Great Expectations
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
January 30, 2005

If you build it, will they pay?

If that is the whispered question around the University of Virginia and particularly its athletics department, the school’s officials believe the answer is an emphatic yes.

The $129.8 million John Paul Jones Arena, which will house UVa’s basketball programs and host concerts, graduation ceremonies and even the occasional circus, is slated to open in June 2006.

The construction of the 15,000-seat facility - which began in April 2003 – has been brisk, and its skeleton conspicuously dwarfs the antiquated University Hall across the street.

At a capacity of just more than 8,300, U-Hall is the second-smallest facility in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Plans for a replacement have been discussed, re-discussed, planned and re-planed, studied and studied again for more than 25 years, but now it is just 16 months from reality.

Virginia officials say it will be the best facility of its kind in the nation, and when one views the digitally enhanced views of the final product, it’s hard to argue. From its columns and pergola to its suites, video boards and practice courts, it seems no expense has been spared.

And no expense has been spared, and therein lies the overall idea that gets obscured by the columns and pergola, suites, video boards, practice courts and even the cranes and scaffolding.

Nearly all of the $129.8 million will be raised by private funds, making it the most ambitious athletics campaign of its kind in the nation. In an age when most schools seek municipal and corporate funds as routes to a new facility, Virginia’s approach is all but unheard of, especially for a project of this size.

“Never before has the university attempted to fund an athletics facility of this size, all privately financed,” said Dirk Katstra, executive director of Virginia Athletics Foundation and UVa’s associate athletics director for external operations. “Our goal is to have it all raised by the day it opens.”

If that happens, Virginia will have been successful on its ambitious plan and gamble. It’s a gamble that banks on the continued generosity of its donors - who have pledged more than $94 million so far - in the form of a premium seating package that UVa officials hope generates $27 million.

Earlier this month, Virginia mailed a DVD and brochure to 10,000 members of its donor base to highlight the arena and its seating plan. Outlined within those materials is that a minimum donation of $25,000 will be required to obtain “premium seats” in the arena’s lower bowl. That donation is payable over five years but the donor also will need to give $2,200 every year to the Virginia Athletics Foundation.

In addition, four of the arena’s 20 suites have not yet been leased. The cost of those range from $65,000 to $75,000 annually. Also, a gift of $500,000 or more gets a donor a courtside seat. Only eight of those 84 seats remain.

The numbers can be a little staggering, and that is not lost on Katstra and other UVa officials.

“We know that people, as they react to what we send out this week, some will react positively, and some won’t,” Katstra said when the new fund-raising campaign was unveiled recently.Prior to this new marketing plan, Virginia had received 258 gifts for the arena. That included the $35 million gift from Connecticut businessman and 1976 UVa graduate Paul Tudor Jones II. In May 2003, the university announced that Jones would name the arena; he chose to honor his father, John Paul Jones, a 1948 graduate of UVa’s School of Law. The second largest gift, of $20 million, came from an anonymous donor, while nine others have pledged gifts of $1 million or more.

When discussing the financial aspects of the facility, there is another major factor that enters the equation. While the arena will host concerts and other such engagements, the school’s basketball programs will be the primary tenants. Of the two, it is the men’s program that is the larger revenue generator and also the one causing the most concern.

On the day Virginia officials announced their ambitious plan, the men’s basketball team was 0-4 in the ACC. After Saturday’s 110-76 loss to North Carolina, the team is 1-7 in conference play.

In his seventh year at Virginia, head coach Pete Gillen has mixed success and failure. When he took over the program in 1998, Gillen was seen as a savior to restore UVa basketball after it had dipped in the final years of the tenure of former coach Jeff Jones.

For a while, Gillen did just that. His turnaround of the program hit its high in 2001 as Gillen guided the Cavaliers into the first round of the NCAA tournament and a 20-9 season. The excitement his teams created once again filled U-Hall and re-energized the fan base. In many ways, that early success in Gillen’s tenure was a catalyst for reviving discussion for a new facility as well as generating the initial gifts from both Paul Tudor Jones and the anonymous donor. It also earned Gillen a 10-year contract extension in 2001.

At that juncture, the arena seemed to be the last item Gillen needed to raise the Virginia program’s stature. Now, it appears very much like the noose that may hang him.

Since that 2001 season, Gillen’s teams have faltered and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament again. Peppered among the uneven on-court performances have been a handful of off-the-court issues with players, as well as constant turnover in personnel. Fourteen players have left the program with at least a year of eligibility remaining.

Gillen argues that the problems that have beset his program are similar to others at the Division I level.

Nevertheless, the result has been a downturn in interest and enthusiasm. The most visible result has been declining attendance at home games in the 8,300-seat U-Hall.

After two weeks of deliberation last April, UVa athletics director Craig Littlepage opted to bring Gillen back for this season. Several sources familiar with the discussions indicated that a handful of conditions were part of that decision, including the restructuring of Gillen’s contract.

With a less-than-stellar performance so far this season, Gillen’s status is topic A for UVa sports enthusiasts. Littlepage went so far as to indirectly address that during the recent announcement about the premium seating plan.

“For this project to reach a successful conclusion, we’re going to need for everything to be on target. We’re going to need for everybody to be on board,” Littlepage said. “We’re going to need the [men’s and women’s] teams’ performances to be on an upswing. We need for the enthusiasm to be growing among our fans and our student body. Everything needs to be moving in a positive direction.”

For many, that message could not have been clearer, but Littlepage reiterated it during a news conference following the announcement.

“I think it would not be a stretch to say we don’t feel as though we’ve quite gotten to the point that we want to be, and it’s part of my job to make sure that we are poised and on an upward movement in our program going into the new arena,” Littlepage said. “We will be there. I guarantee that. That’s part of my job, and we’re going to have the kind of facility and the kind of team in that facility that everybody will be proud of.”

Tar Heels destroy Cavs' will quickly
No. 3 North Carolina leads by 36 points at the half and hands UVa its seventh ACC loss.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The loudest ovation at the Virginia-North Carolina men's basketball game Saturday afternoon was reserved for Elton Brown.

Elton Brown, the Cavaliers' All-America football player. Of course, there is another Elton Brown who plays basketball for the Cavaliers, but the UVa fans didn't have much to cheer about on that front.

Virginia trailed by as many as 50 points before losing to third-ranked North Carolina 110-76 at University Hall.

"I've never lost like that," UVa sophomore Gary Forbes said, "not even in a video game."

The Cavaliers, down 98-48 at one point, were on pace for their most lopsided loss in 30 years at University Hall before outscoring the Tar Heels 28-12 over the final 4:50.

By then, UNC (17-2, 6-1 ACC) had one scholarship player on the floor - scholarship football player Jesse Holley.

The remnants of a crowd of 7,953 cheered when UVa walk-ons Billy Campbell and Hank Nacey combined for 10 points in the final 58 seconds - eight by Campbell. But there was plenty of grousing about the Cavaliers' seventh loss in the last nine games.

Seventh-year UVa coach Pete Gillen was asked how he would respond to the people who are saying, "Pete's got to go."

"We're halfway through the conference play; I guess we're 1-7," Gillen said. "We've still got nine games to play. Right? And, hopefully we'll do better."

In their fourth game without top post defender Jason Clark, the Cavaliers (10-8, 1-7) were powerless to stop a Carolina team that shot 60 percent from the field and outrebounded Virginia 45-26.

When frontcourt players Sean May and Jawad Williams were pounding Virginia for a combined 43 points, the Tar Heels made 14 of 23 3-pointers. In the past three UVa games, opponents have gone 35-of-70 from behind the arc.

"That's going to happen some nights," UVa point guard Sean Singletary said, "but the effort wasn't there. That's what it's all about. The past couple of games, or at least during our [two-game] losing streak, I feel like we didn't all give an honest effort.

"I know a couple of players didn't give up, but some did. As a team, we folded. You just can't do that. That was a winnable game."

Remarkably, Carolina had lost five straight games at University Hall, but this is a different Tar Heel team under second-year UNC coach Roy Williams. Carolina leads the ACC in scoring offense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and rebounding.

The Tar Heels, who hadn't played in seven days, were rested and they were motivated.

"Nobody on this team had ever won up here," Williams said.

Carolina built a 62-26 halftime lead without any scoring help from two of its starters, season scoring leader Rashad McCants and Jackie Manuel. A foul-plagued McCants finished with five points in 18 minutes, and Manuel did not play in the second half after becoming ill in the locker room.

"I don't ever look at the score in the first half till I walk off the floor," Williams said. "I shouldn't say 'ever,' but most of the time I don't. I just try and focus on the way our guys are playing. At times, we're pretty doggone good."

North Carolina, a 13 1/2 -point favorite, eclipsed its season's high of 109 points in games against Loyola of Chicago and Maryland.

"Needless to say, we're elated," Williams said, "but we've got to understand some things. We've had a full week to prepare and Virginia had a very short turnaround."

Mettle content low among Cavs
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Jan 30, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE There were empty seats in the building and gaping holes in Virginia's resistance, lineup and braintrust. More than that, you barely need to know about North Carolina's 110-76 (and it could've been worse) mauling of the Cavaliers yesterday.

The Tar Heels have had more rugged intrasquad scrimmages. They led by 25 points 11½ minutes into the game, by 36 at the break and by 41 with 14½ to go before their leading scorer, Rashad McCants, even scratched.

The bulge grew to 50 (North Carolina's starters were long gone by then) and was at 48 when the Cavs outscored UNC's walk-ons 19-5 down the stretch. Otherwise, we'd be talking about a setback of historic proportions. As it is, it was borderline horrendous.

U.Va. coach Pete Gillen cited Thursday's loss at Virginia Tech ("It took a lot out of us -- that's not an excuse, it's a fact") as a significant component in this blowout, which is nonsense. Today's hoopsters grow up playing three games a day in AAU tournaments and progress to back-to-backs as college kids in March. They can cope.

Pressing the point, Gillen said his players "didn't have the legs" yesterday. Coroners at University Hall's morgue more accurately defined the missing body part as backbone.

"We had a tough game on Thursday -- a very emotional game," said sophomore swingman Gary Forbes. "To turn it around in probably less than 48 hours against the No. 3 team in the country is kind of tough. Nonetheless, we're not supposed to come out on our home floor and get embarrassed like that."

Amen. Once upon a credible basketball program, U.Va.-UNC in U-Hall counted for something. The town was abuzz. You couldn't find a fannyless seat in the joint. You never knew when magic might strike.

Given better karma and direction, it could've happened yesterday. Yeah, the Tar Heels lead the country in scoring and the ACC in shooting and rebounding. They're far more talented than this tailspinning U.Va. squad, and it would've required a monumental effort and a monumental upset for them to bus home to Chapel Hill a loser.

But it's happened.

It happened here in 1975, for instance, when a 12-13 U.Va. entry stunned a Phil Ford-Mitch Kupchack Tar Heels powerhouse 65-62. It happened in 1986, when the Cavs of Olden Polynice and Tom Sheehey whipped a No. 1 UNC bunch that featured Brad Daugherty and Kenny Smith 86-73. It happened in 1994, when the Tar Heels came to town with a No. 4 ranking, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace and fell to an 18-13 U.Va. crew 81-77.

It didn't happen yesterday.

The Tar Heels sank more 3-pointers in the first half (eight) than Virginia had field goals (seven). They made 60 percent of their shots to U.Va.'s 39.1, owned the glass by a 45-26 margin, fashioned ridiculously efficient workdays from Jawad Williams (23 points in 25 minutes), Sean May (20 in 20) and freshman Marvin Williams (maybe the quickest double-double in history: 16 minutes, 15 points, 10 rebounds).

All in all, this was target practice against an inert opponent.

"A few players didn't give up, but some did," said Cavs freshman Sean Singletary. "All the games in our losing streak -- I didn't feel we gave an honest effort. Some players have no heart. You can't teach heart."

Yeah, but you can at least CPR the sucker back to put-up-a-struggle moxie if you've recruited wisely and motivate well. Instead, this U.Va. team has gone from five double-digit ACC losses to Thursday's trail-most-of-the-way setback in Blacksburg to yesterday's unraveling.

"We played poorly," noted Gillen. "It's my job to make sure we play better."

Truest thing he said all day.

Cavaliers humiliated at home
Third-ranked Tar Heels encounter little resistance from ACC's last-place team
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 30, 2005
UNC 110 U.VA. 76

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At the hands of a basketball team that had lost five in a row at University Hall, the Virginia Cavaliers suffered utter humiliation on national television yesterday, yet another blow to Pete Gillen's hopes of returning as coach in 2005-06.

Third-ranked North Carolina led by 36 points at halftime and -- brace yourself -- by 50 with 5 minutes remaining. The final was 110-76, and U.Va.'s margin of defeat would have been worse had walk-on guard Billy Campbell not scored eight points in the final 55 seconds.

Campbell's spree, along with a layup by another walk-on, forward Hank Nacey, elicited hearty cheers from the remainder of the 7,953 fans who'd turned out for yesterday's game. But there was no applause at U-Hall for Gillen, whose Cavaliers (1-7, 10-8) occupy last place in the ACC and have lost six of their past seven games.

"Get rid of Gillen!" a fan shouted during a second-half break.

Not since March 3, 2001, when Maryland won 102-67, had the Cavaliers been beaten so decisively. The 110 points were the most Virginia had allowed in a non-overtime game since Jan. 10, 1999, when Duke romped 115-69 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Virginia's captains -- center Elton Brown and forward Devin Smith -- also are its top scorers. The two seniors combined to shoot 6 for 19 from the floor yesterday, and Brown was no match in the low post for Carolina center Sean May, who totaled 20 points and nine rebounds.

"When our two seniors don't play solid, it's going to be difficult for us," Gillen said.

UNC forward Jawad Williams led all scorers with 23 points. All-America candidate Rashad McCants got into foul trouble and scored only five points for the Tar Heels, but he wasn't needed against a U.Va. team that offered little resistance.

For North Carolina (6-1, 17-2), the game was its first in a week. The Cavs had played Thursday night in Blacksburg, where they lost to Virginia Tech.

"It was a very good day for us," Carolina coach Roy Williams said, "and it just sort of snowballed for Virginia. But it's hard in this league to play on the road Thursday night and then have to turn around and play a 12 noon game on Saturday, and I do believe that was a factor in the game."

Virginia swingman Gary Forbes agreed.

"Nonetheless," Forbes said, "you're not supposed to come out there on our home floor and get embarrassed like that."

Thirty-six seconds into the game, freshman point guard Sean Singletary's jumper from 20 feet gave U.Va. a 3-0 lead. UNC answered with an 11-0 run, and the game effectively was over. At the break, the Heels led 62-26 after toying with Virginia.

"You've got to play well against adversity," Singletary said. "As a team, we didn't do that. I know a couple of players didn't give up, but some did. As a team, we folded, and you just can't do that."

At the 11:49 mark of the first half, with his team trailing 25-8, Smith slapped the basket support in disgust and frustration. Things would get worse for the Cavs, who allowed the Heels to shoot 65.6 from the floor -- 72.7 percent from 3-point range -- in the first half.

Overall, seven players made at least one 3-pointer yesterday for UNC, which finished 14 for 23 from beyond the arc. Carolina's shooting cooled off in the second half, but mainly because Williams played his walk-ons late in the game.

UNC outrebounded Virginia 45-26. Only two Cavaliers scored in double figures -- sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds (18) and Forbes (11) -- and virtually all of their points came in the second half, when the Heels were on cruise control.

Singletary, who sprained his ankle in Blacksburg, started yesterday and finished with eight points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Asked afterward what he would say to those who believe he should be dismissed, Gillen replied: "We're halfway through conference play. . . . We still got nine [regular-season] games to play, and hopefully we'll do better. I think we will."

Watch for U-Hauls at U-Hall
Published January 30 2005
Dave Fairbank

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- You could see this coming, all the way from Goochland, all the way from Natural Bridge, hell, all the way from ACC World Headquarters in Greensboro.

A sub-standard Virginia loses Thursday night on the road, then must turn around with a depleted roster and play Saturday at noon against perhaps the nation's best team, North Carolina.

A UNC team that had a week to rest and prepare and, by the way, that had lost its past five trips to University Hall.

The Tar Heels' 110-76 reverse ambush was predictable and explainable. That doesn't mean it was any easier to swallow.

"I've never lost like that in my life, not even in a video game," Cavs guard Gary Forbes said.

Carolina scored 40 points before Virginia had 20, 60 before the Cavaliers scored 30 and 90 before U.Va. had 50.

Had UNC coach Roy Williams not geared down in the final 10 minutes, the Heels might have scored 130 points and stuffed the Cavalier mascot into their luggage compartment for the ride home.

Williams had so little to do in the second half that, during a couple of TV timeouts, he stood and watched those weird, oversized, inflated figures that hop around the court and pass for entertainment. Not to be confused with the Virginia players.

"Before the game, I thought we were OK, but we didn't have the legs, we weren't moving," said Virginia coach Pete Gillen, whose new first name is "embattled." "We played poorly. It's my job to make us play better."

When Gillen called a timeout with 81/2 minutes remaining in the first half and the Cavs down 35-10, some in the crowd gave him an earful.

"We're halfway through the conference play, we're 1-7," he said. "We've still got nine games to play, and hopefully we'll do better. Hopefully, we'll do better. I think we will."

Given the uphill climb, Saturday was one of those games in which the Cavaliers could have used some energy from the home folks.

Instead, empty seats dotted U-Hall. Ten minutes before tipoff, the joint was about half-full, with all of the buzz associated with a December game against Drake.

That's because home games have become referenda surrounding Gillen. Several times, Forbes had to remind the crowds behind the baskets to wave their arms to try to distract Carolina free throw shooters.

Apparently, piling on Gillen isn't confined to U.Va. boo-bloods, chat-room dweebs and those darned media weasels. The ACC schedule makers got in a shot to the groin as well.

Several other league teams have quick turnarounds, too. But the Cavaliers are the only team with a one-day turnaround, facing an opponent that had a week off. And an opponent with monster talent, to boot.

That'll teach 'em to throw a monkey wrench into John Swofford's expansion plans.

The effects of quick turnarounds and short rest are certainly debatable. After all, don't kids play two and three times a day in summers and AAU ball? Isn't tournament basketball - ACC, NCAA, Maui, Alaska - all about short rest and quick turnarounds?

What wasn't debatable Saturday was Virginia's shooting. Devin Smith, the Cavs' best player, consistently came up short on his jump shot, a sign of tired legs. Ditto point guard Sean Singletary, who also was dragging around a tender ankle.

The difference Saturday wasn't short rest as much as long talent. Give Virginia three days before UNC came to town and the margin probably would have been 25 instead of 50, which it reached at the 5:16 mark.

Carolina is that good, particularly if its opponents are a half-step slow or perhaps just thinking that they're tired.

"This is one game, it was a terrible game, we played very poorly," Gillen said. "But it's not what lies ahead of us, it's what lies within us. We've got to play with fortitude and courage. I still think we're a good team."

Time is running out.

Heels turn up heat on Gillen, Virginia
UNC's R. Williams `feels' for embattled Cavaliers coach
KEN TYSIAC
Raleigh Bureau

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The difficult part for coach Roy Williams was thinking about the man sitting on the opposing bench.

Third-ranked North Carolina was nearly flawless until it emptied its bench in the closing minutes Saturday during a 110-76 drubbing of Virginia.

When embattled Virginia coach Pete Gillen called timeout with 8 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the first half and the Tar Heels ahead by 25, fans at University Hall soundly booed the Cavaliers.

"It's tough, because (Gillen) is one of the true quality people in the profession," Williams said, "and you feel for him."

North Carolina (17-2, 6-1) dealt the Cavaliers their third-largest margin of defeat in a home game. The 110 points was the Tar Heels' second-largest total in an ACC road game, trailing the 115 scored at Clemson on Jan. 13, 1968.

Forward Jawad Williams led North Carolina with 23 points in 25 minutes. Center Sean May scored 20 in 20 minutes. Raymond Felton scored 16 with eight assists, and Marvin Williams scored 15 with 10 rebounds.

"We just turned it on from the beginning," Felton said, "and we never let up."

How thoroughly did the Tar Heels dominate?

• They made more 3-pointers in the first half (eight in 11 attempts) than Virginia made field goals (seven).

• They led by 50 points (98-48) after Reyshawn Terry's layup with 5:16 remaining.

• They outrebounded Virginia 45-26.

They did it with Rashad McCants, who entered the game as the team's leading scorer, held to five points, 11 below his average, in 18 foul-plagued minutes. McCants didn't score in the first half, but North Carolina still led 62-26 at halftime.

Virginia (10-8, 1-7) confirmed the doubts of Gillen's numerous doubters with undisciplined play. Rather than trying to chip away at the growing deficit, the Cavaliers fired away from 3-point range.

Devin Smith was 0-for-5 on 3-point attempts, and Virginia shot 25 percent from the field in the first half. Roy Williams, the North Carolina players and Gillen blamed the margin on Virginia's quick turnaround after playing Thursday night at Virginia Tech.

North Carolina had a week to prepare and broke a five-game road losing streak in the series.

"Thursday night, get home at midnight, 1 o'clock in the morning," Gillen said. "We've got to play (Saturday) at 12 noon. They're resting all week. That's not an excuse. It's a fact."

Williams might have been uncomfortable about what it meant for Gillen. But there was no regret in the North Carolina locker room.

The Tar Heels rested for a week, came back fresh, and played what May called their best game of the season.

"You don't apologize for anything like that," sneered North Carolina forward David Noel. "They wouldn't apologize if they beat us like that. ... When you get (behind) by 50, that's just something you have to deal with."
 

A mauling at U-Hall
By NEIL AMATO : The Herald-Sun
namato@heraldsun.com
Jan 29, 2005 : 4:57 pm ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Seen and heard in a hotel restaurant Saturday morning: Orange-clad woman says she's excited to watch Virginia take on North Carolina at University Hall. Waiter, a UVa student, is prescient: "Don't bother. We're gonna lose by 50."

North Carolina didn't finish plus-50, but it did reach that ridiculous margin against a supposed ACC opponent. A rip-roaring first half -- in which UNC more than doubled up beleaguered Coach Pete Gillen's bunch -- carried the Tar Heels to a 110-76 victory, easily ending the five-year skid in the building.

"Some guys mentioned [the losing streak]," said senior Jawad Williams, who led UNC with 23 points. "But it was just another game to me."

But this rout was miles from ordinary. UNC led by 40 in the first minute of the second half and surpassed its tops-in-the-country scoring average with 6:56 left on a 3-pointer by reserve Wes Miller. The Tar Heels established season highs for 3-pointers (14) and 3-point percentage (14 of 23, 60.9 percent). They could have gone scoreless the final 14:36 and still won.

The mood on the UNC bench was so light that David Noel shadow-boxed with an oversized, inflatable fish named Mackerel Jordan as said fish approached him during a second-half timeout.

The lead grew to 50 on Reyshawn Terry's basket with 5:16 left, and the Tar Heels hit 100 before the final TV timeout. It was so out of hand that even Gillen didn't use all his timeouts.

UNC looked every bit like a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, improving to 17-2 and 6-1 in the ACC. Virginia, looking every bit like a team that will have a new coach next season, fell to 10-8, 1-7.

Fans at University Hall booed loudly at halftime, which was, according to hallway gossip, the moment Athletics Director Craig Littlepage grabbed his coat and left the building.

As good as UNC was in the first half, it was not its highest halftime point total this season (Loyola of Chicago got overwhelmed for 63). But it was UNC's biggest halftime lead, surpassing the 30-point advantage on BYU in Maui.

"We played pretty doggone well," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "We had 62 in the first half and had two of our starters not scratch."

One of those was leading scorer Rashad McCants, who finished with five points, five assists, three steals and four fouls in 18 minutes. The other was Jackie Manuel, who threw up at halftime and didn't play in the second half.

Manuel's ill feelings were about the only negative vibe coming from the visiting team. And McCants insists UNC can play better.

"It's exciting when you think about it," McCants said. "I think that pretty soon we'll have a game where all of us are playing really well. I think that'll be scary."

North Carolina hit 13 of its first 17 shots -- Virginia was 4-of-17 at the same point -- and extended the lead at every television timeout in the first half: eight at the first one, then 17, 25, 26. The biggest margin, 36 points, was reached three times, the first at 55-19 on a fast-break layup by Noel.

The Tar Heels missed their first 3-pointer, an NBA-length try by McCants, then hit eight of their next 10.

It was not Virginia's worst loss -- 136-75 to Duke in 1965 is still No. 1 -- but it was the kind of defeat that can seal a coach's fate. Gillen is 114-86 with one NCAA Tournament bid in seven seasons at UVa.

"We have to talk to the team and be positive," Gillen said. "This is one game. It was a terrible game and we played poorly, but we have to play with courage. We're a lot better than the way we played tonight."

At 11:55 a.m., on ESPN's College Gameday, the question flashed on the TV screen: "Is Pete Gillen's job safe?"

At the time, AD Littlepage was facing away from the TV in the press room, eating eggs and a bagel.

Shortly after noon, this one started similarly to other recent trips by UNC, with the Cavaliers knocking in a 3-pointer. Raymond Felton, now a basket shy of 1,000 points, answered that 3 with one of his own, and the rout had commenced.

Roy Williams said he felt for Gillen, whose team lost six of eight games in January.

"Pete Gillen is one of the gentlemen in the coaching profession," Williams said. "It is a difficult time period for him. Pete has more desire in his little finger than all the Cavalier fans in the world."

Roy Williams and Gillen both said that Virginia having to play Thursday night -- UNC had a week between games -- was a factor. But the fact is, UNC was far better than Virginia, which settled for 29 3-pointers and shot just 25 percent in the first half.

"We played well, and they're a little bit down and out right now," said Sean May, who had 20 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes.

Freshman Marvin Williams played 16 minutes, made 3 of 3 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of many contributors to UNC's eighth 30-point win of the season -- just three years after UNC's seniors won just eight games all season.

"Nobody in this locker room really knows what Jackie, Melvin [Scott] and Jawad went through," Marvin Williams said. "To see them be successful their last year, it's great to see. They've worked hard, and they've come so far."

NOTES -- The point total was UNC's fifth-most in an ACC game and second-most in an ACC road game. In its highest-scoring ACC road win, the Tar Heels beat Clemson 115-83 in 1968. ... Virginia, fueled by play from its walkons, shot 18 of 36 in the second half and outscored UNC 50-48. The Cavaliers scored 17 points in the final 2:51. They needed 15½ minutes to reach 17 points in the first half.

UNC silences Virginia quickly
1-30-05
By Jeff Carlton Staff Writer
News & Record

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Say this for Pete Gillen, he can't be accused of burning timeouts too quickly Saturday against third-ranked North Carolina.

The game was already out of hand by the time UVa's beleaguered coach and serial timeout-caller made his first attempt to stop the bleeding 7 minutes, 12 seconds into the game. Gillen didn't bother calling any timeouts in the second half of the Tar Heels' 110-76 victory, which emphatically halted their five-game losing streak at University Hall.

The toughest part of the Heels' afternoon, aside from dodging the snow on their way back to Chapel Hill, was finding flaws in the way they had played against the reeling Cavaliers.

Virginia won the late, garbage-time battle of walk-ons to prevent the Heels from recording their most-lopsided victory at U-Hall. But that was about the only complaint.

"At that point, you're just trying to stay alive and get out of town as quickly as you can," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.

UNC (6-1 ACC, 17-2 overall), which took a half-game lead in the league standings, led by 50 points with five minutes left. It hardly mattered that Rashad McCants' playing time had been limited by foul trouble and Jackie Manuel sat the second half because of an upset stomach.

"We defended, we boxed out and didn't give too many second-shot opportunities," Williams said. "And we got either very good inside shots or open (3-pointers), and the guys for the most part made their open 3s. To play that well is satisfying today, even though in this league, one win is all it means, and we understand that."

North Carolina made a season-high 14 shots from beyond the arc on 23 attempts and led 62-26 after making 65.6 percent of its first-half shots. Jawad Williams led the way with 23 points, as the Heels kept the ball moving until they found the open shooter. Often, there was more than just one.

Meanwhile, UNC ate up the Cavaliers (1-7, 10-8) around the basket, especially Sean May and freshman Marvin Williams, who combined for 35 points and 19 rebounds in 36 minutes. In all, the Heels outrebounded UVa 45-26. Virginia center Elton Brown doesn't have much help inside these days.

Virginia, coming off a 79-73 loss at Virginia Tech two nights earlier, played like the tired, frustrated team that it is.

"It's a fact that playing Thursday night against Virginia Tech took a lot out of us," Gillen said. "That's no excuse -- it's a fact. I was disappointed that we didn't play with aggressiveness and energy early."

The score was 23-8 the first time Gillen asked for a timeout. It was 35-10 before he signaled for another. Soon, it was 50-19. Then 62-26. That halftime score was the first one Roy Williams noticed. He says he was careful not to check the scoreboard up to that point.

"I look after every basket," UNC junior David Noel said. "When you see you're up by that much, you just tend to relax a little bit and have fun with it."

Rarely have North Carolina players been as inattentive to their coaches during a timeout as they were when, with just less than 12 minutes left in the game, ESPN cut to commercials. Nearly the entire bench was standing, staring intently at an inflatable mascot called "Mackeral Jordan" as the big fish consumed a UVa undergrad before their amused eyes.

Roy Williams didn't seem to mind. After all, what more could he tell the Tar Heels in a game they led by 39 points? "Don't hurt yourselves," maybe?

"There wasn't much he could complain about," May said. "We were playing hard. One of the big things was let's be aggressive from the beginning, and we played like that."

It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Heels demolish dazed Cavaliers
North Carolina emphatically ends its five-game skid at Virginia with 110-76 victory
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.

North Carolina didn't play the complete game yesterday that Coach Roy Williams wanted, but it came pretty close by blasting Virginia out of University Hall.

North Carolina won 110-76 in front of 7,953 to snap its five-game losing streak here. On a day when leading scorer Rashad McCants provided scant help because of foul trouble and Jackie Manuel didn't play after halftime because he was sick, North Carolina led by 50 points in the second half and won by its biggest margin ever in Charlottesville.

The win was the Tar Heels' most lopsided over the Cavaliers since Feb. 6, 1968, a 108-64 win in Chapel Hill. Center Sean May of the Tar Heels said that the effort was so thorough that Williams found little to say afterward.

"There wasn't much he could complain about," May said. "We were playing hard. We wanted to address our focus. We wanted to be aggressive from the beginning and we played like that. That rest this week helped us a little bit."

The Tar Heels improved to 17-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, and won their third conference road game in four tries. The win was the Tar Heels' first in University Hall since a 67-66 win here on Feb. 20, 1999. The 110 points were the Tar Heels' second most ever in an ACC road game.

The Cavaliers fell to 10-8 and 1-7 and lost for the sixth time in seven games. Fans and alumni in the stands booed the Cavaliers twice in the first half, upset at their sloppy play and lack of effort.

The loss will fuel the criticism of Coach Pete Gillen, who barely kept his job after last season.

Virginia guard Sean Singletary said his team had little desire and never competed in the tough situation of playing on only one day's rest after a Thursday game. The 34-point margin was the second largest by which Virginia has been beaten in University Hall and tied for the third-biggest margin ever in Charlottesville.

"The effort wasn't there," Singletary said. "That's what it's all about. All the games during our losing streak, I feel as though all the guys didn't give 100 percent.

"It's something you can't teach. Some players just didn't put their hearts in it. You can't teach heart."

Jawad Williams led the Tar Heels with 23 points. May scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Marvin Williams came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 10 rebounds. The Tar Heels shot 60 percent from the field for the game and held a 45-26 rebounding advantage.

J.R. Reynolds led the Cavaliers with 18 points.

The Cavaliers were staggered in less than five minutes and never recovered, playing without Jason Clark, off the team because of academics, and Donte Minter, missing because of injury. The Tar Heels, rested and refreshed after a week off, made 13 of their first 17 shots, five of their first six 3-point attempts, and scored on 15 of their first 22 possessions.

May's layup sent North Carolina ahead 27-10 less than nine minutes into the game. Jawad Williams' 18-foot jumper secured a 41-11 advantage with 6:25 to play in the first half. McCants drew his second foul with 17:35 left and Coach Williams took him out with North Carolina up 7-3. When McCants returned with 10:28 left before halftime, North Carolina was up by 18 points.

North Carolina led 62-26 at halftime and McCants hadn't scored. Even with McCants on the bench, North Carolina ran its break when it wanted, pounded the ball inside to May for close shots or to force fouls, and hit mid-range jump shots and 3-point shots from the wings by finding the weak spots in Virginia's defense.

"Elton (Brown)'s a great player, but we knew after him they were thin," May said. "They just didn't have a lot of guys who could bang. They had a freshman (Tunji Soroye) in there, but a lot of times when you're playing against veterans, experience comes in handy. We knew after Elton they didn't have much experience."

Virginia's frustration was apparent. With 11:49 left in the first half, and with North Carolina ahead 23-8, Devin Smith of Virginia became upset after another break caught Virginia out of position and forced a foul, and slammed his fist into the padding on the basket support and cursed.

In the second half, May raced down the floor with the score 67-26 and was shooting a layup when Elton Brown of Virginia fouled him hard from behind. Brown was called for an intentional foul, giving North Carolina two free throws and possession.

"We knew it could get ugly a little bit," May said. "Right before we went out (for the second half) Jawad came up to me and said, 'Don't let them pull you into any confrontations. Keep playing and play our basketball.'"

Virginia never mustered a threat, powerless to stop anything that North Carolina did because of poor play and shaky decisions. Rather than attack patiently in the first half and get good shots to chip away at North Carolina's lead, Virginia launched quick 3-point attempts that missed and fed North Carolina's breaks that built the lead even higher.

"We got a chance to rest our legs and our bodies; they just came off a game and they might have been tired," said point guard Raymond Felton. "We just turned it on from the beginning and we never let up."

Third-Ranked North Carolina Drubs Virginia
Cavaliers Are Never Close In Huge Loss to Tar Heels: North Carolina 110, Virginia 76
By Michael Arkush
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, January 30, 2005; Page E06

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Jan. 29 -- The Virginia Cavaliers opened Saturday's game against North Carolina with a three-pointer by freshman Sean Singletary and ended it with a 12-4 run anchored by seldom-used reserve Billy Campbell.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, there were 37 minutes in between, and every one of them was excruciating for the Cavaliers and their fans, who endured a 110-76 loss to No. 3 North Carolina at University Hall.

North Carolina's Sean May, left, and David Noel pester Virginia's Devin Smith to force a steal. At one point, the Cavaliers were down by 50. (Steve Helber -- AP)

How bad was it? At halftime, the Tar Heels (17-2, 6-1 ACC) led 62-26, and that total did not include a single point from star forward Rashad McCants, who played only eight minutes because of foul trouble. Devin Smith led the Cavaliers (10-8, 1-7) with eight points at the break. The Tar Heels, meantime, featured five players with at least eight points.

Overall, the Tar Heels shot 60 percent and outrebounded the Cavaliers, 45-26. With just more than five minutes left, the lead was 98-48.

Virginia, which had 22 turnovers in Thursday night's 79-73 loss at Virginia Tech, committed 17 against the Tar Heels, including 11 in the first half. Virginia shot 39.1 percent, 25 percent in the opening 20 minutes. North Carolina recorded 10 steals.

So what now for the last-place Cavaliers? How does a once promising team, ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of this month, rebound from yet another devastating setback? Granted, there is still half a season left in the conference, but that includes games against four opponents who have already defeated the Cavaliers once this season.

"We have to talk to the team and be positive," said Virginia Coach Pete Gillen, whose job security will continue to be the subject of speculation for the rest of the season. "This is one game. It was a terrible game and we played poorly, but we have to play with courage. We're a lot better than the way we played tonight. Hopefully, we'll do better."

Sophomore Gary Forbes is also not ready to surrender.

"We've still got nine games left," Forbes said. "We have to believe in ourselves."

In his postgame comments, Gillen mentioned the difficulty of competing less than 48 hours after losing to Virginia Tech.

"We didn't play with energy and seemed hesitant and tentative," he said. "It's a fact that playing Thursday night against Virginia Tech took a lot out of us. That's no excuse; it's a fact. Devin Smith didn't have the legs today, and Elton Brown didn't play up to his capabilities. When our two seniors don't play solid, it's going to be difficult for us."

Forbes acknowledged the quick turnaround time, as well. Nonetheless, he added, "We're not supposed to come out on our floor and get embarrassed like that."

Predictably, North Carolina Coach Roy Williams was pleased with his team's performance.

"We played pretty doggone well," Williams said. "We defended, we boxed out, we didn't give up too many second-shot opportunities and we got very good inside shots and open threes. When you play that well, it's very satisfying."

Forward Jawad Williams led the Tar Heels with 23 points. Center Sean May finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Guard Raymond Felton chipped in with 16, along with eight assists. McCants scored only five in 18 minutes.

For the Cavaliers, who will next play at Providence on Wednesday night, their top scorer was J.R. Reynolds with 18. Forbes added 11. Smith, who had scored 63 in the last three games, finished with only eight on 3-of-11 shooting.

Campbell also scored eight, all in the final minute. Those were his first points since November.
 

UNC wins a laugher at Virginia
By ROBBI PICKERAL, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- Was it really only a week ago that North Carolina coach Roy Williams was so annoyed with his basketball team that he left the huddle during a timeout?

Because Saturday, during a second-half break in UNC's 110-76 rout at Virginia, Williams found himself laughing at -- and reserve David Noel found himself shadow-boxing with -- a giant inflatable mackerel mascot that was boogeying to the tune "Eat It."

At that point, frankly, the third-ranked Tar Heels didn't have much else to do in the huddle or on the court.

"Most of our timeouts today, they only lasted 20 seconds,'' said Noel, who scored six of the bench's 46 points. "The rest of the time, we were just talking about, 'All right. Let's go. Let's stay focused.' "

By staying focused, despite leading by as many as 50 points, Carolina didn't just snap a five-game losing streak at University Hall, it obliterated it.

The only reason Virginia didn't record its largest home loss in school history is that Williams inserted two walk-ons and two football players in the final four minutes.

It didn't matter that UNC starter Rashad McCants and sixth-man Marvin Williams both picked up three fouls in the first 17 minutes of the game. Or that defensive stopper Jackie Manuel didn't play in the second half because he was ill. Or that McCants, the team's leading scorer, didn't make a bucket until 14:36 remained.

Yes, the Tar Heels (17-2, 6-1 ACC) were that good, making 60 percent of their shots and getting four players in double figures, led by Jawad Williams (23 points, seven rebounds) and Sean May (20 points, nine rebounds). In addition, freshman Marvin Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a mere 16 minutes.

Yes, the Cavaliers (10-8, 1-7) were that bad, shooting 39.1 percent and getting outrebounded by 19. Guard J.R. Reynolds led them with 18 points.

The Cavaliers, who have now lost six of their last seven games after being ranked in The Associated Press poll early in the season, appeared frustrated from the outset.

Virginia tried to play man-to-man defense, and UNC drove through it. The Wahoos tried to play a zone, and the Tar Heels shot over it.

UNC grabbed its first 10-point lead with 14:57 left in the first half when Melvin Scott made a 3-pointer to make it 16-6.

The Tar Heels had a 20-point lead at the 10-minute mark, when Marvin Williams swished a 3-pointer to make it 30-10.

They had a 30-plus-point lead 6:27 before halftime, when Marvin Williams made another 3-pointer.

UNC's 62-26 advantage at the half was its largest of the season.

"I didn't look at the score in the half until I walked off at halftime,'' Roy Williams said. "Human nature is, you know you're doing pretty doggone well. I guess that's an understatement, but we played well."

Of course, there were things to pick on. Coach Williams, always the perfectionist, said he loved his bench play, considering all the foul trouble. But he would like to have seen his third-teamers play better. He was happy that his team made good decisions on the fast break, but he also lectured about doing the little things, such as diving for more loose balls, May said.

"We defended, we boxed out, we didn't give up too many second shot opportunities, and we got very good inside shots and open 3s," Roy Williams said. "And guys for the most part made their open 3s.

"When you play that well, it's very satisfying, but it's just one win, and we understand that."

Still, Roy Williams' comments Saturday were a 180 degree turn from last weekend's win against Miami, when he was irritated by his team's lack of focus and a second-half scoring drought.

And although the Tar Heels insisted they can still play even better, Roy Williams' laughter as Noel sparred with the dancing fish named "Mackerel Jordan" during that second-half timeout had his players smiling, too.

Said a grinning Noel of his boxing style: "That's growing up where I grew up, in Durham. You've got to protect yourself, man. He ran up on me, and I was about to give him a couple jabs."

Instead, he and his team saved the real knockout punch for the Cavaliers.

Bad UVa season worsens
By Andy Bitter / Lynchburg News & Advance
January 30, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - North Carolina head coach Roy Williams makes it a point not to look at the scoreboard during the first half. He prefers to coach every possession the same no matter how lopsided the score.

Given Virginia’s recent play, Cavaliers head coach Pete Gillen might want to start doing the same.

No. 3 North Carolina snapped a five-game Charlottesville losing streak with a 110-76 rout of Virginia on Saturday afternoon, the second biggest defeat the Cavaliers have suffered in the 40-year history of University Hall.

The 34-point loss - Virginia’s worst of the season and biggest since a 41-point season-opening loss to Connecticut in 1993 - continues UVa’s spiraling descent into the depths of the ACC. The Cavaliers (10-8) have lost six of seven and are 1-7 at the halfway point of conference play for the first time since Gillen’s first season with UVa in 1998-99.

“We’ve got to play well against adversity. As a team we didn’t do that,” Virginia freshman point guard Sean Singletary said. “A couple players didn’t give up, but some did. As a team we folded and you just can’t do that.”

The Tar Heels (17-2, 6-1 ACC), idle for the last week, unleashed an offensive barrage on Virginia. They shot 60 percent (39 of 65) from the field and 60.9 percent (14 of 23) from 3-point range. In building a 62-26 halftime lead, North Carolina made eight 3-pointers, one more than Virginia had total field goals.

“I didn’t look at the score until halftime walking off the court,” Williams said, “but … you know you’re doing pretty doggone well. I guess that’s an understatement.”

Jawad Williams led North Carolina with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Sean May added 20 points and nine rebounds and freshman reserve Marvin Williams had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Tar Heels, alone in first place of the ACC by a half game over Duke, did it all with leading scorer Rashad McCants limited by foul trouble. McCants scored five points in just 18 minutes, yet North Carolina led at one point by 50. The Tar Heels’ 110 points were a season high.

“I’ve never lost like that in my life,” UVa wing Gary Forbes said. “Not even in a video game.”

Virginia’s stat line read like an obituary. The Cavaliers shot 25 percent in the first half (7 of 28) and were outrebounded 45-26 for the game. They committed 17 turnovers that led to 27 North Carolina points.

UVa’s two seniors, Devin Smith and Elton Brown, had off days. Smith scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting and was 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Brown scored nine points, his second-lowest output of the season.

J.R. Reynolds (18 points) and Forbes (11) were the only Cavaliers to reach double digits. Singletary, despite being slowed by an ankle injury suffered against Virginia Tech, had seven points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Virginia’s showing was so dismal it prompted Singletary to openly question the team’s effort both on Saturday and over the course of the ACC season thus far.

“The effort wasn’t there. That’s what it’s all about,” Singletary said. “All the games in our losing streak, I feel as though we didn’t all give an honest effort. …

“You’ve got to play with heart. You can’t teach heart.”

The loss is sure to amp up the anti-Gillen sentiment in Charlottesville.

Williams, predictably, stood up for his ACC coaching colleague saying “Pete has more desire in his little finger than all the Cavalier fans in the world.” Gillen preferred to look forward to the second half of ACC play.

“We’re halfway through the conference play and we’re 1-7 and we still have nine games to play,” Gillen said. “Hopefully we will do better. I think we will.”

For his job’s sake, they better.