New year’s toast

NEXT GAME: BROWN AT U.VA.

Tuesday:7 p.m.

By Jeff White
Published: January 4, 2009

Xavier beat Virginia Tech in November on a buzzer-beater from halfcourt. The Musketeers needed no miracles yesterday to defeat this state's other ACC men's basketball team.

It wasn't as one-sided as their game in Cincinnati last season, but Xavier again handled Virginia with ease. A year ago, they met at the Cintas Center, where the Muskies won 108-70. The venue this time was John Paul Jones Arena, and 22nd-ranked Xavier led by 28 in the second half before coasting home to an 84-70 victory.

The Cavaliers closed 2008 by rallying on the road to beat Georgia Tech in overtime last weekend. In their 2009 debut, the Wahoos generally looked inept.

"It's just confusing, really," said freshman point guard Sammy Zeglinski, who tied his career high with six assists yesterday but was 3 for 12 from the floor. "We play the way we did down at Georgia Tech and then come back and really just offer little resistance against Xavier, just let them take the game from us from the beginning. It's definitely mystifying and frustrating."

Against the Yellow Jackets, juniors Calvin Baker and Jamil Tucker combined for 28 points and 11 rebounds and supplied late-game heroics. Against Xavier (11-2), Baker and Tucker failed to score. They had one rebound and no assists between them.

Freshman swingman Sylven Landesberg sparkled again yesterday, totaling 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and U.Va. (6-5) got solid play from big men Mike Scott and Assane Sene. Against the deep and experienced Musketeers, however, U.Va. needed contributions from more than a handful of players.

Virginia starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. The team will "have days where we surprise ourselves and perform at a high level," fourth-year coach Dave Leitao said, "and there are going to be days like today, with a younger group, for whatever the reasons, that you don't perform at a level that you're capable of."

More than four minutes in, U.Va. led 6-0, and the crowd of 10,174 was buzzing. But the Cavaliers' lead easily could have have been twice that.

"We kind of took the first punch," Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

The Muskies fought back with a vengeance, scoring 18 of the next 20 points. By halftime, they led 42-26, and the barrage continued after intermission. After a Landesberg layup pulled U.Va. to 47-32, Xavier ran off 13 straight points.

"You worry when you have a big halftime lead," said Miller, a former N.C. State assistant. "You know the [other] team is cornered, you know the coach is angry, you know they're on their home court and have a lot of pride."

The Musketeers need not have worried. Virginia posed little threat for most of the second half. The low point for the home team came when, after a Leitao timeout, Baker stayed on the bench, leaving U.Va. with four players on the court. That communication breakdown forced Leitao to use another timeout seven seconds later, after which Baker re-entered the game.

Sene, a 7-0, 234-pound freshman, had a career-high 11 rebounds to go with his six points and two blocked shots, but Xavier dominated the backboards. Early in the second half, the Muskeeters twice scored on possessions on which they got four shots.

Led by 7-0, 265-pound freshman Kenny Frease, Xavier's reserves combined for 37 points on 15-for-27 shooting from the floor. U.Va. got 15 points from its bench, most of which came with the outcome long since settled.

 

Virginia displays lack of experience in loss
By Staff Reports
Published: January 4, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE Trailing Xavier 58-32 with 13:24 left to play, the Virginia Cavaliers tried something different.

They came out of a timeout and brought the ball up the court with only four players in the game.

Even though things weren't going so well with five Cavaliers in the game, Virginia coach Dave Leitao wasn't prepared to try playing with just four.

He called a TO -- timeout -- and got a fifth player in the lineup.

"It was either a mis [communication] or a lack of communication about who was going in for who," Leitao said.

With the Cavaliers back at full strength, they had to inbound the ball.

That led to another TO -- a turnover. That was a microcosm of the Cavaliers' afternoon.

Few things went well. Many things went badly. Some went very badly.

On the bright side, Virginia played the Musketeers to a much closer game than last year's contest in Cincinnati. On the not-so-bright side, how hard was that? Last year at Xavier, Virginia lost 108-70. The Cavaliers still lost decisively yesterday 84-70.

The game actually wasn't that close.

After Virginia jumped to a 6-0 lead, Xavier went on a 23-2 run. The issue wasn't whether Virginia still could win. The issue was whether the Cavaliers could prevent a shellacking as bad as last year's.

Leitao makes no claims to be Miss Cleo, but he saw an unhappy ending in the offing.

"I didn't like the way we came out of the gate defensively," Leitao said. "The naked eye couldn't see it. We weren't playing the game the way we planned to play it."

Xavier had everything to do with that. Virginia and Xavier are not in the same league, and that is not a reference to their conference affiliations.

The Musketeers are everything the Cavaliers are not. Xavier is tough and powerful on the inside, physical in the backcourt, has high-quality depth and its players are poised.

The Cavaliers are a young team. They started two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore and a junior yesterday.

Xavier starts a freshman point guard, Terrell Holloway. They also got 21 minutes, 13 points and eight rebounds from 7-foot, 265-pound freshman post player Kenny Frease. Another freshman, Brad Redford, played 15 minutes for the Musketeers and added five points. All those came on his first two shots, which drew nothing but net.

It's easier for freshmen to play well when they are mixed and matched with upperclassmen. Xavier's leading scorer, Derrick Brown, had just eight points against Virginia, six below his average. His first basket did not come until 14:23 was left in the game.

Instead of worrying about getting shots, Brown played solid defense, threw sharp passes and made sure everybody knew what to do against the Cavaliers' pressure. Once, Brown grabbed Redford in the backcourt and turned him in the right direction on an inbounds play.

The Musketeers got the ball inbounds and up the court in that situation. That's what veteran leadership can do for you.

Contrast that with the Cavaliers, who got caught with four men on the court, then couldn't get the ball inbounds after the ensuing timeout.

It's a good thing Leitao keeps his hair cut short. Otherwise, he would have pulled much of it out yesterday.

What made this game so difficult for the Cavaliers was their previous contest. They went to Georgia Tech, had their best performance of the season and won in overtime.

"Part of our issue is not understanding completely what this whole thing is about from a mental standpoint," Leitao said. "We've got to grow up and grow up quickly."

He's right about that. Brown University comes here Tuesday. Then, Virginia plays 15 straight conference games.

If yesterday is any indication, the Cavaliers face some tough times.

On the bright side, chances are excellent they will have five men on the court during those tough times.

 

Xavier postmortem
Jeff White
Jan 04, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The U.Va. fans in the crowd of 10,174 at John Paul Jones Arena had little to cheer Saturday afternoon. They sounded genuinely happy, though, when senior swingman Mamadi Diane, on a fast break, took a pass from Sylven Landesberg and soared for a reverse layup that dropped through with 4:55 remaining against Xavier.

It had been awhile since Diane had produced such a play. About three minutes later, the crowd roared again after Solomon Tat drove and then passed out to Diane, who sank a trey from the top of the key. It was the 22nd 3-point attempt of the season for Diane, but the first to fall through the net.

“I was definitely fortunate to get a good pass from Sylven and an open shot from Solomon,” Diane said after U.Va.’s 84-70 to 22nd-ranked Xavier. “It just really felt good seeing those shots go down.”

For the soft-spoken Diane, who came to U.Va. from the storied program at DeMatha Catholic High, this has been a season to forget thus far. He had surgery on his left foot in June, and his rehab limited the amount of work he could do in the gym as his senior year approached. And that in turn affected his shooting touch.

Diane made a team-high 60 treys in 2007-08, and he entered his senior season as the Wahoos’ top returning scorer (11.8 ppg). He scored 14 points in the opener against VMI and 13 in Virginia’s second game, a win over South Florida, before falling into a terrible slump. Diane went 1 for 9 from the floor against Radford and 0 for 6 against Liberty, after which U.Va. coach Dave Leitao dropped him from the starting lineup.

The new role didn’t reverse Diane’s decline. He’s looked passive and lost in recent weeks, and that was again the case in the first half Saturday, when Leitao yanked Diane after a 49-second appearance that included a turnover and a half-hearted foul on a made basket by a Muskeeter.

In the second half, however, Diane flashed the athleticism and talent that earned him 69 starts in his first three seasons at U.Va., scoring seven points in a three-minute span. Yes, it all came in garbage time, but any points are significant points for Diane as he tries to re-establish himself in Leitao’s rotation.

“Just to see those shots go down, more than anything, that’s the feeling you want,” said Diane, who’s averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds this season.

As for his health, Diane said, “I’m feeling good. I’m feeling a lot better now than I have in a long time.”

 

Back To School
Jeff White
Jan 04, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – U.Va.’s spring semester begins Jan. 13. Among those expected to start classes then are quarterback Jameel Sewell, defensive back Chris Cook and linebacker Darnell Carter.

Sewell, Cook and Carter were among the four Virginia football players – wide receiver Chris Dalton was the fourth—placed on academic suspension about this time last year. Each was required to leave U.Va. for two semesters before returning.

I spoke this afternoon to Carter, who has stayed in touch with the other three. Dalton’s football career at U.Va. appears over – Western Carolina University is a possible destination—but Sewell, Cook and Carter will rejoin Al Groh’s program.

“I can’t wait,” Carter said.

The 6-3, 240-pound Carter, who’s from Englewood, N.J., has two seasons of eligibility left. As a redshirt freshman in 2007, he was listed on the second team at inside linebacker throughout the season but rarely got on the field. Carter appeared in seven games – for a total of 18 plays – and made one tackle.

In U.Va.’s 3-4 defense, the starting inside linebackers in 2006, ’07 and ’08 were Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby. Both are out of eligibility, and the only inside linebacker on Virginia’s 2009 roster with significant experience is rising senior Darren Childs.

“I’m definitely going to have an opportunity,“ Carter said.

So, of course, will Sewell and Cook, who were starters on the U.Va. team that won nine games in 2007. Sewell figures to battle Marc Verica and, perhaps, Vic Hall for the starting job at quarterback. Cook has been a cornerback at U.Va. – and an outstanding one—but might move to safety. All of Virginia’s cornerbacks from 2008, including Hall, Ras-I Dowling, Chase Minnifield, Mike Parker and Rodney McLeod, have eligibility remaining.

Carter said he spent the past year in Jersey, working at a locksmith’s office and and taking a couple of classes at Bergen Community College.

“It was really tough,” he said of being away from U.Va. “It was hard just sitting out and watching my team, but I got through it. It helped me mature.”

Sewell and Cook will be classified as fifth-year seniors next season.

 

Cavs whiff at home
After an impressive road win at Georgia Tech, Virginia can't keep up with No. 22 Xavier.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Perhaps inspired by an ACC-opening victory at Georgia Tech, a crowd of 10,174 showed up at John Paul Jones Arena in the mood for a competitive basketball game.

The mood passed quickly.

Virginia put on a clinic of how not to play basketball, at one point taking the floor with four players in an 84-70 loss Saturday to 22nd-ranked Xavier.

The Musketeers, who entered the game as 312-point favorites, led by as many as 28 points against a Cavaliers team that has lost three non-conference games at home.

After going 18-2 in their first 20 non-conference home games at JPA, which opened in 2006, the Cavaliers are 5-4 dating back to a 95-86 loss to Bradley in last year's College Basketball Invitational.

"The year before I got here, when they had Sean [Singletary] and J.R. [Reynolds] and Jason Cain, UVa couldn't lose at home," sophomore Mike Scott. "Even last year, it seemed like we were holding our own."

Virginia (6-5) had a chance to get the crowd in the game when it jumped to an early 6-0 lead, but even the fans knew UVa had squandered an opportunity to blow the game open.

By the time Xavier (11-2) scored its first points with 15:22 remaining in the first quarter, UVa already had missed five shots from the field and committed three turnovers.

"The way we started, taking the first punch, sometimes you don't get that back on the road," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "We subbed, a couple of bench players gave us a lift, and all of a sudden we got the game going in our direction."

The Musketeers outscored UVa 17-2 over a span of 6:01 in a blitz that was reminiscent of the teams' meeting last year in Cincinnati.

Xavier led that game 61-30 at the half en route to a 108-70 triumph.

"Last year was like one-in-a million, I mean Duke-like," said Miller, whose Musketeers trailed the Blue Devils 55-24 at the half this year before losing 82-64 in Durham, N.C.

"Keep in mind, our team last year was 30-7. We were in the elite eight, a No. 3 seed in the [NCAA] tournament and a very good team."

The Musketeers are no slouch this year and got as high as ninth in The Associated Press poll before suffering back-to-back losses to Butler and Robert Morris.

"We play, arguably, one of the top five schedules in college basketball when you consider who we've played and where we've played the games," Miller said.

Virginia, which trailed 42-26 at the break, ramped up its defense to start the second half but had its spirit broken when, twice in the space of three trips down the floor, Xavier scored field goals on its fourth shot of the possession.

By that point, Leitao had seen more than enough negatives.

"I didn't like the way we got out of the gate," he said. "Even when it was 15-8, I was really concerned because we weren't playing the game the way we had planned."

Nevertheless, when a Sammy Zeglinski turnover led to a Derek Brown slam with 13:22 left, Leitao had little choice other than to call a timeout.

The teams had been back on the floor for only seven seconds left before Leitao felt obliged to call another timeout. The Cavaliers had four players on the floor.

"It was either mis [communication] or a lack of communication as to who was going in for who," Leitao said.

If confidence is an issue for the Cavaliers, so is consistency.

In an 88-84 overtime victory Sunday at Georgia Tech, UVa had gotten a combined 40 points from the threesome of Jamil Tucker (15), Calvin Baker (13) and Mustapha Farrakhan (12), with Tucker and Farrakhan doing their work off the bench.

On Saturday, those three players combined for five points and were 0-for-11 from the field before Farrakhan bagged a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left.

Also hitting a late 3-pointer was senior Mamadi Diane, who was 0-for-21 from behind the arc before Saturday.

The Cavaliers were led, as they usually are, by freshman Sylven Landesberg. Landersberg, the leading scorer in the ACC, made 10 of 11 free throws and finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

"It's amazing how he can get fouled when part of your game plan is just to [prevent] that," Miller said. "He's certainly one of the best players we've played against, regardless of whether he's a freshman or not."

 

More growing pains as young Cavs fall to Xavier
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 4, 2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE

After last week's surprise win at Georgia Tech, a glimmer of a notion had begun to form around the Virginia Cavaliers, picked to finish last in the ACC.

Maybe, just maybe, the thinking went, these guys are better than people believed.

Hold those thoughts, after an 84-70 loss to No. 22 Xavier on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Musketeers, a 30-win team a year ago, and a physical, veteran bunch this season, survived some poor early shooting to control play on both ends, building a 28-point lead early in the second half.

"They showed us what a team with experience can do," Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg said.

Virginia displayed the inconsistency you'd expect from a team that starts three freshmen and a sophomore. Tenacious defensively at Georgia Tech, the Cavs were a step late on their rotations against Xavier. Competitive on the glass in Atlanta, they were hammered on the boards Saturday, giving up second, third, and, on one particularly frustrating trip, four shots to the Musketeers.

How bad did it get? In one telling second-half spurt, Xavier freshman Kenny Frease ripped the ball away from Virginia freshman Assane Sene. Xavier sophomore Jamel McLean, a Bethel High graduate, scored on a layup, was fouled, and converted the three-point play.

Derrick Brown, a junior forward, hit a jumper. Frease threw down a resounding dunk. Brown did him one better, driving the baseline unmolested and soaring even higher for a jam of his own.

U.Va. called a timeout, but burned another seconds later. The Cavaliers had come out with four players on the floor.

"That kind of sums it up right there," point guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "We weren't on the same page all game."

Virginia coach Dave Leitao didn't like the looks of things, even when Xavier had failed to score nearly five minutes into the game. The Musketeers were missing makeable shots. It was a matter of time before some of them started dropping.

Once they did, the Cavaliers had no answers. Xavier carved up U.Va. with a patient offense that emphasized ball movement, usually from the inside out. The Cavaliers' spread-and-drive approach was no match.

"Once we got through the first four minutes, our team settled in and played our brand of basketball for about 24 minutes," Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

Xavier's brand is pretty good. An elite-eight club last year, the Musketeers improved to 11-2 against a schedule ranked No. 2 in the nation. Their losses are to Duke and Butler. They've beaten Missouri, Virginia Tech, Memphis, Auburn and Cincinnati, among others.

The Musketeers start four players who weigh at least 225 pounds - all juniors and seniors - and bring McLean (6-8, 235) and Frease (7-0, 265) off the bench.

Guard B.J. Raymond led Xavier with 24 points. The smooth Landesberg, the leading scorer in the ACC, pumped in 25 for Virginia. But only Chesapeake's Mike Scott (16 points) had any success offensively against Xavier's beefy frontcourt.

Virginia (6-5) scrapped late to make the score respectable, but the overall impression was of a young team with a lot of work to do.

"Experience, to me, is the best asset you can have in a player or a team," Leitao said.

Without it, Virginia could have many more days like Saturday.

 

Bump-and-run affair
Virginia, which trails by as many as 28 points, can't get "on the same page" in Xavier's rout.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
January 4, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - As he trudged to the sideline during a timeout midway through the first half, Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski stared at the floor and shook his head in disbelief.

It was a reaction he'd repeat at least a half-dozen times Saturday before the end of U.Va.'s 84-70 loss to No. 22 Xavier, which used an 19-0 run during a five-minute first-half stretch and never looked back. U.Va. was unable cut the deficit to single digits in the final 30 minutes of the game.

"We just weren't ever really on the same page," said Zeglinski, a freshman who had eight points and six assists. "I think people are playing confidently. … There were too many lapses on the defensive end and they were able to do whatever they wanted for most of the game."

U.Va. (6-5) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held Xavier scoreless for the first 4 minutes and 44 seconds of the game. The Musketeers bounced back with their big run, capped by a 3-pointer from guard B.J. Raymond with 9:20 left in the first half to put Xavier ahead 23-8.

"One of my concerns coming into the game was our ability to be able to match their mind-set," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said. "When you're going against a team that has a number of guys that have a lot of experience, they've been to a final eight and traditionally are deep in the NCAA tournament, they are able to play through a lot."

Raymond led Xavier (11-2) with 24 points, while guard Dante Jackson and center Kenny Frease came off the bench to contribute 13 points each. Frease, a 7-foot freshman, added eight rebounds.

"With the way we started, with the crowd ready and Virginia ready, we took that first punch, so to speak, and sometimes you don't get that back on the road," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "I thought once we got through the first four minutes, our team settled in and played our brand of basketball for about 24 minutes."

Xavier's bench outscored U.Va.'s bench 24-1 in the first half, and 37-15 for the game. U.Va.'s guards were a combined 5-for-25 from the floor in the first half.

Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg led U.Va. with 25 points to go along with seven rebounds. Forward Mike Scott was U.Va.'s only other player in double figures with 16 points. Center Assane Sene had six points and 11 rebounds, both career highs.

"Going to the basket was kind of hard," Landesberg said. "They could block a lot of shots or interfere with you. You had to change your shot up, so it was tough. If you tried to take somebody off the dribble, they could keep up with you. It was just real hard trying to create something."

Forward Derrick Brown, who entered the game leading Xavier with 14.2 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half. He had eight points in the second half, including four during a 13-0 run that extended Xavier's lead to 60-32 with 13 minutes left. Bethel High graduate Jamel McLean, a sophomore forward, came off the bench to score five points, all in the second half.

Coming into the game, Xavier's opponents were shooting 37.4 percent from the floor. U.Va. finished with a 37.5-percent field-goal percentage. Xavier shot 44.6 percent from the floor.

"They're physical," Leitao said. "They're always in front of you. If you beat somebody, there's always a one or two-guy rotation. They don't give up 37 percent for (no good reason). It's not false. It's a real number."

 

Virginia men routed by visiting Xavier
By Chris Lang
Published: January 4, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The game was already decided by the time Virginia completely unraveled Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena. No. 22 Xavier was in cruise control, having built a 26-point lead in what would ultimately be an 84-70 victory.

Virginia called a timeout with 13:22 left in the second half. On the bench, guard Calvin Baker was barking angrily at freshman center Assane Sene. After the timeout, point guard Sammy Zeglinski took an inbounds pass, dribbled six times and stopped when he heard a whistle. Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao, having called a second timeout in seven seconds, shook his head in disgust.

Somehow, Virginia came out of the timeout with just four men on the floor.

“I guess that pretty much sums up the whole game,” Zeglinski said. “We were never on the same page. We weren’t communicating as well as we needed to be to beat a good team like Xavier.”

That was evident from the start. Virginia (6-5) built a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, but Leitao knew it was fool’s gold. His team’s defense didn’t pass the eye test. Shots were uncontested. Lanes open. Xavier was simply missing shots. Once the Musketeers (11-2) started hitting, the game was over.

Xavier used a 19-0 run to turn an 8-4 deficit into a 23-8 lead with 9:19 left in the first half. During the spurt, Xavier hit 8 of 12 field goals. Virginia missed all eight shots it attempted and turned the ball over four times.

“I didn’t like how we came out of the gate defensively,” Leitao said. “Things that were specifically worked on weren’t there. The naked eye couldn’t really see it, but there were some specific things. I was concerned when they got up 15-8 or so, because we weren’t playing the game the way we had planned to play it.”

Xavier stretched the lead to 42-26 by halftime, but it was the first nine minutes of the second half that left the Cavaliers in complete disarray. The Musketeers outscored Virginia 18-6 to start the second half, getting contributions from five different players during the run, including guard B.J. Raymond, who led Xavier with 24 points.

“You worry when you have a big halftime lead,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “You know the other team’s cornered, the coach is angry. You know they’re on their home court and have a lot of pride. You really worry about that during the first six, eight minutes of the second half. We had to call a timeout early to say, ‘I told you so,’ to our team, to make sure we held serve.”

Virginia held Derrick Brown, Xavier’s leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, to eight points. But the Musketeers got big contributions off the bench, as Dante’ Jackson and Kenny Frease scored 13 points apiece.

The turn of events left Virginia players struggling to comprehend how they could play so well Sunday at Georgia Tech and so poorly at home six days later.

Sylven Landesberg scored 25 points and Mike Scott added 16, but no one else on the team scored more than eight points. The Cavaliers got 28 points combined from Baker and Jamil Tucker in Atlanta, but neither player showed up Saturday. Baker was ineffective in 22 minutes, as he missed all six of his field-goal attempts and finished with no points, a rebound and a turnover.

Tucker, who has scored in double figures six times this season, seemingly made his way back into Leitao’s doghouse, getting into quick foul trouble in the first half and playing just four minutes after the break. He was held scoreless for the second time in the last four games.

“If you’re going to be a good team, you have to have balance,” Leitao said. “You can’t expect that one or two guys are going to carry you, particularly when they’re younger. And it’s not just scoring. We’re going to have to get more from other people on a regular basis.”

That means a stronger effort defensively from the outset of games, a concept young teams often struggle to grasp. After Tuesday’s game here against Brown, Virginia will likely be the underdog in every game it plays the rest of the season.

Landesberg, for one, knows another defensive effort like Saturday’s won’t fly, especially with games at Virginia Tech, vs. No. 1 North Carolina and at Maryland upcoming.

“I think we’re a team with a lot of heart,” Landesberg said. “But that heart disappeared for a little bit.”

DRIBBLES: Sene had a game- and career-high 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. … Virginia guard Mamadi Diane, who had missed his first 21 3-point attempts this year, finally hit one in the second half, and the crowd of 10,174 gave him a long standing ovation. Diane scored seven points. … In two blowout victories over the Cavaliers in the last two seasons, Xavier shot 25 for 48 from 3-point range. … Zeglinski tied a season high with six assists. … Solomon Tat hit two free throws, his first points of the season.

 

New year, old result: Xavier rolls Cavs
January 4, 2009 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

Xavier men's basketball coach Sean Miller knew not to expect a repeat of last season's 38-point nonconference victory over Virginia.

"Last year was like a one-in-a-million [performance]," Miller said. "It had a lot more to do with us having one of those bizarre nights where everything we shot went in."

Well, the No. 22 Musketeers visited Virginia yesterday for a rematch, and the result wasn't much different.

The Cavaliers fell behind by as many as 28 points in front of 10,174 at John Paul Jones Arena en route to another humbling loss to Xavier, 84-70.

Virginia was paced by standout freshman guard Sylven Landesberg's 25 points, but it was nowhere near enough as the Cavaliers (6-5) failed to build on a solid road win over Georgia Tech last week.

"After [the Musketeers] made a few executions on offense and they started stepping their defense up a little bit, we backed down a little," Landesberg said. "That's what happened."

Those likely aren't encouraging words for Virginia supporters to hear.

Neither was Landesberg's assertion that Xavier (11-2) "was punking us on the backboards" and that the Musketeers "were doing whatever they wanted."

It's probably also displeasing to know the Cavaliers were so unfocused at one point yesterday that they came out of a timeout with just four players on the floor.

When head coach Dave Leitao recognized the blunder, he immediately called another timeout.

"It was just a [mistake] or lack of communication of who was going in for who," Leitao said.

It didn't matter who was on the court for the Cavaliers yesterday.

They led 6-0 five minutes into the contest, but the Musketeers immediately responded with a 23-2 run that put them ahead 23-8 after a 3-pointer from senior guard B.J. Raymond (team-high 24 points).

Leitao admitted he was worried once the margin reached 15-8.

"I didn't like how we came out of the gate defensively," Leitao said. "Things that we specifically worked on weren't there."

Xavier had no such problems. Miller said the final 15 minutes of the first half and the first nine of the second half featured action that was "about as well as we have played all season."

The Musketeers held Virginia to 29 percent shooting in the first half, including a 5-for-25 showing from its starting and reserve guards.

Xavier took a 60-32 lead on a Raymond jumper with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

"I thought once we got through the first four minutes, our team settled in and played our brand of basketball," Miller said.

The Cavaliers haven't quite figured out what their brand is. Leitao said that's mostly because he has a young team that includes three freshman starters.

However, youth hasn't exactly been Virginia's downfall. The Cavaliers' junior and senior classes combined for just nine points yesterday, all after the game was well out of reach. Juniors Calvin Baker and Jamil Tucker were held scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting from the floor.

They didn't contribute in other ways, either, which is perhaps more troubling to Leitao.

"We're going to have to get more people to rebound, people to take more charges, get more deflections," Leitao said. "I think when we don't get that, it puts more pressure on those guys that have been scoring, to score. That's not going to win you too, too many battles."

Virginia will try to rebound on Tuesday when it hosts Brown.

 

Musketeers too tough for Cavs
By Whitey Reid
Published: January 4, 2009

After last season’s 38-point loss on the road to Xavier, some semblance of payback was one of the goals for the Virginia men’s basketball team heading into Saturday’s rematch at John Paul Jones Arena.
Instead, UVa penned a hideous sequel.
Virginia, coming off an impressive ACC road-opening victory at Georgia Tech last weekend, took about three steps backward in this matinee.
No. 22 Xavier, behind 24 points from B.J. Raymond, embarrassed UVa for the second straight season — this time on its own home court. The final score was 84-70 — but it wasn’t nearly that close. At one point in the second half, Virginia trailed by 28.
“One of my concerns heading into the game,” said UVa coach Dave Leitao, “was to be able to match a mindset.”
The Wahoos didn’t come close.
The gutty, savvy play that was on hand in Atlanta was nowhere to be found. At one point in the second half, the Cavaliers had to call timeout when only four players were on the court. The faux pas was emblematic of Virginia’s entire performance.
“This was real upsetting,” said UVa freshman Sylven Landesberg, who, once again, was one of the few players who showed up — he scored a game-high 25 points. “We went out there and played hard for the first few minutes, but then I don’t know what happened — it just disappeared. I’ve never been down by that [many points] in my life — that kind of deficit.
“I think we’re a team with a lot of heart, but that heart disappeared for a little bit.”
Virginia, which trailed by 16 at the half, essentially imploded for good on back-to-back sequences early in the second half.
First, Xavier big man Kenny Frease threw down a two-hand tomahawk dunk. Then, on the very next possession, facing equally lax resistance, Derrick Brown paraded down the lane for a sweet windmill jam that put the Musketeers up, 58-32.
“That was probably the turning point for Xavier,” said Virginia sophomore Mike Scott (16 points and 5 rebounds), noting that UVa had pulled to within 15 a few minutes before.
The first half was an odd one. Virginia (6-5) held Xavier scoreless for nearly the first five minutes, but only led 6-0 due to some equally stingy Musketeer defense.
After a jumper by Landesberg put Virginia up 8-4, UVa went scoreless for almost six minutes as Xavier — buoyed by the jumpshooting of Brad Redford — went on a 19-0 run to take a 23-8 lead.
“We took their first punch, so to speak,” said Xavier coach Sean Miller, “I thought once we got through that first four minutes, our team settled in and played our brand of basketball.”
Xavier shot 47 percent from the field (42 percent for 3-point range) as Virginia shot just 29 percent (22 percent from 3).
“They are a terrific defensive team,” Leitao said. “They’re physical and are always in front of you. If you beat somebody, there is always a one- or two-guy rotation. They don’t give up 37-percent [shooting for the season] for no reason. That’s not false. That’s a real number.
“I thought in order to counteract that, we would have to move the ball around a lot and find the best shot every time down, and we didn’t do that. And when you don’t play defense well, it puts more pressure on your offense.”
Xavier, which has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, improved to 11-2.
“I’m very, very proud of our team,” Miller said. “Anytime you can come into the ACC on their home court and leave with a hard-fought victory, I think any program relishes those opportunities, and certainly we do.”
For Virginia, it’s back to the drawing board. The Cavs wrap up their non-conference schedule when they host Brown on Tuesday night before traveling to Virginia Tech on Saturday.
“Last year was a lot worse I thought,” said Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski, when asked to compare the two Xavier debacles. “We got off to a good start when it was 6-0, but just like that the game switched and we weren’t ever able to get back into it.”
Dunks
Mamadi Diane made his first 3-pointer of the season after missing his first 21. He finished with seven points. …Calvin Baker missed all six of his shot attempts. …Junior Solomon Tat made his first appearance since the team’s loss to Liberty on Nov. 25. He had two points in nine minutes. …Assane Sene, making his first start at home, had a career-high 11 rebounds. …Sammy Zeglinski tied a career-high with six assists.

 

Lights off for Virginia at home
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: January 4, 2009

Standing outside the locker room at Georgia Tech last Sunday evening, Virginia coach Dave Leitao was happy with his team’s road upset over the Yellow Jackets. Happy, but not giddy.
He knew rougher days lied ahead. Saturday was one of those days.
Leitao thought that while perhaps a light had clicked on for a few of his guys in Atlanta, he couldn’t predict if it would disappear just as quickly. In yesterday’s 84-70 home loss to No. 22 Xavier, we all saw what Leitao was talking about.
While the crawl at the bottom of your TV screen will point out it was a 14-point loss, it was actually much worse. The Cavaliers trailed by 28 at one point and it may have remained that way had the visiting Musketeers kept their foot on the pedal.
The 10,174 fans who showed up expected a little more from their team. So did Leitao, who warned the Cavs all week about what would happen if they didn’t bring the same intensity to the table as they did against Georgia Tech.
Virginia’s hopes of pulling off a second straight upset sailed off the tracks at about 2:15 p.m. when the Cavs couldn’t stand their own prosperity. They led 8-4 when Xavier would have had a hard time tossing a beach ball into the ocean.
Noticing the holes
Leitao could see it coming even if his players couldn’t. Coaches spot things, little leaks in the wall that explode into a flood of problems.
This one was a 23-2 run by the Musketeers. When they were done, Virginia trailed 23-8 and things were never the same.
Game, set, match.
“After we got up 6-0, the margin was large enough that any one specific thing, negatively, would hurt us,” Leitao said. “I didn’t like how we came out of the gate defensively, things that we specifically worked on weren’t there. The naked eye couldn’t really see it, some specific things. We weren’t playing the game the way we planned to play it.”
While the coach probably meant the untrained eye couldn’t see Virginia’s misgivings, fans did see the results.
A repeat performance
Leitao remembered how Xavier took the Cavaliers apart last year in Cincinnati. That was an Elite Eight group of Musketeers that finished 30-7. He warned his team that no matter what happened this time around, Xavier wouldn’t reach for the panic button and he was correct.
However, after breaking down film all week on Xavier’s offense, about the cuts and screens the Musketeers used, it was as if all that intelligence had simply bounced over the Cavaliers’ skulls.
“We did it the first part of the game, but after that, [Xavier] made their run and took control,” said UVa forward Mike Scott who had 16 points on a 7 of 10 shooting performance. “Sometimes we fall asleep on ‘D’ ... I know I do.”
The lulls come on the offensive side of things as well, even though Leitao always insists that offensive shortcomings are derived from defensive issues.
“We go for too long and get into a funk offensively where we can’t get anything going,” said Cavaliers guard Sam Zeglinski (eight points, six assists, five rebounds). “That leads to bad shots, which leads to transition for them. They go on a run. The prime example was today when [Xavier] went on that run and we weren’t able to stop it soon enough before it got out of hand.”
Sensational rookie Sylven Landesberg, whom Xavier coach Sean Miller described as one of the best players his team has faced during an impressive 11-2 start against a challenging schedule, admitted the Cavs didn’t bring the same intensity to their home court as they did Georgia Tech’s a week ago.
“We’ve got to learn to keep that up the whole game against good teams,” said Landesberg, who led all scorers with 25 points, the seventh 20-point game of the season for the ACC’s early scoring leader. “It’s just execution, aggressiveness, keeping intensity the whole game.”
He believed his teammates had some of that at the beginning and at the end when the outcome was academic. But there was that glaring gap in between.
Leitao hinted after the Georgia Tech win that experience, or rather a lack of it, would play a role in every Virginia game this year, that his team would be a work in progress.
Landesberg stopped short of going there.
“I don’t want to blame it on that (inexperience),” the freshman said. “We backed down a little. Xavier did whatever it wanted.”
He was clearly bothered by getting hammered so decisively on his home court, a feeling we suspect Leitao would like to see spread throughout the ranks of his team.
“I’ve never been down by that much in my life, that kind of a deficit,” said Landesberg, a former McDonald’s All-American. “We’re a team with a lot of heart, but that heart disappeared for a little bit today.”
He wasn’t throwing his teammates under the bus because he accepted part of the blame as well.
“There were times we all weren’t playing hard,” Landesberg said. “We can’t have some people ready to play one day and some people not ready to play. We’ve got to all come together.”
Three Cavs that played major roles in the upset in Atlanta barely left a mark on the Musketeers. Guard Calvin Baker (13 points and the game-winner), guard Mustapha Farrakhan (12), and forward Jamil Tucker (15) were difference-makers against the Jackets.
On Saturday, they combined for five points (all by Farrakhan in the second half).
From this viewpoint it appears Virginia’s performance will be about as predictable as one of those cheap mood rings one finds in a gum machine.
Will the lights be on, off, flickering? Even Leitao doesn’t know and that’s why he’s selling defense so that he can at least have something to count on.
But are his players buying?