3-pointers. He finished with 24.

The Tar Heels’ inability to navigate the Virginia matchup zone was another reason for Virginia’s 18-point halftime lead.

"They were shooting a lot of threes at the end of the shot clock that were forced from way out," Virginia’s Keith Jenifer said.

UNC point guard Raymond Felton said of the zone: "That kind of messed with us a little bit."

It was only halftime, which was either good news or bad news for the Tar Heels. Yes, they had time to come back, but yes, they had to go back out there.

The Tar Heels didn’t fold, and that left Doherty positive despite a loss that evened his team’s ACC record.

"It may seem crazy to say it, but I’m as excited about my group as I’ve been," Doherty said. "To be down [20] against a good team and cut it to six with two minutes to play, as young as this team is, is encouraging."

The Tar Heels have little time to prepare for their next opponent, another supersized one in Clemson. Four days after that Tuesday night home game comes a home contest with No. 3 Connecticut.

The Tar Heels tried not to gloss over the final score Saturday, saying a loss was a loss no matter how it happened. But, like their coach, they tried to sound upbeat.

"We do take something from this," Felton said. "We did fight back. We had to a chance to win."

NOTES—UNC has lost four in a row in the series to Virginia and three in a row in University Hall. ... Virginia point guard Majestic Mapp played two first-half minutes, playing in a game for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Mapp has missed the previous two years with multiple knee injuries. ... UNC finished with 10 turnovers, committing just one turnover in one 26-minute span.

 

Billet Gets Cavs Back in Position
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, January 12, 2003; Page D11

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Jan. 11 -- After 1,032 days, 70 games and 4 surgeries on his right knee, Majestic Mapp returned to the court for Virginia this afternoon against North Carolina. He made only a cameo appearance in the first half and missed the only shot he took, but the Cavaliers didn't need much from him. They got enough from Todd Billet and Travis Watson to keep the Tar Heels at arm's length in a 79-72 win at University Hall.

After hitting only 7 of 26 shots in Virginia's past four games, Billet was 8 of 15 today -- his best percentage of the season -- and scored 24 points. He and senior power forward Travis Watson (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) led the Cavaliers (10-3, 1-1 ACC) to 57 percent shooting in the first half against UNC's zone defense.

The Tar Heels (9-5, 1-1) switched to man defense after falling behind 48-30 at halftime and whittled the margin to six with 21/2 minutes remaining. But the Cavaliers held strong defensively on Carolina's next three possessions and kept the lead safe with four free throws in the final 30 seconds.

"It was just a game we needed to win," said Billet, one of several Virginia players who struggled in last weekend's 75-63 loss at North Carolina State.

North Carolina got 18 points from sophomore Jawad Williams and 16 from freshman Rashad McCants but could not overcome 40 percent shooting, including 7 of 27 on three-point attempts.

"This may sound crazy, but I'm as excited about my group right now as I've been," Coach Matt Doherty said. "To be down 18 at U-Va. against a very talented ballclub [and] come back, cut it to six with a couple minutes to go with such a young group. . . . That was exciting for me."

The Cavaliers took control with a 19-2 run in the final five minutes of the first half and held on to ensure Mapp's return would not be bittersweet. They have won the past four meetings with UNC -- their longest win streak in the series since 1920 -- and six of the past seven.

Mapp, a 6-foot-2 point guard, entered the game at an officials' timeout with 7 minutes 23 seconds left in the first half and ran Virginia's offense for four possessions. His only statistical contribution was a missed three-point attempt from the wing, but he drove past UNC's Jackie Manuel and drew a foul, then drew a loud ovation from the crowd of 8,392 as he returned to the bench with 5:11 left.

"He didn't have a big impact or imprint on the game, but the fact that he had the courage to play was great," said Cavaliers Coach Pete Gillen, who recruited Mapp 41/2 years ago to be Virginia's cornerstone. "I thought that was more important than us beating a very fine Carolina team. All those thousands of hours of rehab and the pain and the doubt -- I was thrilled for him."

Mapp said today's return was only a starting point for the rest of his career.

"I didn't have big emotions about getting back on the court," the onetime McDonald's all-American said. "I feel like I haven't done anything yet.

"I'm the kind of person that wants to get back to being the best. It matters. Believe you me, it does matter. I'm not coming back to be a mediocre player. I'm coming back to eventually be the best again."

Cavaliers Notes: Virginia freshman Derrick Byars played only eight minutes after popping his left shoulder out of joint 59 seconds into the game. Gillen said he hopes Byars can play Wednesday night at No. 1 Duke. . . .

Junior center Nick Vander Laan was in uniform for the Cavaliers but did not warm up or play in the game because Gillen decided not to use him. . . .

Sophomore forward Jason Clark (two points, three rebounds, three blocks) played 22 minutes after missing the past 11/2 games because of a sprained ankle. . . .

Watson improved to 21st on Virginia's career scoring list and fourth in blocks. He is six behind Junior Burrough for second place in rebounds.
 

Heels say boo to Hoos, lose
UNC doesn't go quietly as it falls at Virginia
By BARRY SVRLUGA, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Matt Doherty sat down Saturday afternoon and exhaled. The North Carolina basketball team he coaches had just lost at Virginia, 79-72. He considered his words.

"This may sound crazy," Doherty said. "But I'm as excited about my group as I've been."

There it was, the odd feeling after this defeat. The particulars included 24 points from Virginia guard Todd Billet and a typical, muscle-bound double-double from forward Travis Watson, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds to energize the sellout crowd at University Hall.

Those things could have set up a miserable trip home for the Tar Heels. As UNC point guard Raymond Felton said, "A loss is a loss," and this one dropped Carolina to 9-5 overall, 1-1 in the ACC. It was the Heels' fifth setback in the nine games since a 5-0 start seemed to reinvigorate the program.

But Doherty's sentiments -- crazy or not -- stem from the flow of the game. Carolina, rocked early by Virginia's defense and a barrage of 3-pointers from Billet, trailed by 18 points at halftime.

Offensively, the Tar Heels looked passive and confused against the Cavaliers' zone. They jacked up 18 3-pointers in the first half, frequently without even glancing inside. Defensively, they tried to play zone themselves, and watched Billet bury five 3-pointers and score 17 points in the first 20 minutes alone.

"It wasn't so much I was picking apart their zone," said Billet, a transfer from Rutgers who had made just 10 of 40 3-pointers over the past seven games. "We were really pushing the ball. We got it in transition, and that got us open 3-point shots."

So Carolina adjusted on both ends of the floor. Trailing 48-30 at halftime, the Heels went right to leading scorer Rashad McCants, who had managed just four shots in the first half and had but four points.

But to begin the half, McCants hit a pull-up jumper. He then nailed a 3-pointer, forcing a Virginia timeout. The Heels, somehow, were charging, off on a 14-3 run that cut the lead to 51-44. During the spurt, Carolina took just one 3, instead getting the ball to the foul line, slashing and attacking, elements that were so absent in the first half.

"Coach Doherty kind of changed up our game plan a little bit," said McCants, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds. "We got it more in the middle, trying to attack the zone."

Defensively, the Heels all but scrapped their own zone, instead switching to man-to-man against the much bigger Cavaliers (10-3, 1-1 ACC).

"Maybe we should have changed sooner," Doherty said.

Virginia went on an 8-0 run to open up the lead again. But the Heels hung around. Four times in the second half, they trailed by just seven. With 2:35 remaining, Jawad Williams -- who led Carolina with 18 points and nine rebounds -- buried two free throws, and Virginia's lead was just 75-69.

"We had a chance," Williams said.

On the next possession, McCants, playing with three fouls, held his ground against the 255-pound Watson and took a charge. UNC, which had scored on 10 of 11 possessions, attacked the basket again. McCants got one shot inside. Williams rebounded, and his shot was altered. McCants tried a tip. The ball bounced outside to center Byron Sanders, who passed to guard Melvin Scott, who found McCants, open for a 3.

"I put my hands up," Scott said. "Absolutely. That one's good."

But it bounced off the back of the iron, and Carolina's best chance to make it a one-possession game clanged away with 1:25 remaining. Virginia hit four straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to put it out of reach.

"We had to fight for our life," UVa coach Pete Gillen said.

That's what encouraged Doherty, even in defeat. Carolina, so thin up front without center Sean May -- out with a broken bone in his left foot -- somehow outrebounded the Cavs, 40-35, including grabbing 22 offensive boards. After turning the ball over on their first four possessions, the Heels had just six the rest of the way.

"It's definitely encouraging because we could have hung our heads," McCants said. "But we didn't. We fought and fought and fought."