Singletary works his magic
UVa stages epic upset of Duke
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
February 2, 2007

With 3 minutes, 42 seconds left in Thursday night’s sold-out game at John Paul Jones Arena, Duke led Virginia by eight points. At that time, several fans in the stands rose from their seats and exited the building.

Bad move. Make that a terrible one.

They missed some unbelievable basketball - and another incredible Virginia comeback.

UVa, thanks to a floating baseline jumper by, who else, Sean Singletary, shocked No. 8 Duke in front of 15,169 fans at JPJ Arena.

The Cavaliers, who were coming off a 16-point, second-half comeback at Clemson on Sunday, defeated Duke in overtime, 68-66.

J.R. Reynolds led Virginia (14-6, 6-2) with 25 points. Singletary had 17. Mamadi Diane chipped in with 14.

Josh McRoberts led Duke (18-4, 5-3) with 19 points.

After Reynolds scored eight straight points - including six clutch free throws - it was a short fade-away jumper by Singletary that sent the game to overtime.

In the extra session, Diane came up huge. The sophomore ripped an offensive rebound away from McRoberts to put Virginia up by two.

“The ball was bouncing around and I just knew I had to score that basket,” Diane said.

After McRoberts tied the game at 65 with two free throws, Ryan Pettinella, just a 26 percent free-throw shooter, made one of two foul shots. Then, Duke’s Gerald Henderson made one of two free throws to set the stage for Singletary’s heroics.

When the All-ACC guard drove, he drew three defenders, but was still able to loft a floater that swished through the net.

“He’s a big, big, big-time player, especially in those situations,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “Sean recognized [the switch] and made a tremendous shot falling away on his rear end.”

Said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: “I thought our defense was good, but he’s a player who can make shots and that’s why he’s as good a point guard as there is in the country.”

With one second remaining in overtime, the Blue Devils had a great chance to win. McRoberts hit Greg Paulus with a length of the court pass, reminiscent of the one to Christian Laettner in the NCAA Tournament more than a decade ago. Paulus launched a 3-pointer from just a couple of feet behind the line that bounced off the back rim.

A sea of orange-clad fans mobbed the team at center court and the celebration was on.

“I think I’m going to wake up in the morning and realize what we just did,” Diane said. “The last time we beat them was 2002, so I knew coming in everything was set up for us in playing in our arena to get them. I don’t think I’ve ever played in a game this close and exciting. It was amazing.”

Krzyzewski said Virginia’s backcourt was the difference.

“Their two guards are sensational,” Krzyzewski said. “They executed so well. That’s what close games come down to. It was a great win for them and a tough loss for us.”

In the first half, Duke came out strong. The Blue Devils built a 15-9 lead on the strength of back-to-back 3-pointers by Greg Paulus and DeMarcus Nelson.

Virginia players seemed jittery playing in front of the capacity crowd and national television audience.

The Cavaliers shot just 38 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Duke shot a blistering 55 percent.

Dunks

Duke now leads the series 107-48. … Pettinella made his return to the lineup at the 4:41 mark of the first half. Pettinella, who had missed nine games with a left knee injury, wound up playing five minutes. … Scouts from the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Sonics, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats were on hand. … Former Virginia standout and current Washington Wizards player Roger Mason Jr. was in attendance, as was Virginia’s all-time 3-point leader Curtis Staples.

 

Cavs now looking at the top 25
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
February 2, 2007

A couple of days ago, Dave Leitao said his Virginia basketball team was going to go just as far as his star backcourt could take them.

Well, how’s about the top 25 for starters?

The Cavaliers’ dynamic duo of J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary took matters into their own hands before a jam-packed house at John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday night to knock off No. 8-ranked Duke, 68-66, in overtime.

Deadlocked at 66 with 17 seconds to play, Singletary drove toward the baseline and threw up an off-balanced, one-handed, fall-away prayer that sank the visiting Blue Devils and sent the frenzied sellout crowd into a wild celebration. Fans, festooned in orange, stormed the court and Virginia players, ending a nine-game losing streak to Duke, took part in the unbridled joy.

Singletary’s winning basket was among his 17 points in the game as he and Reynolds once again lifted the Cavaliers from behind. Reynolds, who has scored 65 points in his last two home games, connected for 25 against Duke.

“I’m going to wake up in the morning and realize what we just did,” said UVa swingman Mamadi Diane, who contributed 14 points and kept the Wahoos afloat while the Cavs’ guards searched for their rhythm.

Reynolds, a senior who had never beaten Duke, was at his best when Virginia needed him most. Down the stretch he fought through cramps and left nothing on the court.

It was Reynolds who scored eight of UVa’s 10 points in the final minutes of regulation that forced the overtime before Singletary knotted it on a jumper from inside the lane. The Cavs had answered a previous 10-2 Duke run with an identical one of their own.

The victory gave UVa its first five-game winning streak in the ACC since the 1994-95 season, and thrust the Cavaliers into a three-way tie for second-place in the conference (14-6, 6-2), only a game behind UNC.

Stopping Duke’s five-game winning streak left Leitao more than impressed with his team.

“For this team and for our program, for where we’re trying to go, it goes without saying that it’s an enormous win,” said the Cavaliers’ second-year coach. “We played defense as well as we’ve played all year long.”

Recognizing that Duke was one of the best defensive teams in the ACC, Leitao said that the Blue Devils were attempting to take UVa’s backcourt out of the game as much as possible in the chess match. But Singletary and Reynolds wouldn’t succumb to the pressure.

Reynolds fought off serious leg cramps and Duke’s dogged defense to help the Cavaliers pull off the kind of Reaper Cheater that has helped Virginia comeback to beat three ranked teams so far this season.

“J.R. showed everyone who was watching tonight what he’s all about,” Leitao said of his senior.

Virginia’s guards are all about guts and desire. That can take the Cavaliers a long, long way.

 

Singletary carries Virginia past Duke
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Dave Leitao's rebuilding job at Virginia is progressing nicely. The second-year coach asked his team for a progress report against No. 8 Duke, and he had to love their answer.

Sean Singletary capped a regulation-ending 10-2 run with a jumper that tied it with 24.8 seconds left Thursday night, then hit a falling, one-handed floater with a second left in overtime to give the drama-loving Cavaliers a rousing 68-66 victory.

"The first thing and last thing I told them when we got to the (overtime) was, `I'm going to look all five of you guys in the eyes and you're going to tell me by what I see if we're going to win the game or not,'" Leitao said after Virginia's fifth straight win. "They showed me something that made me think we're going to be OK."

No. 5 UCLA beat ninth-ranked Oregon 69-57 and No. 18 Washington State defeated No. 20 Arizona 72-66 in the only other Top 25 games Thursday night.

For Virginia, once again it was Singletary (17 points) and J.R. Reynolds (20 of his 25 in the second half) that carried the offensive load, but they had help when it mattered.

In the overtime, where the Cavaliers (14-6, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed, Mamadi Diane got a tough rebound and putback to give them a 65-63 lead.

Jason Cain, who fouled out in overtime, had six points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes and played solid defense on Josh McRoberts, even though he scored 19 points for Duke (18-4, 5-3).

Others contributed, too, but the guard tandem was dazzling, again, just as it has been throughout the winning streak for the Cavaliers, who are locked in a three-way tie for second in the conference with Boston College and Virginia Tech.

Singletary's jumper to tie it in regulation was his first basket in nearly 16 minutes, only because Reynolds was doing all the scoring. Reynolds had scored the first eight points of the game-tying run, including a 6-for-6 showing at the foul line.

But Reynolds was sidelined by cramps, and Singletary gladly took his turn.

"J.R. basically carried us through the whole game," he said.

And then Singletary won it with his acrobatic move to the basket, a move that was reminiscent of a similar play he made when Virginia beat No. 20 Arizona earlier this season.

"I got bumped and to catch my balance, I had to get off my feet," Singletary said of the shot over the 6-foot-10 McRoberts from the right side of the basket.

The Cavaliers, who trailed 59-51 with 3:42 left in regulation, pulled off their second highly improbable comeback in five days.

On Saturday at Clemson, they erased a 16-point deficit in the last 9 minutes, winning on a tip-in by Jason Cain with 15.5 seconds left. And this time, Reynolds scored the first eight points in a 10-2 run to end regulation, and Singletary tied it.

The overtime ending left even Duke's players shaking their heads. The Blue Devils had won nine in a row against Virginia and led almost the entire night.

"It was a crazy, tough shot," DeMarcus Nelson said of the game-winner, which ended with Singletary on the floor. "We couldn't have made him make a tougher shot."

Singletary's heroics still had to survive challenges at the buzzer - twice.

In regulation, McRoberts missed a driving attempt in the final seconds to bring about the overtime, and in the extra period, Greg Paulus' 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced hard off the rim, bringing hundreds of students rushing onto the court.

"We had some shots, including the one at the end of regulation, that were great shots. We just didn't knock them down," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.


 

Singletary saves the day
Virginia knocks off No. 8 Duke in overtime for its fifth consecutive ACC victory.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
February 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The ball hung in the air for a moment, and nobody moved. Except Sean Singletary, who was falling backward, just as his shot fell through the net with 1 second remaining in overtime Thursday night.

Singletary thudded to the court on his back. The near-sellout crowd leapt from its seats. And with the sound of 15,169 voices, the Virginia men's basketball team announced itself to the college basketball world.

The Cavaliers beat No. 8 Duke 68-66 in overtime at John Paul Jones Arena for their fifth consecutive ACC win and the most thrilling and substantial victory of second-year coach Dave Leitao's Virginia tenure.

They did it with the usual suspects.

Singletary, their junior point guard and leading scorer. On the final play, he dribbled past Josh McRoberts, who switched onto Singletary after Will Harris screened DeMarcus Nelson. Singletary cut toward the baseline and swished a 7-foot fallaway. His 15-foot jumper with 24.8 seconds remaining in regulation had tied the game at 61 and helped force overtime.

Reynolds, their senior shooting guard and emotional heartbeat. He sustained his team in the final eight minutes of regulation by scoring 13 consecutive U.Va. points. He was the Cavaliers' answer to McRoberts, who scored six of Duke's final 12 points in regulation and assisted on a Jon Scheyer 3-pointer.

Reynolds finished with 25 points, Singletary 17.

There were no miracles, if just barely, for Duke on this night, unlike the last-second layup in Cameron Indoor Stadium a week ago against Clemson. Greg Paulus' 3-pointer clanged off the back of the rim as time expired. The students rushed the court, collectively popping out the VIRGINIA on the front of their jerseys, as Singletary did after hitting his fallaway.

All of them - fans and players alike - had long salivated over this game. The Cavaliers (14-6, 6-2 ACC) hadn't played Duke (18-4, 5-3) at home in the past two seasons, because of the ACC's post-expansion scheduling.

Duke had won nine consecutive games in the series, with Virginia's last win coming in 2002 at University Hall. Heading into the game, Virginia was 2-22 in its past 24 games against Duke, with both wins coming in Charlottesville.

On the calendar, the game appeared as a tipping point, halfway through Virginia's 16-game ACC schedule. And it was something of a litmus test for the Cavaliers, with NCAA tournament dreams on their minds after four consecutive ACC victories, most recently a stirring, 16-point comeback Sunday at Clemson.

Could they crack Duke's airtight defense? Could their post players hang with McRoberts?

The answer: Yes on both counts. The Blue Devils couldn't slow down Reynolds as regulation wound down. And while McRoberts led Duke with 19 points, he grabbed just two rebounds.

Reynolds tied the game at 49 by hitting three free throws with 7:14 left, and the crowd erupted. But not quite as loud as it erupted with 4:46 left in overtime, when Singletary's two free throws gave the Cavaliers a 63-61 lead, their first lead since 6-4.

The game was fittingly low-scoring, considered the Blue Devils' M.O. this season. They have relied on defense perhaps more than ever before. They entered Thursday ranked first in the ACC and fourth in the nation in defense, allowing 56 points per game. They were last in the league and 154th nationally in offense, with 69.7 points per game.

Trailing 36-29 at halftime, the Cavaliers pulled within one on a Reynolds 3-pointer with 11:29 left. Meanwhile, Duke's leading scorers from the first half - Nelson, Paulus and McRoberts - failed to score for the first 9:40 of the second.

Then McRoberts started pulling his weight and helped the Blue Devils weather Reynolds' run.

The game could have slipped away from the Cavaliers in the first half when Duke took a 34-21 lead - its largest to that point - on a David McClure tip-in with 3:32 left. But Virginia responded with a Jason Cain dunk and a Mamadi Diane 3-pointer on consecutive possessions, cutting the lead to eight.

BEFORE CAIN'S DUNK, VIRGINIA SCORED JUST THREE FIELD GOALS, AND SEVEN POINTS, OVER THE PREVIOUS 8:22, AS DUKE STRETCHED A 15-14 LEAD TO 34-21. THE CAVALIERS HUNG ON THERE, AND THEY HUNG ON LATER. NOTE

Virginia junior post player Ryan Pettinella entered the game with 4:41 left in the first half, his first action since injuring his left knee Dec. 21 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
 

Cavs' backcourt comes through
David Teel
February 2 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Finally, the first full-fledged, run-for-cover court-storming at John Paul Jones Arena.

No question, Virginia's student section was itchin' to christen the school's new basketball palace Thursday night. Eighth-ranked and always-loathed Duke was in town, and the Cavaliers were on a four-game ACC roll.

Make it five. Sean Singletary's off-balance fadeaway with 1 second remaining in overtime gave Virginia a 68-66 victory, broke a nine-game losing streak against the Blue Devils and sent students pouring onto the floor despite the best efforts of security personnel.

Hey, given the past week, why not?

Down 14 points in the waning minutes at Clemson on Saturday, Virginia scored the final 15 points to win. Thursday they trailed by 13 in the first half and by eight with 31/2 minutes remaining in regulation.

No sweat. Not with J.R. Reynolds refusing to miss and scoring 13 consecutive points. Not with the Cavaliers (14-6, 6-2 ACC) exerting the defensive pressure they failed to show in the first half.

Good as the Blue Devils are on defense, they, like many others, could not contain Virginia's perimeter as Reynolds, Singletary and Mamadi Diane combined for 56 points.

DeMarcus Nelson is Duke's best on-the-ball defender. Singletary is the ACC's leading scorer. And there they were, crouched, one-on-one, the overtime clock expiring and the score tied.

Singletary rubbed off a Will Harris screen near the top of the key, forcing Duke's Josh McRoberts to switch onto Singletary. Dribbling past the slower McRoberts, Singletary created just enough space to win this tense defensive tug-of-war.

The matchup was ideal for Virginia. First, it was at JPJ, where the Cavaliers have played well, the exception of Stanford duly noted. Second, it matched Virginia's strength against Duke's weakness.

For all of their gaudy defensive rankings, the Blue Devils are a step slow in the backcourt with Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer. The Cavaliers counter with quick, offensive-minded guards in Singletary and Reynolds.

Singletary and Reynolds began the night with scoring averages of better than 18 points. They aren't Division I's highest-scoring backcourt - Hofstra's Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio average 20 points each - but may be the most dynamic.

Such balanced production is unusual most everywhere. Since the school joined the ACC in 1953, no Virginia backcourt tandem has averaged better than 18 points each. Heck, the last Duke backcourt to do it was Tate Armstrong and Jim Spanarkel 30 years ago, and that team was 2-10 in the ACC.

Consider the Blue Devils' previous defeats: Marquette guard Dominic James lit them up for 25 points, Virginia Tech's Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell for a combined 37. Georgia Tech's Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young teamed for only 22 points, but did so on 8-of-13 shooting.

In short, Duke has trouble defending fast, aggressive guards.

But Duke owned the first half and led by eight at the break. No Stonehenge mystery why: Virginia's poor defense.

The Blue Devils, particularly Nelson, exploited the Cavaliers off the dribble, setting up easy shots. Duke shot 55 percent for the period, pure gold for a team that defends as well as the Blue Devils.

Could Duke sustain such accuracy for the entire game? In Virginia's previous 19 games, only Utah (62.3 percent) had shot better than 54 percent over 40 minutes.

No, Duke couldn't sustain. The Blue Devils (18-4, 5-3) finished the game shooting 44.1 percent.

Duke had won five straight since its 0-2 ACC start, and a more extended slide would not surprise. It's a function of the schedule.

The Blue Devils' next four opponents are Florida State, North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College, the latter two on the road. There are also future trips to Clemson, St. John's and North Carolina.

I can see the Internet banners and hear the talking heads: Virginia stuns Duke!

No, no, a thousand times nyet. The Cavaliers were mere two-point underdogs, and anyone who's watched them, especially at JPJ, realizes how potent they can be.

With a season-opening victory against Arizona, Virginia has beaten two top-10 outfits this season. The Cavaliers last bested multiple top-10s in 2001, when they defeated Tennessee, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke.

That's also the last time the program earned an NCAA tournament invite.

Draw your own conclusions.
 

Duke switch assists Virginia
Cavaliers win in OT as Singletary blows by McRoberts for winner
KEN TYSIAC
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia's Sean Singletary found the mismatch he wanted in the closing seconds of overtime Thursday night.

Singletary, one of the fastest point guards in the ACC, had 6-foot-10 Josh McRoberts guarding him at the 3-point arc on the wing after Duke made a defensive switch on a ball screen.

After blowing past McRoberts on the dribble, Singletary lofted an off-balance, one-handed 5-footer from the baseline over DeMarcus Nelson. Virginia led 68-66 with one second left.

A fan at John Paul Jones Arena held up a sign -- "Duke runs out of time" -- in reference to the clock blunder by the officials that helped Duke make a winning basket to edge Clemson 68-66 a week earlier.

The Blue Devils needed 4.4 seconds to go the length of the court for Dave McClure's game winner against Clemson, but got a good shot in just one second against the Cavaliers.

McRoberts inbounded with a long, accurate pass from the baseline, but Greg Paulus' open 3-point shot from the wing bounced harmlessly off the back rim as time expired.

McRoberts hustled into the tunnel as Virginia fans rushed the floor.

Paulus crouched to the floor in disappointment.

Eighth-ranked Duke (18-4, 5-3 ACC) has won ACC games on the road this season -- notably at Miami and N.C. State -- but this was a different environment. Virginia (14-6, 6-2) had won four games in a row, coming back from a 16-point, second-half deficit to edge Clemson 64-63 on Saturday.

The Cavaliers have one of the ACC's best guard tandems in senior J.R. Reynolds and junior Singletary, and a fired-up crowd at the new arena was eager to see the Blue Devils upset.

It didn't look like that would happen as Duke led by 13 early thanks to nine first-half points by Nelson.

Even in the closing minutes of regulation, it seemed the game was getting away from Virginia as the orange-shirted masses showered Duke with boos after Nelson sank a 3-pointer on the baseline to double the Blue Devils' lead late in regulation.

Near the opposite basket, Reynolds was writhing in pain, holding his left leg after making a runner in the lane.

By rule, the referees didn't stop play while Duke had the ball, and the Blue Devils capitalized on their man advantage with a legitimate, key basket with 4:30 remaining.

Virginia's fans would hear none of it.

"No class, no class," they chanted at Duke.

Moments later, McRoberts scored on a drive to increase the Blue Devils' lead to eight. But Reynolds, who appeared to be suffering from cramps, returned to score eight points in the final 3:21 of regulation.

Singletary tied the game on a pull-up jump shot from near the foul line with 24.8 seconds left. When McRoberts missed in the lane with two seconds left, the game went to overtime.

Reynolds led the Cavaliers with 25 points -- 20 in the second half. Singletary added 17 and Mamadi Diane had 14 points. McRoberts led Duke with 19 points, Nelson had 12 and Paulus 10.

Observations | Ken Tysiac
• Virginia's pregame introduction includes a fireworks display that's impressive and a bit disturbing. No matter how careful you are with fireworks, there's always a danger of somebody getting burned, especially indoors.

• Duke sophomore Dave McClure recovered quickly from the knee injury suffered Sunday. He was listed as doubtful, but entered at the first timeout.

• Point guard Greg Paulus has bounced back after his slow start when Duke lost its first two ACC games. He is making open 3-point shots and minimizing foolish passes, and the Blue Devils are hiding him on defense by having him guard weaker scorers.

• The big question Virginia fans are asking about next season is whether junior point guard Sean Singletary -- the ACC's scoring leader through Wednesday -- will leave early for the NBA. The Cavaliers already are losing senior guard J.R. Reynolds.

 

Singletary buries the Devils
BY BRYAN STRICKLAND : The Herald-Sun
bstrickland@heraldsun.com
Feb 2, 2007 : 12:36 am ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Time after time down the stretch of Thursday night's thriller between No. 8 Duke and upstart Virginia, the crowd that was crammed into the still-shiny John Paul Jones Arena appeared poised to explode in excitement as their Cavaliers closed in on claiming a lead.

In the end, it was well worth the wait.

Virginia came all the way back from a 13-point first-half deficit and then erased an eight-point deficit over the final three-plus minutes of regulation but never actually reclaimed the lead -- until doing so in overtime to rally for a 68-66 victory.

After the Cavaliers knocked on the door repeatedly, Virginia guard Sean Singletary finally delivered the knockout punch, hitting an amazing shot as the clock ticked toward zero in overtime.

Singletary dribbled past Duke big man Josh McRoberts, guarding him on the perimeter on a defensive switch, then lofted an off-balance shot from the right baseline that floated over the lunging arm of DeMarcus Nelson and into the basket with one second left.

"It was a crazy shot. It was a tough shot," Nelson said. "We couldn't have made him take a tougher shot.

"He threw the shot up out of desperation over two defenders, and it went in."

Duke called a timeout and McRoberts heaved a pass to the 3-point line to teammate Greg Paulus, who sealed off the Virginia defender long enough to catch the ball and turn for a 3-pointer that bounded off the back of the rim.

The Cavaliers (14-6, 6-2 ACC) ended their nine-game losing streak in the series and ended a five-game winning streak for Duke (18-4, 5-3).

Virginia's vaunted backcourt of Singletary (17 points) and J.R. Reynolds (25) keyed the victory, bouncing back from a 5-for-14 shooting performance between them in the first half to help the Cavaliers come back from what once stood as a 34-21 deficit.

McRoberts paced Duke with 19 points and repeatedly made plays down the stretch in regulation to prevent Virginia from taking the lead. But McRoberts couldn't make a contested shot from close range at the end of regulation that would have won it after Virginia scored eight of the final 10 points to force overtime.

Reynolds scored the first eight on a basket and six consecutive free throws, then Singletary completed the rally with a pullup jumper from the elbow over Paulus with 24.8 seconds left in regulation.

Reynolds hit all nine of his free throws in the second half.

"We felt like we played pretty good tonight, well enough definitely to win," said Nelson, who scored 12 points. "But the biggest thing was that we kept them on the line, and they were scoring without the clock even moving.

"That was the tale of the game -- on the free-throw line -- and they lived on it."

Virginia trailed 34-21 late in the first half but finished the first half strong and started the second half in the same manner, pulling within 43-42 at the 11:30 mark when Reynolds drained a 3-pointer.

But Duke refused to relinquish the lead. After the Cavs missed two shots in the lane that would have given them their first lead since 6-4, McRoberts hit shots on two consecutive possessions to make it 47-42.

The pattern would repeat itself. The crowd got as loud as it had all night when Reynolds hit a trio of free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to pull Virginia even at 49-49 with 7:14 to play.

But McRoberts scored in close at the other end, and after Singletary and Mamadi Diane (14 points) missed difficult shots in the lane, McRoberts got in the post and spotted freshman Jon Scheyer for a 3-pointer out top to put Duke ahead 54-49.

Reynolds answered with a runner but went down with a cramp, and Nelson took advantage of the 5-on-4 situation to hit an open 3-pointer. McRoberts scored the next time down to increase the edge to 59-51 at the 3:42 mark, but the Blue Devils didn't get another field goal for the rest of regulation or in overtime, when they made 5 of 6 free throws before Singletary sunk them.

"Both teams put their hearts into the game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It's a great win for them and a tough loss for us. But that's life in the ACC."

The Blue Devils took control in the opening half with their third consecutive strong shooting performance away from home. After shooting 68.3 percent at Miami and 52.5 percent at N.C. State in blowout victories, Duke threatened to blow out Virginia by shooting 55.2 percent in the first half.

The Cavaliers, however, finished with a flourish to trim Duke's lead to 36-29 at the break.

Duke had led 34-21 on a left-handed tip follow by David McClure, who recovered quickly from the hyperextended left knee he suffered Sunday. But Virginia closed the half on an 8-2 spurt to get within shouting distance heading to halftime.

While Duke's offense hit a high percentage early, Duke's defense forced the Cavaliers into low-percentage shots as Virginia shot just 37.9 percent in the first half.

Duke was on-target from 3-point range early, quickly grabbing a 12-6 edge on a pair of 3-pointers from Paulus, who scored eight points in the half. From there, the Cavaliers made several mini-runs, all of which were answered by the Blue Devils.

Singletary, who paced the Cavs with nine first-half points, hit two of his three first-half field goals on back-to-back possession to bring Virginia within 15-14. But then Duke, even with one of its less potent offensive lineups on the floor, quickly pushed the lead back to 21-14 on a Gerald Henderson pullup, a long Paulus flip that banked in as the shot clock expired and a pullup by McClure.

From there, the Blue Devils methodically stretched out their advantage before Virginia responded late in the half -- an effort that continued after halftime.

 

Cavs right on time
Sean Singletary's rainbow fade-away with 1 second to play in overtime gets UVa over No. 8 Duke.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia's new regulation about keeping basketball fans from charging the floor didn't stand a chance Thursday night.

The first overtime game at John Paul Jones Arena was an instant Cavalier classic as Sean Singletary hit an 8-foot fall-away with 1 second remaining in overtime to lift Virginia past eighth-ranked Duke, 68-66.

Duke (18-4 overall, 5-3 ACC) had won the previous nine games between the teams and 22 of the last 24. Virginia (14-6, 6-2) won its fifth straight game, all against ACC opponents, for its longest conference winning streak since 1994-95.

Virginia trailed 59-51 with under 312 minutes in regulation but came back to force overtime at 61-61.

Senior guard J.R. Reynolds, from Roanoke, sparked the comeback by scoring 13 straight points, the last eight after returning from a calf injury, before Singletary hit a tying jumper with 24.8 seconds remaining.

Reynolds hit 10-of-11 free throws, including three late one-and-ones, and led all scorers with 25 points.

"Their free-throw shooting at the end of the game was [critical]," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Their two guards are sensational. I have a lot of respect for J.R. He's played great all year."

Coach Dave Leitao has been preaching that Virginia needs to play better defense to win consistently, and the Cavaliers received a good illustration of that in the first half.

Or at least they got to see how Duke wins game with defense.

The Blue Devils challenged UVa as it has not been challenged on the perimeter and the Cavaliers connected on only six of their first 20 shots. Reynolds, who had averaged 29 points in his previous three contests, was 1-for-6 to start the game.

Much has been said about Virginia's backcourt of Reynolds and Singletary, but it was Duke sophomore Greg Paulus who sparkled early, scoring eight points in the first 10 minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Virginia seemed to have some momentum when it cut an eight-point margin to 24-18 before Singletary forced a Paulus turnover, but the Cavaliers did not get off a shot before DeMarcus Nelson stole an errant Will Harris pass and brought it back for a dunk.

The Blue Devils subsequently stretched their lead to 34-21 before Virginia closed to 36-29 at the half. UVa was shooting 37.9 percent from the field at that point, compared to the Blue Devils' 55.2.

Virginia twice got as close as four points early in the second half, but Duke countered with some scoring from an unexpected source.

Freshman forward Lance Thomas, whose 4.8-point average was the lowest of the Duke starters, scored the Blue Devils' first five points of the second half.

The Cavaliers finally broke the ice on a Reynolds 3-pointer that made it 43-42 with 11:27 remaining and had two chances to take the lead.

But Harris missed from close range and Cain's tip-in attempt was off the mark.

After he was fouled on a desperation 3-point attempt at the end of the shot clock, Reynolds made all three free throws to force a 49-49 tie with 7:14, but it was more than 212 minutes before the Cavaliers scored again, this time on a Reynolds runner.

As Duke was headed back up the floor, it took a few moments before the crowd realized that Reynolds lay crumpled on the floor, agonizing as he clutched his cramping left calf.

The play continued, with the Cavaliers playing Duke four-against-five until DeMarcus Nelson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 57-51 with 4:29 left.

It was 59-51 before Reynolds re-entered the game with 3:42 left.

 

Singletary answers Cavaliers' prayer
Virginia's Sean Singletary hits a tough shot with one second left in overtime to give the Cavaliers a hard-fought win over No. 8 Duke in brand-new John Paul Jones Arena
Luciana Chavez, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - The eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils, carrying the best defense in the ACC, didn't need to stop Virginia's J.R. Reynolds, who had already torched them for 25 points in their 68-66 overtime loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday.
They only needed to stop Virginia's Sean Singletary twice late but couldn't.

Singletary took his time with 17.0 seconds left in overtime, then attacked and hit a short off-balance shot over two Blue Devils with one second left in the game at John Paul Jones Arena.

"It was a crazy shot," said Duke guard DeMarcus Nelson who guarded Singletary with help from Josh McRoberts on that final shot. "We could not have made him take a tougher shot."

Singletary also knocked down a jumper that forced overtime.

Virginia (14-6, 6-2 ACC) picked up its first win over Duke in 10 tries.

Reynolds, referring to the clock controversy in Duke's recent win over Clemson, said, "I'm just glad they got the time right."

Duke (18-4, 5-3) found itself on the short end despite getting any number of shots near the hoop.

McRoberts, who finished with 19 points, missed a shot in the lane over Virginia's Jason Cain in the final seconds so the score was tied at 61 going into overtime.

And, even after Singletary scored with 1.0 seconds left, Duke guard Greg Paulus, after catching a long inbounds pass from McRoberts, had a wide-open look from the 3-point line that missed.

"Whether it's overtime or close or whatever, we came here to get a road win," said Paulus, who had 10 points. "There are no excuses and also no moral victories."

Duke could not have known that when McRoberts scored with 3:42 left in regulation to put Duke up 59-51, that it would be the team's last field goal of the game.

"We also had a couple of turnovers when we were up eight," Paulus said. "You can't blame it on missing shots with that kind of lead. We just didn't get the job done defensively."

Virginia beat Duke to the line and at the line. The Cavaliers made 16 of 19 free throws, including 12-of-13 in the final 12:14.

Duke, which made nine of 11, had shot just five prior to OT.

The Blue Devils weren't playing short-handed like they had feared. So sophomore forward David McClure, playing just four days after injuring his left knee against Boston College, blocked Reynolds with one minute left in overtime to give Duke another shot at the basket.

Duke called a timeout just after that with 30.8 seconds left on the game clock and 8 on the shot clock but Jon Scheyer, tied up by Virginia's Solomon Tat along the baseline, forced up an off-balance shot from that hit only air. That gave Virginia the ball with 17.0 seconds left to set up Singletary's heroics.

The Cavaliers trailed until Scheyer fouled Reynolds beyond the 3-point line with 7:14 left. Reynolds made all three free throws to tie the score at 49.

But Reynolds, Virginia's only weapon down the stretch, scored 13 of Virginia's final 15 in regulation to erase the lead. Nine of those points were at the line.

"We felt like we played pretty good, well enough to win," Nelson said. "The biggest thing is that we kept them on the line and they were scoring without the clock even moving. That was the tale of the game, the free-throw line, and they lived on it."

 

Virginia defeats Duke in overtime
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 1, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia men's basketball team trailed eighth-ranked Duke for the final 17 minutes, 15 seconds of the first half.

The Cavaliers never led in the second half.

Overtime, however, was U.Va.'s time last night. Sean Singletary, the ACC's leading scorer, struggled all night to shake Duke's DeMarcus Nelson, but on the game's pivotal play, U.Va.'s junior point guard delivered the decisive shot.

Coming out of a timeout with 17 seconds left, Virginia (6-2, 14-6) gave the ball to Singletary. With the clock winding down, he drove from the right side of the basket, then stepped back, giving himself enough room to put up an 8-foot floater.

It dropped through with 00:01 showing. Duke called a timeout to set up a final shot. Josh McRoberts' baseball pass went to sophomore point guard Greg Paulus, whose 30-footer as time expired bounced off the rim, sealing Virginia's 68-66 victory.

Singletary, who finished with 17 points, also scored the last basket in regulation.

"That's why he's as good a point guard as there is in the country," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

After the final horn sounded, bedlam reigned inside John Paul Jones Arena.

"I thought both teams played their hearts out," Krzyzewski said. "Great win for them, and a tough loss for us. That's life in the ACC."

Duke (5-3, 18-4) had a chance to win in regulation. With the score 61-61 -- Singletary had tied it on a pullup jump shot with 24.8 seconds left -- the Devils turned to McRoberts, a 6-10 sophomore who finished with 19 points. Working against U.Va.'s Jason Cain, drove, spun and put up a 3-footer with about 4 seconds left. The shot didn't drop, and neither team could control the rebound.

Overtime.

With 2:57 left in the extra period and the score 65-65, U.Va. fans held their collective breath when junior center Ryan Pettinella went to the line. Pettinella had made only 7 of 27 free throws (25.9 percent) as a Cavalier, but he hit 1 of 2 for a 65-66 lead.

At the 1:56 mark, Duke freshman Gerald Henderson went 1 for 2 from the line to make it 66-66. The Cavaliers' final possession came after Devils freshman Jon Scheyer, blanketed by freshman Solomon Tat, missed a contested jump shot with about 20 seconds left.

In the latest in a string of sterling performances, senior guard J.R. Reynolds led U.Va. with 25 points.

In overtime, Singletary put U.Va. ahead for the first time since early in the first half, hitting two free throws at the 4:46 mark to make it 63-61.

Thirty-two seconds later, Cain picked up his fifth personal on a drive by Paulus, who made both free throws to tie the game at 63-63. Worse for U.Va., Reynolds cramped up and had to come out.

But Reynolds battled through the pain and returned, and Virginia snapped a nine-game losing streak against Duke.

U.Va., down 36-29 at the break, inched steadily closer to Duke in the second half. Reynolds' jumper with 12:50 to play pulled Virginia to 43-39, and then his 3-pointer made it 43-42 with 11:28 left.

About a minute later, Cain missed a follow attempt that would have put the Cavaliers ahead, and Duke pounced. Back-to-back baskets by McRoberts pushed the Devils' lead to 47-42.

U.Va. rallied again, however, and when Reynolds was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 7:14 left, he sank all three free throws to make it 49-49.

Virginia moves into a three-way tie for second in the ACC with Virginia Tech and Boston College. Duke dropped into fifth place.

Last among ACC teams in scoring offense, Duke stunned U.Va. by ringing 15 points in the first 5 minutes last night. The Blue Devils couldn't sustain that pace, but they shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the first half.

Duke's forté this season has been its suffocating defense, and Krzyzewski's charges gave U.Va.'s perimeter players little room in which to operate last night.

Virginia shot miserably in the first half, missing 18 of 29 field goal attempts. This from a team that came in averaging 89.6 points at its new arena.
 

Cavaliers upset Duke
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
February 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The capacity John Paul Jones Arena crowd waited all night to explode, needing just the slightest sign that Virginia could climb its personal Mount Everest and beat the team that had owned it for the better part of a decade.

It took some time, but Sean Singletary finally gave it a reason.

Singletary's baseline floater with one second left lifted Virginia to a 68-66 overtime win over No. 8 Duke on Thursday, the highest ranked team the Cavaliers have beaten since upending No. 8 Maryland in 2003.

Greg Paulus got a good look at a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Duke, catching a fullcourt inbounds pass, shucking his defender and squaring up to the basket. It was a touch long, though, bounding into the air just moments before a wave of orange-clad students rushed the court, engulfing Virginia's players.

"It's never been like this," said UVa forward Mamadi Diane, who scored 14 points. "I think I'm going to look back on this and wake up in the morning and realize what we just did."

The win catapulted the Cavaliers (14-6, 6-2 ACC) into a three-way tie for second place in the ACC with Virginia Tech and Boston College, a half game behind first-place North Carolina. They have won five straight leagues games for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

Virginia had lost nine straight to the Blue Devils and 22 of the last 24.

UVa got 25 points from J.R. Reynolds, who scored 20 in the second half while fighting off leg cramps, and 17 from Singletary, who was just 6-for-16 from the floor but hit the biggest shot when he needed to.

"Their two guards were sensational," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

With the game tied at 66, Duke came out of a timeout with 34.2 seconds remaining in the game and eight seconds left on the shot clock. The Blue Devils (18-4, 5-3) got the ball to freshman Jon Scheyer in the corner. He picked up his dribble and was blanketed by Solomon Tat. Scheyer's shot hit the side of the backboard and Virginia grabbed the rebound.

After a timeout, the Cavaliers got the ball to Singletary, who was guarded by 6-foot-10 Josh McRoberts after a defensive switch. Singletary gave a stutter step at the 3-point line on the wing before driving to the hoop. McRoberts cut him off and forced him to the baseline. Singletary took a slight step back and got off a floater that dropped into the net for the game-winner as he went to the floor.

"He's a big, big, big-time player, especially in those situations," Virginia head coach Dave Leitao said.

The win halted Duke's five-game winning streak.

"It's a great win for them and a really tough loss for us," Krzyzewski said. "That's life in the ACC."

Reynolds, who is averaging 28 points in the last four games, single-handedly kept Virginia in the game after the Cavaliers went into the half trailing 36-29. The senior scored 13 straight points for the Cavaliers in the second half, getting nine at the free throw line. He hit a pair from the line with 1:15 left , trimming what had been an eight-point deficit at the 3:42 mark to 61-59.

After Paulus missed a shot, Singletary came off a screen and buried an 18-footer to tie the game at 61 apiece with 24.8 seconds left.

Duke got a good look at the other end. McRoberts, who led the Blue Devils with 19 points on 7-for-18 shooting, spun into the lane, but his six-footer clanged off the rim and out of bounds as the clock expired, sending the game to overtime.

 

Cavs cut cord to Asa Chapman
What’s not to like about Jared Green?
By Doug Doughty

Wednesday brought the end to a courtship of nearly two years as Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London traveled to Fork Union Military Academy and notified defensive lineman Asa Chapman that UVa could not offer him admission at this time.

Fork Union coach John Shuman said Thursday that he expects Chapman to visit West Virginia this weekend and possibly join former Orange County teammate Bradley Starks in signing with the Mountaineers next week.

Chapman committed to the Cavaliers in the spring of 2005 and signed with UVa last February, although he was given little chance of meeting NCAA eligibility guidelines in time to enroll in August. In fact, Shuman wavered before taking Chapman, knowing that a sudden jump in Chapman’s test scores or grades might attract the attention of the NCAA.

According to Shuman, London volunteered to help place Chapman at a junior college or recommend him to the former UVa coordinators who now coach at Temple (Al Golden) and/or Kansas State (Ron Prince). West Virginia appealed to Chapman because of the Starks connection and of the flexibility it will afford him academically.

Chapman once was viewed as a prototypical nose tackle for Virginia’s 3-4 scheme, but his weight soared to 394 pounds after his arrival at Fork Union and he was listed at 6 foot 5, 388. In a late-season match-up with Hargrave Military, he was too top-heavy to keep his balance and couldn’t hold up to Texas-Tech bound Hargrave center Justin Keown.

Chapman will long be remembered at Fork Union for the day that Shuman discovered a pack of M & M’s in his helmet.

Chapman becomes the second prospective 2007 UVa nose tackle to fall out of the picture, joining Keenan Carter, who waived his final season of eligibility in applying for the NFL Draft. However, the Cavaliers won’t be hurting for nose tackles with the return of Allen Billyk, Nate Collins and Kevin Crawford, as well as the arrival of SuperPrep All-American Nick Jenkins.

With Chapman out, the Cavaliers have 25 commitments, counting linebacker Romale Tucker from Washington, D.C., but not counting wide receiver Vincent Hill from Fort Washington, Md. It has been reported that Tucker has made a second oral commitment, to Syracuse, but he was at UVa last weekend.

Hill has said he will sign with Akron if he qualifies academically; otherwise, he will enroll at Hargrave or Fork Union next summer and re-open his recruiting.

SOME READERS HAVE questioned why Virginia would take an oral commitment from a player not ranked among the state’s top 100 prospects, but that may be the fault of the person doing the rankings.

Without a doubt, Oakton High School wide receiver Jared Green flew under the radar, but how does that happen when your father is a former All-Pro cornerback?

In Green’s case, it may have happened when he transferred from Bishop O’Connell to Oakton before his junior year. Another player making a late commitment, running back Devon “Y’lou” Brown, transferred from O’Connell to Stone Bridge this year and was named Northern Region offensive player of the year before committing to Wake.

If you’re going to gamble, why not take a chance on an NFL legacy? Yet, Oakton coach Joe Thompson hesitates to call Green “a reach.”

“You’re probably asking the wrong guy about that,” Thompson said. “I think it’s a great decision. He has a phenomenal work ethic, he runs a sub-4.4 40, he’s [nearly] 6-3, he catches the ball well, he runs good routes.

“I don’t know if I’d call him a late bloomer. This summer at Penn State, he ran a 4.37 and a 4.39. He just didn’t have a large body of work.”

Thompson said Green’s transfer to Oakton was not football-motivated.

“Football was secondary, but it started to become pretty apparent that he was developing some tools that would make him very recruitable,” Thompson said. “UVa showed a commitment with the homework it did on Jared.”

His father, Darrell Green, was supportive but not pushy.

“In fact, it wasn’t till Jared went [to his father] last summer and said, ‘I’m serious about pursuing football,’ that he started working out with him,” Thompson said.

Darrell Green works out during the summers with free agents trying to make NFL teams.

“It was the first summer he and his dad really started working together [and] making football something that they would pursue permanently,” Thompson said. “He’s a great kid, great in the classroom, amazing work ethic on the practice field, very well-spoken.”

Green had 24 receptions for 475 yards and four touchdowns. He played some defense, returned kicks and covered kicks.

“He was on the field all the time for us,” Thompson said. “He’s got a real high upside. He’s going to stretch defenses. You’re going to have to cover him. He’s got a lot to offer.”

Darrell Green is a good guy to have around your program, “but he’s one of those people, who, this not all about him,” Thompson said. “It’s all about Jared. In fact, one of his main concerns is, it stays about Jared.”

If Jared Green was merely a role player in his first year at Oakton, keep in mind that Oakton won the Group AAA Division 6 state championship in 2005, beating a Landstown team that included Florida-bound Percy Harvin.

That Oakton team was led by running back Keith Payne, who redshirted this year at Virginia and hosted Green on his visit last weekend. Payne already has established himself as something of an ambassador for the UVa program.

“Is that what Keith has become?” Thompson said. “Whatever ‘it’ is, Keith has it.”

 

Lalich staying at West Springfield
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
February 1, 2007

Prized Virginia quarterback recruit Peter Lalich will not be relocating to the Charlottesville area in order to be close the the Cavaliers' football program this spring, his mother told The Daily Progress on Thursday.
The West Springfield High School star had explored transferring to Western Albemarle High School, just outside Charlottesville to finish his senior year this spring. While NCAA rules would not permit him to workout or practice with the Cavaliers during that time, he could have attended meetings and observed spring practice.

"We met a great family for Peter to live with, but then we found out that it would be a NCAA violation for Peter to stay with them," Penny Lalich told The Daily Progress. "I'm happy because I wasn't quite ready for him to leave home."

Lalich, who was ranked No. 1 on The Daily Progress Gold List, a compilation of the top 50 high school senior prospects in the state of Virginia, hoped he could attend all of UVa's spring practices in order to get a jump on learning the Cavaliers' offense prior to enrolling this fall.