Singletary saves Cavs
Freshman connects on game-winner to lift Virginia to much-needed win
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 6, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Cavaliers somehow turned their house of horrors into their funhouse Saturday night as UVa coach Pete Gillen delivered on a week-old promise.

Sean Singletary’s putback with 2.2 seconds remaining lifted Virginia to a 64-62 victory over N.C. State on Saturday night at the RBC Center.

The win snapped a three-game slide by the Cavaliers and was their first victory in this building and the first at N.C. State in general since 1997.

“I’m very proud of our team. We played with courage against a very good team and in their building. We played with tenacity and toughness,” Gillen said.

The win was just Gillen’s 11th ACC road triumph and the team’s first since a victory at Clemson last season. Virginia had dropped all of its previous road games this season, including a 98-79 setback at Providence on Wednesday that gave little to no indication that the Cavaliers could produce the effort they did Saturday.

Even more uncharacteristic than winning a game on the road was how the Cavaliers won it and who contributed. Last week, Gillen had insisted there would be changes after last Saturday’s 110-76 home loss to North Carolina. No changes were evident Wednesday in Providence but they certainly were Saturday.

Gillen started a lineup that included Devin Smith, J.R. Reynolds, Singletary, T.J. Bannister and Jason Cain. Smith and Bannister each scored 14 points; Singletary had 11 while Cain had seven points and nine rebounds. That lineup put second-leading scorer Elton Brown on the bench though Gillen insisted that change was not made for any disciplinary reasons. Brown played just five minutes and finished with seven points.

“Jason Cain came up big. We thought about redshirting him at one point. … We decided to go with a smaller lineup. We thought that was our best chance for a win,” Gillen said. “Elton wasn’t benched. It wasn’t discipline but he wasn’t playing his best and this kind of game is not his strength.”

N.C. State (13-9, 3-6 ACC) was paced by 20 points from Tony Bethel but received just six points from Julius Hodge, who was hounded constantly by UVa defenders.

Not only were there alterations to the lineup but also Gillen implemented a patient spread offense that frequently had the Cavaliers exhausting much of the shot clock. It was an offense that Gillen inserted in the team’s lone practice since returning from Providence.

“We had one day of practice. We did it in one day. Will we do it every game? Who knows. We just wanted to give our team the best chance to win,” Gillen said.

The Cavaliers were visibly uncomfortable and uncertain with the offense at the game’s start but slowly that diminished. Virginia ended the first half on an 8-0 run and when Smith swished a trey to beat the halftime buzzer, the Cavaliers led 31-20 at intermission.

“It was hard because you want to get out running and sprinting. Coach Gillen told us to be patient and we were but it took a little while,” Bannister said.

The Cavaliers briefly pushed their advantage to 14 early in the second half but the Wolfpack wiped that out and regained the lead with approximately 10 minutes left in the game.

The game dissolved into a nip-and-tuck affair after that with each time running their own methodical offenses.

A Cain dunk gave Virginia a 61-60 lead with 2:18 remaining but Hodge scored on the next possession to make it 61-60. Then, Singletary made the first of two big plays in the waning moments.

First, he hit a jumper for the 62-61 advantage with 1:16 left. Virginia then actually stole an errant N.C. State pass on the ensuing possession but relinquished the ball on a tie-up situation. Simmons went 1 of 2 from the line to tie the game with 16 seconds left and that set up Singletary’s heroics.

Singletary drove the lane and missed his initial shot but grabbed the rebound in mid-air and put it back.

“We wanted Sean to go one-on-one. He made a heck of a move and then tapped in his own shot. It was an extremely athletic play,” Gillen said.

The 6-foot Singletary was asked if he could ever remember winning a game by rebounding his own miss.

“I can’t remember any. I had a bunch of game-winning shots in high school but not like this,” Singletary said.

After re-calibrating the clock to 2.2 seconds left, N.C. State inbounded the ball, Cain knocked the pass away and the horn sounded. Game over right? Not exactly. The clock was started too quickly and the end result was essentially a do over. N.C. State missed its second chance and finally Virginia had its much-needed victory.

“I was very concerned but it was the right call. I was like, ‘Oh, God’ and thought it was Murphy’s Law but fortunately Cain makes the steal and we win,” Gillen said.

The win drew a tremendous elation for the Virginia bench, reflecting just how desperate the Cavaliers were for a win.

“We were desperate for a win and we got it. It was great and will help our confidence,” Singletary said.

Unordinary dominates rare road win
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 6, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - A more appropriate dateline for this story should probably read BIZZARO WORLD, you know, the one in the Superman comics where everything is backward.
Virginia’s basketball team turned this ACC series topsy-turvy Saturday night when the Cavaliers halted a seven-year losing streak in Raleigh. But it was more of how they did it than actually pulling off the feat.
When UVa returned from Providence, R.I., in the wee hours of Wednesday night’s lopsided defeat to the Friars, coach Pete Gillen was faced with the reality of heading into the second half of the ACC schedule with a 1-7 league record. The next game was against the Wolfpack, a team the Cavs had experienced trouble with normally because of State’s size and athletic ability.

Change of plans
Having been elected mayor of Stupidville some time ago by critics and naysayers who claimed he couldn’t coach a lick, Gillen returned to his laboratory of hoops and devised a plan to give his tail spinning basketball team a chance.
Gillen’s strategy worked as the Wahoos stopped their ACC bleeding with a 64-62, last-second upset at the RBC Center.
Concerned about his big men (primarily center Elton Brown) guarding State’s more skilled big guys 25 feet away from the basket, Gillen decided to go with a small lineup. Additionally, in the past few seasons, the Wolfpack have triple-teamed Brown down low, sometimes getting away with uncalled fouls, which has led to Brown’s frustration and Virginia’s complete unraveling.
Gillen came up with the idea to start a three-guard lineup with point guards Sean Singletary, T.J. Bannister and shooting guard J.R. Reynolds, along with power forward Devin Smith and sparsely-used forward Jason Cain, who is an athletic, 6-10 sophomore who can run the floor.
The idea, offensively, was to spread the floor and use smaller, quicker players to drive relentlessly to the hoop. Defensively, it was to use the same athleticism to stay with State’s larger skilled guys out on the perimeter where Wolfpack shooters had enjoyed overwhelming success against the Hoos in recent years.

A little different
Last year in this same building, seven different State players hit 3-pointers as the Wolfpack connected on 11 of 27 from the Bonusphere, including 7 of 15 in the second half as State blew out the Cavs, 86-69.
Not this time. The Wolfpack, second in the ACC in 3-point accuracy coming into the game, hit only 5 of 20 attempts. And Ilian Evtimov, the second-leading long-range bomber in the league, hit only one from downtown while being held to a mere three points.
State appeared bewildered by Virginia’s out-of-the-blue
strategy, particularly in the first half when the Cavaliers, last in the league in field goal percentage, last in the league in field goal percentage defense and last in the league in rebounding margin, held overwhelming advantages in each category.
Virginia shot 60.9 percent from the field, held State to 47 percent (28 percent from beyond the arch) and owned a commanding presence on the boards, 17 to 5 (no, that’s not a typo) at intermission.
What did we say about Bizarro World?
“We did not anticipate them going small and spreading it out,” said N.C. State coach Herb Sendek, whose team dropped to 13-9, 3-6. “That really shortened the game and when we gave up the lead we just made it even more difficult on ourselves.”
Of course he didn’t anticipate Gillen’s move. It was bold, maybe even a bit desperate at this time of the season.
But it worked.
“We had one day at practice to work on this different type of offense and we talked about it a little Thursday and walked through it. We did it in one day, maybe 10 or 15 minutes,” Gillen said.
At times, particularly in the first half, Gillen was the most animated, standing near midcourt, arms waving furiously like a traffic cop, barking out instructions to his team, trying to direct them to the most effective place on the floor in the new scheme.
“As the game went on we got in the flow of it,” Gillen said.
Leading 34-23 at the half, UVa owned a 14-point bulge at 39-25 before the predictable second-half lull. State’s 11-2 run cut it to 41-36 before the Wolfpack took a 46-45 lead as the team’s leapfrogged one another until the final minute.
That’s when State’s Cedric Simmons hit a free throw to tie it for the last time at 62-all with 16 seconds to play.
Gillen designed the final play, sort of like the old San Antonio Spurs’ 1-4 offense with George “the Iceman” Gervin at the point.
This time, Singletary was Gervin.
“We just went flat with four guys to the baseline, and since we thought Sean could be creative we put him down there on the one-on-one,” Gillen said. “It was a great athletic play by him.”
Singletary drove the lane and put up a shot over Julius Hodge, which missed. But Singletary followed his shot, grabbed the rebound and scored the game-winner with 2.2 seconds to play.
How bizarre was it that Bannister, who hasn’t played that significant a role all season, was a key figure in driving directly into the teeth of State’s big men, drawing fouls, hitting 8 of 10 free throws?
How bizarre was it that Cain, clocked 34 minutes, had a career-high nine rebounds and seven points?
Brown, who played only four minutes in the game and openly showed his disdain while resting on the bench, still scored seven points.
Indeed, it was bizarre. But that’s what Bizarro World is all about.

Former MHS QB picks UVa
Sanford headed to Cavs as preferred walk-on
By Jerry Miller / Daily Progress staff writer
February 6, 2005

Covenant football coach Mark Sanford has a picture hanging on the wall in his basement of two short, wide-eyed, big-eared kids standing next to former Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore.

The two kids, his oldest son Mark and his youngest boy Joseph, must have been no more than five or six-years-old at the time, the coach recounts.

“Man, I was really, really little then,” Joseph said of the picture. “I was wearing a No. 7 Boomer Esiason jersey. I had no idea who [Shawn Moore] was, but my dad made it seem like a big deal. I just wanted to hug a star player and he was there.”

Forget the Bengals jersey, Joseph. A well-earned Virginia football uniform is coming your way.

Former Monticello star quarterback Joseph Sanford has accepted a “preferred walk-on” offer from the University of Virginia, turning down a similar offer from North Carolina.

“I went down to UNC over the summer to watch practice. I saw some people standing around and watching,” Joseph said. “When I went to Virginia’s practice, everyone was flying around not standing. I liked how everyone was participating in practice and going hard.”

Joseph, who is currently prepping at Bridgton Academy in Maine, helped lead the Mustangs to the VHSL Group AA, Division 3 State Championship game in 2003 - a game the Mustangs ended up losing to offensive juggernaut Gretna.

Joseph, a senior at the time, pushed the Mustangs to an 11-3 record while posting sensational numbers under center during the championship run.

As a senior, Joseph passed for 2,906 yards, good for 7th all-time in VHSL single season history.

He earned first-team Jefferson, second-team All-Region II and second-team All-State honors while sharing Central Virginia Offensive Player of the Year recognition with Bryan Lescanec, a Western Albemarle graduate who also accepted a “preferred walk-on” offer from UVa, during the memorable run to Group AA, Divison 3’s featured matchup.

Sanford’s 4,561 career passing yards eclipsed Woodberry Forest product Tim Olmstead’s record in setting a new Central Virginia all-time passing mark.

“He’s very smart and makes good decisions,” said Monticello coach Brud Bicknell, who not only has coached the Mustangs for the past seven seasons but also spent four years as the quarterback’s coach at Division I Tulane.

“Joe really has a feel for open areas and has the touch a quarterback needs to get the ball to receivers in tight spaces.”

Sanford considers the move from Maine back home to Charlottesville a homecoming of sorts.

“I’m 16 hours away now,” he said. “After Christmas break, I was feeling a little homesick so coming back home to Charlottesville is going to be an easy change.”

In choosing Virginia over Carolina, Sanford is following in his father’s footsteps. Mark Sanford, Sr. was a Cavalier fullback from 1977-1982.

“Growing up in the area, I took him over there to meet the players so he kind of grew up around the program,” the elder Sanford said. “Because I was there a lot, he would tag-along. … Most fathers would say it’s a dream come true. I’m very proud of him.”

Alexander eager to resurrect Cavs
Commentary by Aaron McFarling
The Roanoke Times

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The man who wants to revive University of Virginia men's basketball is standing in a crowded hotel lobby, grabbing a continental breakfast.

And boy, is he hearing it. "Anybody see that UVa game last night against Providence?"

"Ha, ha! Cory, that was a blowout!"

Cory Alexander, 31, surveys his Roanoke Dazzle teammates. He's outnumbered.

"Man, blowout isn't even the word for it," he confesses. "Right now we're not even going to talk about Virginia. From now on, when we talk about me, we're going to talk about Oak Hill."

He's joking, of course. There might not be anyone in this world more proud of his alma mater than Alexander, the point guard who led UVa to the Elite 8 in 1995.

And with his next statement, he proves it.

"Y'all will see me up there next year," he tells his teammates. "Those of you still in Roanoke, come up and see our games."

"You coaching next year?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Alexander says. "They might throw that lack of experience thing out, but..."

He's going for it. It's his dream job. Has been for years. He wants to be the next head coach of the Cavaliers.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that athletic director Craig Littlepage will actually hire Alexander. People who have been around this sport a lot longer than I have know it's almost impossible for someone with no coaching experience to be given the reins of an ACC team.

But I will say this: The more you listen to Alexander, the more impressive he becomes. And whoever replaces Pete Gillen - assuming he is let go - would be very wise to keep this youngster nearby.

"I don't want people to look at it from the standpoint that I just want to coach," Alexander said on the bus Friday, as his Dazzle continued a seven-day road trip. "Because I don't just want to coach. I want to coach at UVa. I don't want to coach in the NBA. I don't want to coach at the University of Richmond or VCU. I want to coach at UVa."

He says it's the only job that could lure him away from the court, where he is averaging 16 points a game and is second in the NBDL in assists.

A former NBA player who lives in Richmond, Alexander chose to play for the Dazzle this year instead of spending another season in Europe so he could stay close to his alma mater and follow its progress. And while he doesn't criticize Gillen, he is frustrated with the team's struggles and admits "the writing is on the wall" that a coaching change will likely be made.

If that happens, he plans to contact Littlepage and apply for the job. The head job.

"I know the negatives already," Alexander said. "People will say I don't have any experience, but I look at it this way: Who has more experience than I do?

"I feel like I have the personality to recruit. Any kid that I will go into their home and sit down and talk to, there is nothing that they can ask me about that I haven't experienced. I've been exactly where they were. I was a McDonald's All-American. I was recruited by every school in the country, and I chose the University of Virginia. So I personally feel as though I would be a better salesperson than anyone else in trying to convince them to come to their school."

Alexander enjoys the camaraderie of playing with younger guys in the NBDL, most of whom are just a year or two out of college. He takes mental notes of the changes between the college game now from when he played a decade ago.

He says he's thought about this ever since he left school. And while his goal is to be the head coach, he would consider an assistant job if the right pieces were in place.

"At the end of the day, if they wouldn't consider me or whatever, then I'm still going to be a UVa alumnus," Alexander said. "I'm still going to be a UVa fan, I'm still going to respect the program. I'm not going to just going to walk away from it and say, 'Forget you guys.'

"I'll always be a part of the UVa family. That'll never change."

No questions there. Hours later, after a light practice at the old Crown Coliseum, Alexander spotted Fayetteville Patriots trainer Mike Smith wheeling the balls off the court. Alexander, aware that Smith is a UVa graduate, extended his hand to shake.

"Wahoowah, my man," Alexander said. "See you tomorrow."

Cavs get needed win
UVa coach Pete Gillen milks the clock and sits Elton Brown as the Cavs upset N.C. State.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

RALEIGH, N.C. - When all else failed, Virginia came up with a plan Saturday that defied logic.

If you can't play defense, stop playing offense, too. Wearing sneakers in support of the Coaches vs. Cancer crusade, Gillen looked like he had pulled a rabbit out of a magician's hat.

"I might wear them the rest of the season," said Gillen after his Cavaliers had won for the first time in six trips to the RBC Center, 64-62.

Virginia came from behind three times in the final 2:18, the last when freshman point guard Sean Singletary rebounded his own miss with 1.7 seconds left.

"I wasn't going to give up on the play," said Singletary, who played the last 9:45 with four fouls. "I was determined to make something happen."

In a scene straight out of the 1972 Olympics, Virginia intercepted N.C. State's in-bounds pass following Singletary's basket, only to have the officials rule that the horn had sounded inadvertently. After the clock was reset to 2.2 seconds, UVa sophomore Jason Cain intercepted the Wolfpack's final effort.

"It's buzzard's luck," Gillen said. "I found out I'm not Irish. I'm Welsh and Panamanian."

Once known for his quips, Gillen hadn't uttered a one-liner like that since December. An 11 1/2 -point underdog Saturday night, UVa had lost three games in a row, seven of eight and eight of 10. The Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7 ACC) were working on a five-game road losing streak.

Moreover, UVa had given up 79 points or more in 10 straight games, including a 98-79 loss Wednesday night at Providence, where the Friars scored 58 points in the second half.

Gillen responded to that debacle by benching senior center Elton Brown, who was averaging 14.9 points and ranked third in the ACC in rebounds with 9.3 per game. Instead, the Cavaliers went with a three-guard lineup that included 5-foot-10 sophomore T.J. Bannister, who was averaging 3.8 points and shooting 28.3 percent from the field.

Bannister scored a season-high 14 points, hitting eight of 10 free throws, and the Cavaliers outrebounded the Wolfpack 33-22.

The rebounding differential in the first half was a staggering 17-5. Cain had more rebounds - seven - than State had as a team.

Often holding the ball for 15-20 seconds before starting its offense, Virginia grabbed a 34-21 halftime lead and extended its margin to 14 points on two occasions in the second half. However, the Wolfpack (13-9, 3-6) rallied behind junior guard Tony Bethel, who scored a game-high 20 points in his third game since returning from a lengthy illness.

Bethel's basket with 9:30 left capped a 12-0 run that put the Wolfpack on top 48-45, but Virginia did not crumble. The Cavaliers slapped the floor at the start of numerous late game defensive series and held on despite making just six field goals in the second half.

"We started putting heads down," Gillen said. "We said, 'Hey, get your heads up. We're going to win.' I threw the [clip] board down. Pieces went all over the place. We sometimes get a little bit frazzled."

Brown did not come into the game until 10:21 remained in the first half and, in the space of five seconds, fouled Engin Atsur on a three-point attempt, which resulted in a four-point play. Brown had five points in two minutes in the first half; he finished with seven points in five minutes.

"We benched him because, quite frankly, he hadn't been playing his best," Gillen said. "We can't have our big men guarding their skilled big guys 25 feet from the basket. We haven't been able to do that the last number of years."

The Cavaliers prevailed on a night when third-leading scorer J.R. Reynolds went 0-for-7 from the field, missed the front end of a late one-and-one when UVa was leading by two, then fouled out with 3:01 left. On the other hand, Reynolds held 2003-04 ACC Player of the Year Julius Hodge to six points.

"Our unsung hero," Gillen called Reynolds.

Tempered by adversity, Singletary soldiers on
By ED MILLER , The Virginian-Pilot
© February 5, 2005

Sixteenth and Susquehanna, that was the spot. One of many spots.

Sean Singletary knew them all, the places where the best pickup games in Philadelphia could be found.

Click here He haunted those courts from age 15, playing against current and former college stars, even the occasional pro. When there were no games to be found, he’d create his own.

“There would be random times when he would just need a rim and a ball,” recalled Jim Phillips, Singletary’s former coach at Penn Charter High. At those times, maybe early on a Sunday morning, Phillips’ phone would ring and, he recalls, the conversations went something like this:

“Coach, what are you doing?”

“Nothing, why?”

“Can you open the gym?”

Even by himself, Singletary didn’t mess around, jacking up 3-point shots or working on flashy moves.

“With a rim and a ball in a gym, he can put himself through the most rigorous workout you’ve ever seen without competition,” Phillips said. “He’d push himself to levels most kids his age would never push themselves to.”

That drive and competitiveness made Singletary one of the top high school point guards in the nation and the jewel of Virginia’s recruiting class of 2004. It has made him one of the top freshmen in the ACC, a three-time winner of the rookie-of-the-week award.

It has also led to mounting frustration as the Cavaliers’ season has imploded. Virginia has lost seven of its last eight and sits in last place (1-7) at the halfway point of the ACC season. The last seven losses have come by an average of 20 points.

At times during the losing streak, it’s been possible to glimpse the innocence draining from Singletary’s face, the disillusionment setting in. After Virginia’s embarrassing 110-76 home loss to North Carolina last Saturday, Singletary finally voiced his frustration.

“A few players didn’t give up, but some did,” he said. “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.”

Singletary has a brother serving in Iraq. His father, a former boxer and Philly cop, recently completed treatment for prostate cancer. Just a month ago, his mother completed treatment for breast cancer. His grandmother also battled breast cancer.

He takes all that with him on the court, he said. “It just makes me stronger.”

Strength was a requirement growing up in the Oak Lane section of Philly. Singletary described it as a “tough place.” Phillips said Singletary might be exaggerating a bit, but not much.

In any case, Phillips conceded, trouble wasn’t more than a few blocks away.

Singletary’s first love was football. He played receiver and defensive back before giving up the sport in high school. He turned his attention to basketball full-time.

“We play a lot of playground ball in Philly and we all go hard,” he said. “Coming from there, nothing is really guaranteed and you always want to give it all you’ve got.”

Singletary was picked up by NBA player Tim Thomas’ AAU team. At 16, he received his first invitation to work out with NBA players like Ronald Murray and Alvin Williams and college star Jameer Nelson.

It was intimidating at first. But Singletary kept coming back, soaking in the lessons.

“From the age of about 16 on, he acted like a young man,” Phillips said. “When he went to those workouts, he was all business and serious.”

In his high school career, too. Singletary transferred to Penn Charter after playing two years at a school in suburban Pennsburg.

Singletary wanted to play at a higher level, and Penn Charter, which scheduled games against national powers like Mt. Zion in North Carolina, fit the bill.

In practice, Singletary didn’t want to lose at anything, even drills, Phillips said. He was quick to challenge teammates he didn’t think were giving their all.

It’s no surprise, then, that Singletary would do the same at Virginia. Already in his brief career, he’s played through shoulder and ankle injuries. The shoulder injury, which dates to high school, could require surgery after the season.

Singletary’s best games came while healthy. His coming-out party came, appropriately, against another Philly point guard, Mustafa Shakur of Arizona. Singletary scored 15 points, handed out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds in the Cavaliers’ most impressive win of the season back on Nov. 21.

Singletary scored 25 points in an 89-87 win over Auburn Dec. 3, the most by a Virginia freshman in seven seasons.

Singletary played several games with a shoulder harness, before deciding it was restricting his movement too much. After scoring just 27 points and shooting 21 percent over a four-game stretch, he broke out with a 19-point effort against Duke on Jan.16.

In the loss to North Carolina, Singletary scored just seven points, but was one of the few players singled out by coach Pete Gillen for playing hard.

Gillen said Singletary should only get better his second time through the league. Already, he’s faced some of the nation’s best point guards: Jarrett Jack of Georgia Tech, Chris Paul of Wake Forest, John Gilchrist of Maryland and Raymond Felton of North Carolina.

He’ll face Felton, Gilchrist and Paul again in consecutive games this month.

“You can’t get caught up,” in the individual match-ups, Singletary said. “You have to pick your spots. Hopefully, I’ll get another chance to get around the league without having the harness.”

Phillips said there are things he’s seen Singletary do that he’s not even attempting right now, because of the shoulder injury. Singletary, shooting about 30 percent from 3-point range, is a much better deep shooter than he’s shown, Phillips said.

With eight conference games left, Singletary’s play figures to be one of the keys to salvaging what’s left of the season. His message after Virginia’s latest loss, at Providence on Wednesday night:

“We can’t give up.

“Basketball is a simple game,” Singletary said. “Whatever you do, you just have to give it all you’ve got.”

A point Virginia’s freshman point guard will continue to try to get across.

 

Cavaliers stun the Wolfpack
With an unconventional lineup and strategy, Virginia picks up its second conference victory.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published February 6, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- In what had become a never-ending search for the right combination, Virginia coach Pete Gillen took an unusual step - one he couldn't have been too sure about himself. After all, how sound is it to bench your best post player for a skinny sophomore with a sixth-grade mustache?

Going by the book, not very. But on this night, with the Cavalier' season sinking by the minute, it was brilliant.

Sean Singletary's stick-back of his own miss with 2.2 seconds remaining lifted Virginia to a wild, improbable 64-62 victory over N.C. State Saturday in the RBC Center. The Cavalier (11-9, 2-7) led by 14 points early in the second half, trailed by three with 3:01 remaining but pulled it out down the stretch.

"It was a very exciting basketball game," Gillen said. "And certainly a different game."

Starting his seventh different lineup in the last 10 games, Gillen went with three guards - T.J. Bannister, J.R. Reynolds and Singletary - whose average height was an even 6-foot. At power forward was 6-6 Devin Smith. In the post was 6-10, 205-pound Jason Cain - and not Elton Brown, the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder.

The plan was to shorten the game, so either Bannister or Singletary would hold the ball near mid-court and not make their move until the shot clock was below :20. Virginia had been burned by State's versatile big men in the past, so Brown ended up playing exactly 4 minutes, 51 seconds.

Virginia looked lost early on but eventually caught on. The Cavs shot 61 percent from the field in the first half and outrebounded the Wolfpack 17-5.

State (13-9, 3-6) eventually caught on as well, and Tony Bethel's two free throws put the Pack ahead 59-56 with 3:01 remaining. But Cain hit a pair of free throws and a dunk to put Virginia back in front at 2:10.

State regained the lead on Julius Hodge's layup; Singletary hit a tough floater in the lane to give U.Va. a 62-61 lead with 1:14 remaining. Then, after Cedric Simmons went 1-of-2 from the foul line to tie it with 16.3 seconds left, Singletary had the ball in his hands with a chance to win it.

With no timeouts, Singletary took Bethel to the basket. His runner bounced off the rim, but nobody boxed him out. In one motion, he rebounded his miss and banked in his follow.

"I didn't give up on the play," Singletary said. "I knew I had to make something happen in the end. Fortunately, the ball bounced in my direction."

Cain had a career game with seven points and nine rebounds, seven of those coming in the first half. Bannister had 14 points, which included 8-of-10 shooting from the foul line.

And Reynolds, despite an 0-for-7 shooting night, played a large role in holding Hodge, the ACC's third-leading scorer, to six points.

But Singletary, the official hero, gave credit to Gillen.

"Coach did what he had to do for us to get the win," he said. "It was a brilliant gameplan and we carried it out."

Virginia putback dooms Pack
Sendek hears boos after N.C. State drops 8th in 11 games
KEN TYSIAC
Raleigh Bureau

RALEIGH - Julius Hodge spoke slowly but couldn't find the right words Saturday night after N.C. State's hopes for a fourth straight trip to the NCAA men's basketball tournament were all but extinguished.

Virginia's Sean Singletary put back his own miss with 2.2 seconds left for a 64-62 ACC victory at the RBC Center as Hodge was held to a season-low six points and five field-goal attempts.

The Cavaliers double-teamed Hodge in the post and surprised N.C. State with a slowdown approach.

"I was letting the game come to me," Hodge said. "I didn't care if I scored. I was just trying to win the game and get the guys the ball in the right position. I don't know what else (to say)."

N.C. State (13-9, 3-6) lost for the eighth time in 11 games. A 5-2 record against a schedule featuring five games against ranked teams is necessary for the Wolfpack to gain the .500 conference record considered a benchmark for NCAA tournament selection.

That's why the loss to last-place Virginia (11-9, 2-7) was devastating. The Cavaliers trailed by 50 a week earlier in a home loss to North Carolina.

It took N.C. State almost 31 minutes to score 50. The Cavaliers gave themselves a quickness advantage by starting three guards -- Singletary, T.J. Bannister and J.R. Reynolds.

They held the ball near halfcourt until about half the 35-second shot clock expired. Then one of the guards drove to the basket.

Virginia built a 14-point lead early in the second half after having one day to practice that game plan.

"It surprised us," said N.C. State guard Tony Bethel, who scored a game-high 20. "It allowed them to have one of their quicker guys matched up against one of our big men."

Freshman center Cedric Simmons scored 11 of his 16 in the second half as N.C. State rallied and led by as many as three. But the lead changed six times in the final 10 minutes before Simmons made one of two free throws with 16.3 seconds left to tie the score at 62.

On its final possession, Virginia positioned four players along the baseline and let Singletary drive the lane. He missed a 5-footer, but leaped to rebound and score the winning basket all in one motion.

After Jason Cain intercepted Andrew Brackman's desperate, court-long pass, a smattering of boos rang through the arena as the buzzer sounded. Virginia coach Pete Gillen left happy -- and was joined by N.C. State's Herb Sendek in the agonizing existence of a coach under fire.

"Nobody feels good," Sendek said. "Nobody likes to experience what we are. Our guys hurt. But that's part of it. You've got to be able to deal with different things."

Virginia 64, N.C. State 62
By AARON BEARD : AP Sports Writer
Feb 5, 2005 : 11:49 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- With the score tied in the final seconds, Sean Singletary just knew he was going to make the big shot.

He was right -- just not the way he expected.

The 6-foot freshman rebounded his own miss and scored with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night to lift Virginia past North Carolina State 64-62.

Singletary finished with 11 points and two key buckets late for the Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), who blew a 14-point lead midway through the second half but still held on for their first win here since 1997.

"At the end, I had the confidence that I knew was going to make the shot," Singletary said. "It came off (the rim), but I got it back. It was right there so I didn't have anything else to do but score."

T.J. Bannister and Devin Smith each scored 14 points to lead Virginia, which did everything it could to get its first league road win.

The Cavaliers shuffled their lineup, benching tri-captain and second-leading scorer Elton Brown for the first time this season to get more speed on the court. They changed their style of play, using a spread offense that slowed the game down and created dribble penetration opportunities for Singletary, Bannister and J.R. Reynolds.

The 6-9 Brown, who came in averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game, finished with seven points in four minutes. But it all paid off when Singletary's stickback stunned the RBC Center crowd.

"We weren't real big," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said, "but we played with courage."

For the Wolfpack (13-9, 3-6), it was another disappointing ACC loss in a season that is rapidly deteriorating. N.C. State was ranked No. 12 nationally in December, but has lost eight of 11 games to fall near the bottom of the league.

Tony Bethel scored 20 points to lead the Wolfpack, and freshman Cedric Simmons had a career-best 16 points in his first start. But Julius Hodge, the reigning ACC player of the year, finished with just six points on five shots.

"Obviously we don't feel good about the way things have gone for us," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "Our guys hurt. But that's part of it. You've got to be able to deal with different things."

Unfortunately for N.C. State, it couldn't deal with Singletary in the final minute.

First, he hit a runner in the lane over the 6-9 Simmons for a 62-61 lead with 1:11 to play.

Then, after Simmons hit a free throw to tie it with 16.3 seconds left, Singletary drove into the lane and missed a runner against Bethel. But despite being the shortest player on the court, he managed to grab the loose ball and lay it up.

"Sean's a fighter," Smith said. "He wants to win as bad as anybody I know. For him to take those shots, it just shows that he has a lot of confidence in his game."

The clock stopped with 1.7 seconds left, but officials reviewed video footage and changed the time to 2.2 seconds.

That set up an unusual final sequence in which the Wolfpack essentially got two chances to tie the game.

On the first, freshman Andrew Brackman's fullcourt pass was tipped as it got to Engin Atsur. But the horn sounded a split-second after the ball was touched because the clock started too quickly.

The officials restored the 2.2 seconds, giving the Wolfpack one more chance. But forward Jason Cain intercepted Brackman's second heave to seal the win.

It was a much better defensive effort for the Cavaliers, who were coming off a 98-79 loss to Providence in which the Friars shot 57 percent and went 14-for-25 from 3-point range. That included a 9-for-9 effort by Donnie McGrath that tied an NCAA record.

N.C. State shot just 40 percent, including 5-for-20 from behind the arc.

But it seemed to be their unusual style of offense that caught the Wolfpack off guard.

The Cavaliers used a 14-3 run spanning halftime -- getting several open looks off penetration -- to take a 37-23 lead less than a minute after the break.

The Wolfpack fought back, pushing the ball inside and playing better defense to close that gap. N.C. State scored 12 straight points midway through the half, taking a 48-45 lead on a transition layup from Bethel.

But the Wolfpack couldn't sustain that momentum.

"Losing isn't fun," Hodge said. "I'm a winner. All I've done in my life is win and work hard. This doesn't feel good at all."

Last-place Cavaliers surprise Wolfpack
By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER
RALEIGH

It keeps getting more bizarre by the game.

Six weeks ago, N.C. State was undefeated and ranked 12th nationally.

Now it can't even beat the ACC's cellar dweller at home.

The Wolfpack's struggles continued last night as last-place Virginia pulled out a 64-62 victory in front of a disbelieving crowd of 16,879 at the RBC Center.

Virginia built a 14-point lead early in the second half, regrouped after State roared back to take the lead late, and then ultimately won on Sean Singletary's follow shot with 2.2 seconds remaining.

The loss was State's eighth in its past 11 games, and dropped the Wolfpack to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the ACC.

"This is something you can't believe," center Cedric Simmons said. "It's like shocking. It hurts really bad.

"We knew it was a key game and our backs were against the wall, and we had to find a way to win. But it wasn't meant to be."

To make matters worse, the Wolfpack now must hit the road again with trips to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech next week.

"We've just got to keep at it," Coach Herb Sendek said.

"Obviously, we're disappointed. No one feels good about the way things have gone for us. Nobody feels good.

"Nobody likes to experience anything like this. But we just have to respond with enough character to keep coming back and trying to be a better team."

For Virginia (11-9, 2-7 ACC), it was a landmark victory. The Cavaliers had not won in five previous trips to the RBC Center, and had not won in Raleigh since 1997.

They, too, came into the game struggling, losing seven of their previous eight.

"We've talked about our problems for weeks, and tonight we finally found a cure," Singletary said. "When times got tough tonight, we stuck together. Before we haven't been doing that. But we stood up tonight and showed a lot of courage."

Singletary's game winner came after Simmons hit one of two free throws with 16.3 seconds left to tie the game at 62.

Singletary, a 6-0 freshman guard, worked one-on-one against State's Tony Bethel and drove the right side of the lane. He tried a running floater from about six feet away and missed. But the rebound caromed straight back to him, and he banked in the follow shot with 1.7 seconds remaining.

Officials put the clock back at 2.2 after watching replays, but it didn't help the Wolfpack. An inadvertent whistle negated State's first inbound pass, and then Virginia's Jason Cain intercepted the second inbound pass, intended for Julius Hodge about 20 feet from the basket.

Singletary said he was in the right place at the right time on the winning shot.

"I wanted to take a 3, but I hadn't been that comfortable shooting 3s so I thought I better go to the rack and get something to happen," he said. "So I just put up a floater to avoid the big men. I got fouled, actually. But I kept with it and the ball bounced back in my direction, and I just put it back in."

T.J. Bannister and Devin Smith led Virginia with 14 points each, and Singletary and Gary Forbes scored 11 each.

Bethel led State with 20 points. Simmons had 16 points and six rebounds.

Hodge, State's leading scorer coming into the game at 18.3 points a game, finished with six points on 2-of-5 shooting. He was scoreless at halftime.

Virginia led 34-23 at that point, completely dominating the last 15 minutes of the half after falling behind 9-2 early. The Cavaliers surprised State with a three-guard lineup, and got easy basket after easy basket in the half.

"We did not anticipate them going small and spreading it out," Sendek said. "That probably frustrated our guys. But you've got to be able to play different tempos."

State got back in the game with a 12-0 run early in the second half, and led 61-60 after Hodge's drive with 1:37 left. But Singletary answered with a fallaway jumper in the lane to put the Cavs back up 62-61 with 1:16 left, and that set the stage for finish.

Hodge searched for answers afterward.

"Everybody just has to stay positive," he said.

"We can't have guys on the court being happy and content with minimal success. We have to pull together and continue working.

"If we have a team full of gym rats, we're going to win our next game. If we don't, it's going to be obvious, and we're going to lose. All I know is, losing isn't fun. This doesn't feel good at all."

U.Va.'s new look a winner
Gillen surprises Wolfpack with smaller lineup; Cavs end slump
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 6, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - Pete Gillen's creative coaching, and his players' refusal to fold under pressure, earned the University of Virginia basketball team an improbable victory last night.

At the RBC Center, where it never had won, U.Va. went small, a tactic that helped it capture a rare ACC road win. The Cavaliers edged N.C. State 64-62 before a stunned crowd of 16,879. Freshman point guard Sean Singletary scored the winning basket, following his own miss with 2.2 seconds left.

"I just didn't give up on the play," said Singletary, who finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.

A Singletary runner with 1:15 remaining had given U.Va. a 62-61 lead. The teams then traded turnovers, after which Virginia forward Devin Smith fouled freshman center Cedric Simmons in the act of shooting with 16.3 seconds left.

The Wolfpack had made its previous 12 free throws, but Simmons missed his first attempt. He sank his second to make it 62-62, and Gillen gave the ball to Singletary, one of the ACC's top freshmen.

The victory was the Cavaliers' first over the Wolfpack in this city since 1997. They'd been 0-5 at the RBC Center, but they persevered last night after blowing a 14-point second-half lead.

A 14-2 run gave N.C. State (3-6, 13-9) a 50-47 lead with 9:02 remaining. But sophomore swingman Gary Forbes, not the most reliable of long-range shooters, pulled U.Va. (2-7, 11-9) back into a tie with a clutch 3-pointer off a pass from Jason Cain.

Later, after State opened a 59-56 lead, Cain scored four straight points to put U.Va. back on top.

"We weren't going to give up," said Forbes, who came off the bench to score 11 points in 18 minutes.

Virginia remains last in the ACC, but it headed home in high spirits after winning a conference road game for only the 11th time in Gillen's seven seasons.

"We played with a big heart tonight in a tough environment," Gillen said.

On a night when J.R. Reynolds failed to score, the sophomore shooting guard led a strong U.Va. defensive effort. The ACC's lowest-rated defense held Wolfpack star Julius Hodge, the conference's third-leading scorer, to six points.

Hodge came in having scored at least 10 points in 36 straight games.

N.C. State, which entered as an 11˝-point favorite, had two chances to win after Singletary's basket. On the first, Cain deflected Andrew Brackman's long inbounds pass, but officials ruled that the timer had started the clock too early.

And so Brackman, a pitcher on the Wolfpack's baseball team, tried again. This time Cain, looking like a free safety, intercepted the pass to end the Cavaliers' three-game losing streak.

That wasn't the 6-10, 205-pound sophomore's only contribution. Gillen, worried that plodding Elton Brown, a 6-9, 250-pound senior, would struggle trying to chase smaller, quicker players when the Wolfpack ran its spread offense, unveiled a highly unorthodox lineup. It consisted of Cain, Smith (6-5), Reynolds (6-2) and point guards Singletary (6-0) and T.J. Bannister (5-10).

"Coach did what he had to do to get us the win," Singletary said. "He thought of a brilliant game plan, and we carried it out."

Brown played only four minutes, though he scored seven points. Each of Virginia's starters played at least 32 minutes. Bannister scored 14 points, 10 more than his average, and had six assists.

"We did not anticipate them going small and spreading it out," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said.

On defense, the Cavaliers were better able to defend the Pack, which shot 40 percent from the floor. On offense, U.Va. went to its version of the four corners, often letting Cain handle the ball near midcourt. In 34 minutes, easily the longest stint of his college career, Cain totaled a career-best nine rebounds, seven points, one assist, one blocked shot and one steal.

"We don't win without him tonight," Gillen said.

Wolfpack left at a loss
Virginia surprises N.C. State with a small lineup and spread offense, and freshman point guard Sean Singletary's follow shot sends the Cavaliers to victory at the RBC Center
By CHIP ALEXANDER, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- It's becoming almost commonplace in the RBC Center this year.

West Virginia did it.

Duke did it.

Florida State did it.

On Saturday night, Virginia did it, too.

The Cavaliers became the latest team to beat N.C. State on its home floor and and walk off with smiles at game's end. Virginia emerged with a 64-62 victory, blowing a 14-point second-half lead but winning on Sean Singletary's follow shot with 2.2 seconds to play.

With the score tied 62-62 after a free throw by State's Cedric Simmons with 16.3 seconds left, Singletary drove the right side of the lane and forced up a shot over the Wolfpack's Tony Bethel. The ball banged off the rim and back to the freshman point guard, who caught it in mid-air and knocked in the go-ahead shot.

"I knew I was going to make something happen," Singletary said. "Unfortunately, I thought it was going to be the first shot going in, but I got fouled a little bit and [the referees] didn't call it.

"I just had to fight through it. Fortunately, the ball bounced back in my direction, and I was able to put it back in."

After the referees checked a TV monitor and set the clock at 2.2 seconds, State's Andrew Brackman fired a long pass down court that was knocked away by the Cavaliers. But the buzzer had sounded inadvertently, and State was given a second chance.

Not that it mattered. Brackman's second try was intercepted by Virginia's Jason Cain.

Many Pack fans stood silently, as if not believing what had transpired. Losing 95-71 to North Carolina on Thursday in Chapel Hill? The Tar Heels are ranked second in the country.

But losing to Virginia? At home?

The Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7) had lost their past three games and seven of eight. Virginia never had won in the RBC Center and had lost its last seven games in Raleigh.

"I don't know which is more devastating, to lose by 20-something points or to lose by two points to a team we should have beat," said State's Julius Hodge, who was held to a season-low six points.

But a loss is a loss, and Saturday's loss left the Pack 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. It also came after a rally in the second half pushed State ahead and into position to win.

"We had it in our grasp," said Bethel, who had a game-high 20 points.

The Cavaliers fooled the Pack by not starting center Elton Brown and beginning the game with a shorter, swifter lineup.

"We were concerned about our big men guarding [Ilian] Evtimov," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "We thought it was our best chance to win, offensively and defensively. They do a great job of triple-teaming the post and that frustrates Elton a lot, so we thought the smaller lineup would be best."

Virginia spread out on offense and milked the shot clock on nearly every possession, using its quickness to attack the basket. The Cavs did trail 9-2 after the first four minutes but used 60.9 percent shooting to take a 34-23 halftime lead.

Virginia's Devin Smith drained a 3-pointer just before the buzzer after State's Gavin Grant missed the first of a one-and-one.

"The game took on a completely different feel than we were expecting, with the stall," NCSU coach Herb Sendek said. "Much of the first half was spent having Virginia dribble the clock out. I think that probably frustrated our guys to some extent."

Hodge had just two first-half shots and was held scoreless. His string of 36 games in double figures, the longest in the ACC, came to an end.

Bethel and Simmons, who had a career-high 16 points, and renewed defensive intensity sparked State's second-half comeback. A 12-0 run that ended on a Bethel fastbreak score gave State a 48-45 lead, and the Pack led 59-56 with 3:01 to play when Bethel hit a pair of free throws.

But the Wolfpack finished the game just 5-for-20 on 3s. It was outrebounded 33-22. And mistakes in the last 10 minutes of the game were critical.

Simmons air-balled a 3-point shot and later missed a dunk. Grant had a turnover on a poor pass. With State trailing 62-61, Evtimov fumbled away the ball with 55 seconds left.

Virginia, meanwhile, scored on five of its last six possessions. Cain had two free throws and a dunk, and Singletary's driving shot with 1:16 left pushed the Cavaliers ahead 62-61.

Simmons and Hodge sat glumly after the game, as if trying to make sense of it all.

"We have to play 40 minutes," Simmons said. "We've got to get the stops we need."

Hodge, his eyes on the floor, added, "We worked hard and got back ... but we don't box out, we don't rebound. I don't know what it is. I don't know."

Simmons slams himself
Missed dunk, loss spoil career night
By LORENZO PEREZ, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- N.C. State forward Cedric Simmons sat slumped against the wall, shaking his head and staring at his hands Saturday night.

If the Wolfpack had been able to pull off the 14-point comeback and send Virginia home as losers, the 6-foot-9 freshman would have had to plenty to crow about: his first career start, a career-high 16 points and six rebounds. Instead, in the wake of a 64-62 loss to the struggling Cavaliers, who had lost seven straight years to the Wolfpack in Raleigh, Simmons replayed in his mind the dunk attempt he clanged off the rim trying to stuff it in over spindly Virginia forward Jason Cain.

The ball bounced back high over Simmons head and sailed out of bounds with 6:07 left in what was then a tie game, another wasted chance for an N.C. State team that has lost four of its last six.

"It's something you can't believe. It's like shocking, it hurts so bad," Simmons said.

"If I had the play back," he continued wistfully, "I saw him jump, so I just tried to punish him, and it bounced off the rim."

Saturday's loss dropped State to 13-9 and 3-6 in the league. The season began with high ambitions, and the Wolfpack climbed as high as ninth in the coaches' top 25 poll in mid-December. That was before illness and injuries began taking their toll, back when a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament appeared a foregone conclusion.

"This one really hurt," said junior guard Tony Bethel, who led State with 20 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Seated across the room from Simmons, Bethel adopted a similar slump but bristled slightly when asked if the Wolfpack could right itself and reach the NCAA Tournament.

"Yes, yes. We're never out," Bethel blurted out. "We believe, and we're going to keep working."

On a night when senior Julius Hodge took only five shots and was limited to six points, five assists and three rebounds, State did not have enough other weapons on offense to finish off a frenzied second-half comeback. The reigning ACC Player of the Year had no answers, only a promise that State would come back in its next game Thursday night and beat Wake Forest.

"Everybody has to stay together. Everybody has to stay together. We have to continue listening and continue working," Hodge said. "We're going to come out, and we're going to win our next game. if we don't [listen and work hard] it's going to be obvious, and we're going to lose again."

Asked whether falling to a Virginia team that came to Raleigh having lost seven of its previous eight made it that much more painful, State coach Herb Sendek said it wasn't something you could quantify.

"Nobody feels good. Nobody. Our guys hurt, but that's part of it. You've got to be able to deal with it," he said. "It's never easy when you lose. You need every game."

Hodge had no quick answer when asked what he could do as a senior to rally his younger teammates. There would be no vow to carry the team on his shoulders. Every one needed to pull their weight, Hodge said.

"Losing isn't fun, and I'm a winner. All I've done in my life is won and work hard. This doesn't feel good at all," Hodge said. "I look at game tape, and I know I can take over but I'm just controlling myself and playing the hand that I was dealt. Hopefully, it'll get better."

Singletary: Virginia's salvation against State
By Andy Bitter / Lynchburg News & Advance
February 6, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - It has long been hypothesized that Virginia would be better with oft-criticized forward Elton Brown out of the lineup. For one night at least, that turned out to be true.

Virginia won for just the second time in nine games, topping N.C. State 64-62 at the RBC Center on Saturday on Sean Singletary’s putback off his own miss with 2.2 seconds left.

After N.C. State’s Cedric Simmons made one of two free throws to tie the game at 62 with 16.3 seconds left, Singletary drove the hoop and tried to pull up for a running jumper inside the lane. The shot missed, but Singletary jumped to grab the rebound and banked home the putback in one motion to temporarily ease UVa’s misfortune.

“I just didn’t give up on the play,” said Singletary, who scored 11 points in the game.

N.C. State (13-9, 3-6 ACC) actually had two cracks at a full court pass to try to set up the tying shot. Virginia’s Jason Cain knocked away the first pass near the 3-point line but the officials ruled the buzzer had gone off early and put 2.2 seconds back on the clock in a circumstance eerily similar to the 1972 Olympic final in which Russia upset the United States.

This one had a happier ending. Cain intercepted the second pass and Virginia (11-9, 2-7 ACC) had its first conference road win since beating Clemson last Feb. 21.

“It was the right call, but I said, ‘Oh, God. Here we go,’” UVa head coach Pete Gillen said. “Murphy’s Law. Something bad’s going to happen. But fortunately Cain made the steal and ended the game.”

Brown spent the closing minutes where he did for the majority of the game - on the bench. The forward, who had started all 19 games this season, played only four minutes, two in each half, and scored seven points.

Brown showed visible displeasure whenever an N.C. State player scored in the paint and put his warmup jersey on after a lack of playing time in the second half. He didn’t play over the last 10:24.

Gillen said the move was not disciplinary but rather strategic, since he didn’t want the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Brown guarding N.C. State’s big men 25 feet from the basket, which is how the Wolfpack runs its offense.

“It’s not that he was benched,” Gillen said. “It’s what the team needed.”

The two beneficiaries of Brown’s down time both turned in big performances. T.J. Bannister made his second start of the season and scored a season-high 14 points in an offense contrary to what UVa has run this season.

The Cavaliers took a methodic approach to their offense, spreading the floor, running down the shot clock and using Bannister and Singletary’s quickness to penetrate on N.C. State’s larger guards. It worked. The Cavaliers went into the half with a 34-23 lead, their biggest since leading Richmond by 18 at the half in November.

“I think we (surprised N.C. State),” said UVa forward Devin Smith, who shared team-high honors with Bannister by scoring 14 points. “I don’t think they expected some of the players that don’t play that much to do what they did.”

The other beneficiary was Cain, who played a career-high 34 minutes, oftentimes as the only big man on the floor for UVa. Cain, a sophomore, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to help the Cavaliers to a 33-22 advantage on the boards. UVa outrebounded N.C. State 17-5 in the first half alone.

The Cavaliers also clamped down defensively. After surrendering an average of 104 points in the last two games, UVa limited State to 40 percent shooting and held the ACC’s third-leading scorer, Julius Hodge, to just six points, 12 below his average.

Virginia led by as many as 14 early in the second half, only to watch N.C. State go on a 23-6 run to take a 48-45 lead. It looked as though it would be the same old second-half collapse for Virginia until Singletary saved the day and gave the Cavaliers a long-awaited - and much-needed - win.