Yes, Virginia: Canes win
UM, led by Guillermo Diaz's 26 points, surprised skeptics again, outscoring Virginia 51-34 in the second half for their second ACC victory in a row.
BY GEORGE RICHARDS
grichards@herald.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - With apologies to the Heat and Shaquille O'Neal, the unexpected accomplishments of the University of Miami's men's basketball team is quickly becoming one of South Florida's top success stories.

One that got better Wednesday night.

The Hurricanes, the overwhelming preseason pick to finish last in their inaugural ACC campaign, won their first conference road game by rallying in the second half to drop Virginia 91-80 in front of 8,079 at University Hall.

The ACC win was Miami's second straight after losing at Georgia Tech a week ago, a stark contrast to when the Canes joined the Big East in 1991-92.

That UM group needed 30 tries to win its first road conference game.

''I'm ecstatic,'' said first-year coach Frank Haith, whose team has won 10 of its past 11. ``The kids came in and played hard, and we're seeing a team mature and get better. They're not flinching, no matter the circumstances.

``I give all the credit to my kids. I'm so proud of them. They spend so much time working on their game, watching film. They believe in what they are doing, and it's starting to show.''

Miami (11-3, 2-1 ACC) started strong and began to dominate a frustrated Virginia team that is now 0-3 in league play for the first time since 1998-99. The Canes led by eight midway through the first half, but the Cavaliers (9-4, 0-3) reclaimed the lead with 6:05 left.

The Canes closed within three late in the half, but Adrian Joseph's three-point play with a minute left gave Virginia a six-point halftime lead.

''When we got up in the first half, I think the entire team relaxed a little bit,'' said UM point guard Anthony Harris, who scored 21 points. ``Virginia sensed that, came out motivated and was able to take the lead. Things started to go their way, but we had to pick it up.

``They brought it to us and had their home crowd behind them, but we fought back. They came after us, but we stepped up the intensity in the second half.''

Indeed. The Hurricanes struggled inside early, with center Elton Brown dominating with 18 points and seven rebounds in the opening 20. But after a stern lecture at halftime, UM power forward Will Frisby got into it early in the second half, scoring six consecutive points off offensive rebounds that gave the Canes the lead back with 16:14 left.

The teams traded the lead for a while, but reigning ACC Player of the Week Guillermo Diaz sparkled again Wednesday. With Miami up by two, Diaz drove through the lane and got the continuation foul. Now up five with 7:02 left, Diaz calmly dropped in a three-pointer for a 72-64 lead.

''I like this kind of team, an underdog who no one respects,'' said Diaz, who scored a game-high 26 points for the second straight game. ``We grew up as a team, and people don't expect big things from us, but we do. People think we're on the bottom and aren't real good, but we're showing them who we really are. We have to prepare every game and do a great job like we're doing now.''

Virginia looked at Wednesday's game as a must-win contest after struggling in its three games without leading scorer Devin Smith. That changed when Smith came off the bench with 17:43 left in the first half. He ended with 21 points in 28 minutes.

''That gave them a spark,'' Haith said.

Only it was not enough. The Cavaliers watched Diaz and Rob Hite -- celebrating his 21st birthday -- combined to go 18 of 18 from the free-throw line. Miami also shot almost 59 percent from the field in the second half as UM outscored the Cavs 51-34 in the final 20.

''This was a very disappointing loss,'' said embattled Virginia coach Pete Gillen, whose team now travels to play Duke and Maryland. ``Our defense in the second half was very bad. We scored a lot but needed to be more physical.

``Miami played well, give them credit. They were tougher than us and more physical, and that was the difference.''

Miami next plays Florida State at noon Saturday at the Convocation Center. The underdog Canes should be the Vegas favorite as they try to improve their ACC winning streak to three.

''I understand why we were picked last,'' Haith said. ``It's a long season and we have a long way to go. Yet we are making a lot of improvements and showed we can compete in this league.''

Familiar fade
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published January 13, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia was cruising along Wednesday night, its offense finally in high gear. Devin Smith and his gimpy ankle were back after a three-game absence. The ball was starting to fall again for struggling center Elton Brown. Heck, things were going so smoothly that Pete Gillen only burned one timeout.

Then came halftime. And then came the second half, which has been the Cavaliers' own version of the Twilight Zone lately.

Leading Miami by six at the break, Virginia slipped from drive to reverse in the second half and fell 91-80 before an antsy crowd of 8,079 in University Hall. After giving up 51 points on 59-percent shooting after halftime, the Cavaliers (9-4, 0-3) can now claim sole possession of last place in the ACC standings.

In the second halves of its three conference games, Virginia has been outscored 47-33 by Wake Forest, 48-31 by Georgia Tech and 51-34 by Miami. That's an average margin of minus-16 points after halftime in ACC play.

"We're up six at the half and then (Miami) comes out and score on eight of nine possessions in the second half," said Gillen, though it was actually seven of eight possessions. "That's very disappointing. We were very soft. We've got to be tougher than that."

Boosted by Smith's return less than three minutes into the game, Virginia erased an eight-point deficit by scoring at least two points on 14 of its final 20 possessions to take a 46-40 lead into the locker room. Brown, who had made 12 of 39 shots in his last three games, scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The Canes had no answer for him in the post.

The second half was a photo negative. Miami (11-3, 2-1) scored 14 points in 41/2 minutes on seven field goals from point-blank range. Four were drives to the basket; three were stick-backs by forward William Frisby. The lead traded hands five times before Guillermo Diaz went 2-of-2 from the foul line to put the Hurricanes ahead for good at 57-55 with 13:13 left.

Fifteen of Miami's 17 second-half field goals were either drives, layups or dunks.

"The bottom line is you've got to play defense," Brown said. "And our defense in the second half was, you know, terrible."

Or as Gillen put it: "Our defense really stunk in the second half."

Virginia's offense didn't smell much better. During another 41/2-minute stretch, the Cavs went 0-for-2 from the field and turned the ball over six times in seven possessions. After his best half in weeks, Brown was 1-of-5 from the floor in the second half.

The Cavs' guard play was awful - a combined 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting from starters Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds and backup point guard T.J. Bannister. Smith gave a gutsy effort with 21 points and six rebounds, but it wasn't nearly enough.

And now, with games looming at fifth-ranked Duke and Maryland, things couldn't be a lot worse. "It's a big hole," Gillen said. "You've got to win at home. Now, we've got to try to steal a road game somewhere."

Blackstock to go pro; Williams waits
BY NORM WOOD
247-4642
Published January 13, 2005

Former Heritage High standout Darryl Blackstock said Wednesday he is leaving the University of Virginia for the NFL.

While Blackstock chose to skip his senior season, former high-school rival Jimmy Williams said he is returning to Virginia Tech for his senior year.

Blackstock, a linebacker, said he hasn't hired an agent but hopes to do so soon. If he does, NCAA rules won't allow him to change his mind and return for his final season. Blackstock told the Daily Press he reached his decision after considering the future of his 17-month-old son, Savion.

"I wanted to take care of him," Blackstock said. "I also just didn't want to jump to any conclusions because of what I did (on the field this past season). I didn't want the hype to get to me. I took it real conservative and let the answers come to me."

Blackstock, 6-feet-4 and 240 pounds, had 11 sacks last season, most by any linebacker in the nation. He also had 45 tackles, leading U.Va. with 15 for losses. He finished his college career with 27 sacks, second-most in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He was second team All-ACC.

Blackstock said he used the NFL's draft advisory committee to help make his decision. The committee - comprised of NFL general managers, players and administrators - tells college underclassmen the round in which they will likely be selected in the NFL draft. Blackstock said he was told that he looks like a second-round pick. He hopes to improve that in workouts for NFL scouts. The draft is April 23 and 24 in New York.

"That's the easy part," Blackstock said of the workouts. "The running, the lifting, that's a natural for a football player. The hard part is performing at the NFL level once you get there. I'm always willing to learn. I'm always ready to learn new things."

Blackstock is the second Virginia player to leave school early. Tight end Heath Miller declared for the draft Monday.

Williams, a 6-3, 219-pound cornerback, said he decided to come back because he wants to lead Tech's defensive backfield next season. He will be the only defensive back with starting experience in Tech's secondary in 2005.

"I feel like this team needs me, and we can do special things next season," Williams said in a statement released by Tech. "I also want to be as prepared as I can for the next level, so I can take care of my family like I want to. It's not that I don't feel I could succeed at the next level now, but one more year of college ball is exactly what I need to prepare me for the NFL."

Williams, from Bethel High, was a first team All-ACC selection last season. He led the ACC with 19 passes defended and led Tech with five interceptions. He was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's top defensive back.

Neither Williams nor Tech coach Frank Beamer could be reached for comment.

League woes don't bode well for Gillen
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
January 13, 2005

For those critics who wanted to run Pete Gillen out of town last season, Virginia’s 0-3 start in ACC play this season is all the ammunition they needed to support their continued argument.
The embattled coach of the Cavaliers certainly hasn’t done much to win those detractors over since conference play began. Wednesday night’s 91-80 setback on Virginia’s home court to upstart Miami didn’t do much to convince fans that things are going to get any better.
Just what has happened to this basketball team?
The Cavaliers got off to a 6-0 boltaway, knocking off then-10th-ranked Arizona and raced to an 8-1 record against a decent nonconference schedule. Then the bottom fell out ... again.

Cellar dwellers
Virginia wakes up this morning dead last in the ACC at 0-3. The Cavs have lost three of their last four games, including their first two ACC home games of the season.
The old coaches will tell you that at all costs you must hold serve on your home court in ACC basketball. Virginia is just trying to avoid getting blown off its home court.
Second halves offer up some particularly disturbing numbers. In all three ACC games thus far, the Wahoos have played inspiring basketball in the first half, only to get drilled in the second.
Wake Forest outscored UVa 47-33 in the second half, Georgia Tech won the second half 48-31, and newcomer Miami took on its namesake as the Hurricanes blew the Cavs away 51-34.
We’ll save you the math. That’s 146 to 98.
That’s the easiest path to 0-3 and a potentially dangerous tailspin that could spell disaster if something isn’t corrected in a hurry.
Virginia has dug itself into an 0-3 hole in league play for the first time since Gillen’s first year here, when he only had a handful of scholarship players. Remember, that’s when Raleigh Harbour, the part-time basketball player, part-time bartender saw a little action for the Cavs.

Put away the shovel
A wise man once offered up a good piece advice about digging holes. He said that once you’ve dug yourself into a hole, then “Stop digging.”
“It’s a big hole,” Gillen said last night. “We’ve got to steal some road games. We’ve got to look in the mirror.”
Well, the first can’t be done until the second means something. Granted the Wahoos are a little beaten up. Jason Clark’s strained Achilles limited him to 10 minutes of court time in the loss and Devin Smith, who appears to be better on one leg than most guys are on two, still dropped in
21 points on a gimp ankle.
Still, something has to change for the Cavaliers to whip this thing around.
When you’re 0-3 and headed to Duke, then to Maryland, before you return to the friendly confines, there’s no mercy out there in the ACC. Oh-and-Three, could become Oh-and-Five in a heartbeat.
Wednesday’s loss to Miami really burned some folks who support the Wahoos. It’s tough
enough for them to watch Virginia, a major state university, take a back seat to program, say, like Wake Forest.
But when Miami, a basketball program with no tradition, in the league for the first go-around, comes into your house and plays “Who’s Your Daddy?” it gets a little embarrassing.
The Hurricanes were picked last in the league after they lost three starters, had their small forward transfer and their top recruit didn’t even show up in Coral Gables. That’s essentially starting the program all over with a new coach in a new league.
How embarrassing for the Hurricanes, granted an impressive team that is better than anyone had expected, to come into University Hall and humiliate the Cavaliers before a sold out crowd.
Miami shot 58.6 percent the second half (17 of 29). You can’t beat anybody if you allow them to shoot 58.6.
“Our defense stunk the second half,” Gillen said. “We didn’t defend. We played soft. Miami just drove the ball against both man and zone and we just couldn’t stop them. That’s disappointing. We have to be tougher than that.”
Elton Brown, who had
18 points and seven rebounds in the first half, was 1 for 5 on shots and collected only three boards in the second, said Virginia’s problems stems from a lack of intensity and poor transition defense.
Everyone knew coming into the season that rebounding could be a sore spot. The Cavs were killing Miami inside the first half, outscoring the ‘Canes 18-7 on second-chance points. Miami, which managed only a dozen points in the paint in the first half, finished with 42.
“People are going to doubt us,” Brown said after the loss. “They’re going to say, ‘Virginia’s terrible.’ But we’re a good team.”
Virginia was a good team for the first nine games of the season. Right now, they’re only good enough to be resting on the bottom of the ACC standings.
That’s an embarrassment to this basketball program and all it has meant over the past several decades. But if something doesn’t change quickly, the Cavs may find it difficult to get themselves out of this hole.

Cavs' ACC hole deepens
UVa falls to 0-3 in league with home loss to Hurricanes
Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
January 13, 2005

The return of Devin Smith couldn’t save the Cavaliers from falling to 0-3 in the ACC and now one wonders what exactly can save their season.

League newcomer Miami enjoyed its first trip to Charlottesville since 1966 with a 91-80 victory Wednesday night at University Hall.

The speedy Hurricanes (11-3, 2-1 ACC) won for the 10th time in their last 11 games as they sent Virginia

(9-4, 0-3 ACC) to its third loss in four games and to the first 0-3 ACC start since Virginia coach Pete Gillen’s initial season in 1998-99.

“This is very disappointing. We are definitely better than that but we didn’t play that way tonight,” said Gillen, whose team has lost its three ACC games by an average of 17.2 points a contest.

Guillermo Diaz paced Miami with 26 points while Anthony Harris added 21 and Greg Hite netted 15.

Smith, playing his first game since spraining his right ankle Dec. 23 against Loyola Marymount, led Virginia with 21 points. Elton Brown had 20 points and

10 rebounds but 18 of those points came in the first half as he had just two points and three rebounds after that. Gary Forbes had 13 and Adrian Joseph finished with 11.

The Hurricanes were picked last in the ACC in the preseason but followed Sunday’s win against N.C. State with this win in Charlottesville and at the moment seem more in line for a NCAA bid than the ACC cellar.

“I’m proud of our kids. I thought they played with a lot of passion and made a lot of plays,” said first year coach Frank Haith, who was an assistant at Wake Forest and Texas before accepting the Miami job last spring. “I’m very pleased with where we are. Coming on the road and winning at a place that, during my years at Wake, was quite a tough place to play makes me really proud of our kids.”

The ACC cellar is Virginia’s current locale and with road games against Duke and Maryland looming, the Cavaliers are close to digging a hole that will be impossible to recover from.

“We have to keep playing and regardless of what people say, we are a good team. We have 14 games left and I’d rather lose now than at the end of the season,” said Brown, trying to put any kind of spin on the performance that he could.

Again, Virginia’s woes came at the very dawn of the second half.

The Hurricanes quickly erased a six-point halftime deficit with a 19-9 run to open the second half, marking the third time in the last four games that the Cavaliers opened the final 20 minutes in poor fashion. Previously, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech broke open relatively close games at the half with decisive spurts to begin the second half.

In each of those instances, Virginia trailed by six at halftime. This time, the Cavaliers led by six but that was only deviation from the same painful script for UVa fans.

“I honestly can’t figure that one out myself. Tonight we had the lead at the half but they knocked us down again to start the second half. We can’t allow that to happen again in ACC games,” said Virginia forward Jason Clark, who had no points and three rebounds in 10 minutes after re-injuring a strained left Achilles’ tendon.

Particularly perplexing was that Virginia had all the momentum after using a

14-2 run to grab the 46-40 halftime advantage.

“We came out flat in the second [half] and that can’t happen. We definitely went into the half with energy. We had a lot of confidence but didn’t follow through.”

After that initial 19-6 run to open the second half, the Hurricanes gained a 59-55 advantage with 12:35 remaining in the game and never relinquished the lead.

Clark made the analogy that it had a knockout-like effect on the Cavaliers. That was hard to argue.

The Hurricanes eventually pushed the lead into double digits as the Cavaliers simply couldn’t combat the quickness of Diaz, Harris and Hite.

“Their three guards are very quick and terrific players and we just couldn’t stop them,” Gillen said.

Virginia led 46-40 at intermission after a fairly frenetic opening 20 minutes. The Cavaliers used a 14-2 run to rally from two eight-point deficits in the first 10 minutes.

The crowd reaction after that run was only matched by the ovation Smith received when he entered the game and essentially whenever he touched the ball.

Smith was inserted at the 17:43 mark at made his first basket - a driving layup - at 15:12. Smith later connected on two treys and had eight points at the break.

The loss pushed Smith’s return to an afterthought as Gillen mentioned it only near the end of his postgame chat with the media.

“Devin was tremendous tonight with 21 points. He hasn’t played nor practiced in almost three weeks,” Gillen said.

Cavaliers drop 3rd straight
After starting 9-1, Pete Gillen's team has yet to win an ACC meeting this season.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Not even Devin Smith could right Pete Gillen's sinking ship Wednesday night.

In what many were calling a watershed game in Gillen's seven-year coaching tenure, Virginia lost 91-80 at home to a Miami team that was picked 11th in an 11-team ACC before the season. It was the third loss in as many ACC games for the Cavaliers, who visit Duke and Maryland next. Virginia is 0-3 in league play for the first time since it was 0-5 in 1998-99, Gillen's first season.

"It's a big hole," Gillen said. "You've got to win at home."

Smith scored a team-high 21 points in his first game since suffering a sprained ankle Dec.23 and the Cavaliers got 20 points and 10 rebounds from fellow senior Elton Brown, although Brown had just two points and three rebounds in the second half.

A late surge enabled the Cavaliers to take a 46-40 halftime lead, but they let the Hurricanes seize the momentum in the opening minutes of the second half. Brown was particularly generous, missing two shots, traveling on a drive to the basket and for the second time combining with a teammate to fumble a rebound out of bounds.

Virginia (9-4, 0-3) knew that Miami (11-3, 2-1) would rely heavily on its guard trio of Guillermo Diaz, Anthony Harris and Robert Hite, and the Cavaliers proved powerless to stop them. Mostly, they put Miami on the free-throw line, where Diaz and Hite were a combined 18-for-18.

"We've been talking to these guys a lot about getting to the line and not settling for jump shots," Miami coach Frank Haith said.

Diaz finished with a game-high 26 points, Harris had 21 and Hite finished with 15 on a night when UVa got negligible production from its backcourt. Sophomore J.R. Reynolds, who averaged more that 19 points in his previous three games, got in early foul trouble and finished with two points.

Reynolds, who eventually fouled out with 1:38 left, missed his only three shots from the field and was scoreless until he converted two free throws when Miami's Eric Wilkins got a technical foul for grabbing the rim on a dunk.

Reynolds' free throws were the only UVa points during a stretch of five second-half possessions in which they turned the ball over without taking a shot. Four days after committing a season-low eight turnovers at Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers had 19 turnovers - one under their season high - against the Hurricanes.

Miami turned many of those turnovers into fast-break opportunities and shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half.

"No resistance," Gillen said. "Our defense really stunk in the second half."

Nevertheless, UVa was able to cut a five-point deficit to 66-64 on a stickback by Donte Minter with 8:48 left, and the Cavaliers had two shots either to tie or go ahead, but Gary Forbes missed a short jumper on the first series and Sean Singletary was unable to knock down a 3-pointer on the second.

In its last five games, Virginia's only victories have been in overtime against visiting non-conference opponents Loyola Marymount and Western Kentucky. Miami, on the other hand, has won 10 of 11 after back-to-back November losses to South Carolina State and Xavier.

U-Hall used to be a cure-all for the Cavaliers earlier in Gillen’s tenure, but now after dropping the first two ACC home contests since 1998-99, the Cavaliers go to a place that has always been unkind to them: The ACC road.

“You have to win at home. We have dug ourselves a big hole and will have to steal some road games,” Gillen said.

Hurricanes leave U.Va. floating in ACC cellar
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 13, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The return of Devin Smith wasn’t enough.

The prospect of falling to 0-3 in the ACC, with games at Duke and Maryland looming, wasn’t enough.

A six-point half-time lead wasn’t enough.

Faced with a game they had to have, against a team picked to finish last in the ACC, the Virginia Cavaliers turned in their most disappointing performance of the season Wednesday night, falling to Miami 91-80 at University Hall.

Flat-footed on defense and laboring on offense, Virginia gave up 51 second-half points to drop to 9-4 overall, 0-3 in the ACC. The Cavaliers play at No. 5 Duke Sunday.

“You have to win at home,” coach Pete Gillen said. “We have dug ourselves a big hole and we’ll have to steal some road games now.”

To do so, the Cavaliers will have to defend better than they did Wednesday night, when the quicker Hurricanes repeatedly beat them off the dribble in the second half. Miami’s three starting guards combined for 62 points, 34 in the second half. Virginia’s top three guards combined for 10.

Virginia center Elton Brown scored 18 first-half points, but managed just two in the second half.

Smith, who had missed the previous three games with a sprained ankle, led the team with 21 points in 28 minutes.

The Cavaliers didn’t have a fast-break basket all night.

Miami, meanwhile, got to the rim repeatedly, with guards Guillermo Diaz (26 points) and Anthony Harris (21 points) knifing through a soft Virginia defense.

“There was no resistance,” Gillen said. “Our defense really stunk in the second half.”

Virginia’s offense went south, too, as the Cavaliers shot just 38.7 percent in the second half against Miami’s 2-3 zone. Guard J.R. Reynolds, plagued by foul trouble, didn’t have a field goal. Backup point guard T.J. Bannister also went scoreless.

Still, with Brown operating effectively inside, Virginia took a 46-40 lead into halftime. It quickly melted, as Miami forward William Frisby scored eight quick points to open the second half.

From there, Miami’s guards took over.

Virginia has now dropped three conference games by an average of nearly 18 points. In each game, the Cavaliers played well for a half, only to collapse in the final 20 minutes.

“I honestly can’t figure that out,” forward Jason Clark said. “We knocked (Miami) down, but we couldn’t keep them down.”

Brown said it’s too early to panic, and that the team can rebound from an 0-3 conference start.

“I’d rather lose now, if you’re going to lose, than in the middle of ACC play,” he said.

Miami (11-3, 2-1) picked up its first-ever road win in the ACC, on just its second try. After being picked last in the conference, the Hurricanes are the early surprise of the ACC season.

“I thought we were picked fairly,” coach Frank Haith said. “But it’s a long season and we have a long way to go.”

If Miami’s shown anything, Haith said, it’s “that we can compete in this league.”

Right now, that’s more than can be said for Virginia.

'Canes add to Cavaliers' woes
U.Va. falls to 0-3 in the ACC after Miami surges in second half
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 13, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - After the final horn sounded, Devin Smith remained seated on the Virginia bench for a few moments before rising, disbelief and disgust showing on his face.

Not even Smith's return kept the slumping Cavaliers from falling further behind in the ACC race. The senior forward, playing for the first time since he sprained his right ankle Dec. 23, came off the bench to score 21 points and grab six rebounds in MIAMI 91 U.VA. 8028 minutes. But that wasn't nearly enough to stop ACC newcomer Miami last night.

The Hurricanes, who were picked to finish last in the conference, ripped apart U.Va. after intermission and collected a 91-80 victory before 8,079 fans, most of whom had departed University Hall by game's end.

"There was no resistance," Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen said. "Our defense really stunk in the second half."

Virginia (0-3, 9-4) led 46-40 at the break and had reason to believe it would claim its first ACC victory. But Miami (2-1, 11-3) shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the second half to send U.Va. to its third loss in four games. The Hurricanes, former members of the Big East, took the lead for good with 13:13 remaining.

"They wanted it more than us," said Virginia forward Jason Clark, who played only 10 minutes after aggravating an Achilles' tendon injury.

And so U.Va. fell to 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 1998-99, Gillen's first season in Charlottesville. Not only have the Cavaliers failed to win in the ACC this season, they haven't come close. Their average margin of defeat in losses to Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Miami: 17.6 points. Virginia crumbled in the second half of each game.

"It's a big hole," Gillen said of his team's 0-3 start. "You've got to win at home. We've got to steal some road games now."

Next for Virginia is a Sunday night date with fifth-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Then comes a trip to College Park, Md.

"We need a win desperately," said Sean Singletary, U.Va.'s freshman point guard. "I know it's a long season, but we've got to get a win."

Miami starts three guards - Guillermo Diaz, Anthony Harris and Robert Hite - and they combined for 62 points, seven assists and five steals last night. Diaz led all scorers with 26, and Harris added 21. Between them, Diaz and Hite were 18 for 18 from the line.

"Those are three terrific guards," Gillen said. "We just couldn't stop them, and when we did stop them, we didn't get the rebound. It wasn't our offense. It was our defense."

Virginia's backcourt, meanwhile, had a game to forget. Sophomore shooting guard J.R. Reynolds, who came in as the team's third-leading scorer, picked up his third foul barely six minutes into the game and watched the rest of the half from the bench. He finished with two points.

Singletary made a modest contribution (eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes). His backup, sophomore T.J. Bannister, had five fouls, three assists and no points in 12 minutes.

Senior center Elton Brown played brilliantly in the first half, totaling 18 points and seven rebounds. After the break, though, Brown had only two points and three boards. He was 1 for 5 from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Brown also had five of Virginia's 19 turnovers.

"He got frustrated," Gillen said. "Sometimes he does that. He's so emotional."

Smith entered at the 17:43 mark of the first half after Clark, the Cavaliers' most rugged frontcourt player, re-injured his left heel. Clark, who said he'll have an MRI today, returned but had little impact.

"It's a physical league, a physical game, and our two most physical players are not 100 percent," Gillen said, referring to Clark and Smith.

Freshman forward Adrian Joseph had 11 points and a career-best seven rebounds. Sophomore swingman Gary Forbes came off the bench to score 13 points for U.Va.