Busy Cavs streaking
Virginia tries to win seven consecutive ACC games tonight for the first time in 25 years.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
February 6, 2007

It seems unlikely that Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao responded to the Cavaliers not being ranked Monday by curling up in the corner of his office and crying himself to sleep.

He talked earlier in the day, a few hours before the national rankings were released, about how quickly the standings can shift in an ACC season as volatile as this one.

After a fittingly wild week, Virginia (15-6, 7-2 ACC) finds itself tied for first place in the league with Boston College.

This is essentially the same Virginia team, though a year older, that last year went 15-15 overall and 7-9 in the ACC. The Cavaliers haven't been in first this late in a season since 1995, when they shared the regular-season title with Wake Forest, North Carolina and Maryland.

Virginia meets a far more desperate Maryland squad at 9 tonight at the Comcast Center. The Terrapins (17-6, 3-5) have lost four of their past seven games, all in the ACC, and are scratching for a NCAA tournament berth.

The Cavaliers will try to win their seventh consecutive ACC game for the first time since 1982, and they'll have to do it on tired legs. This is their third game in six days, and Leitao admitted that he purposefully wore his team out during practices last season, his first in Charlottesville.

"I think that even looking back on it, it was something we felt we needed to do as much for the overall program as for that specific team," he said. "I think we learned a little bit, but I don't think I would've done it any differently then."

He's more conscious this year of fatigue. He ran a light practice Friday, a day after Virginia beat No. 8 Duke, during which cramps struck the Cavaliers' best players, junior point guard Sean Singletary and senior shooting guard J.R. Reynolds.

Leitao also took it easy Sunday, a day after the Cavaliers beat Miami. That victory punctuated a week that started with a win at Clemson, highlighted by a 16-point comeback in the final 8:47.

"Coach envisioned this program being a winning program, and everybody's bought into it," Singletary said. "Through adversity in practice and through adversity in games, we stay resilient and we stay together. And that's the biggest key."

It helps to have a hot hand. Reynolds averaged 16 points in the first 16 games. His average in the past five: 26.

"We're gonna try to ride it throughout as many nights and days and games and weeks as we possibly can," Leitao said. "We believe that we're continuing to grow, and if we do, the standings and everything after that will take care of themselves."

Cavs slide into hot seat
Streaking Virginia shares first place in topsy-turvy ACC; angry Terps await
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 6, 2007
U.VA. AT MARYLAND
TODAY: 9 p.m. ON THE AIR: TV -- CSN; radio WRVA (1140), 8:30

In ACC men's basketball, a team's fortune can change in a hurry. For proof, look no further than Virginia Tech and Clemson, both of which tumbled out of The Associated Press' Top 25 this week.

The Hokies have lost two straight games. The Tigers have dropped three in a row. So Virginia isn't going to get too excited about its current status. The Cavaliers are tied for first in the ACC with Boston College, but their second-year coach, Dave Leitao, can read the calendar.

It's early February.

"There's a lot of movement, has been and will continue to be," Leitao said yesterday. "The way I look at it, if we look at the standings a week from now, it might be very different. We still have a lot of basketball left to play."

The Wahoos can take sole possession of the ACC lead, if only for about 24 hours, with a victory in College Park, Md. Boston College (7-2, 16-6) doesn't play again until tomorrow night. Virginia (7-2, 15-6) visits Mary- land (3-5, 17-6) tonight for a 9 o'clock game.

U.Va. has won six consecutive ACC games, its longest such streak since 1981-82.

"The biggest key to being tied for first place for us is the level of maturity that we've displayed throughout the season, through the ups and downs," junior point guard Sean Singletary said. "Coach envisioned this program being a winning program, and everybody's bought into that. Through adversity in practice, through adversity in games, we've stayed resilient and stayed together, and that's the biggest key."

Virginia is likely to face more adversity at the Comcast Center. Asked what he expected from the Terrapins, who gave up 103 points to the Cavs in a loss last month, Singletary smiled.

"A tornado," he said. "We expect them to bring everything. We don't expect to get any calls . . . We just have to be disciplined, be able to execute our offense and be solid on defense and rebound the ball, and we can take care of business."

The Terps are "going to be licking their chops, and they play very well at home, and it's almost getting to desperation time for them," Leitao said. "And it's a tough matchup for us."

That's because Maryland is strongest where U.Va. is weakest: in the low post. Senior center Ekene Ibekwe averages 11.1 points and eight rebounds, and junior forward James Gist (12.8 ppg, seven rpg) has been a force recently for the Terrapins.

"Their interior offense and defense has really stepped up," Leitao said.

For U.Va., much has changed since its Jan. 16 meeting with Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavs entered that one on a three-game losing streak.

"Now we're the hunted," senior guard J.R. Reynolds said.

 

Cavs look for season sweep in Maryland
Cavaliers look to extend their winning streak to seven games, keep pace with Boston College in race for ACC
Sam Dreiman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Lately, nothing has gone wrong for the Virginia men's basketball team. Virginia coach Dave Leitao has inspired his team to achieve six straight victories, and the Cavaliers are now tied for first in the ACC with a record of 15-6 (7-2 ACC). That standing, however, will be in jeopardy tonight as Virginia travels to College Park, Maryland to face the Maryland Terrapins.

In the first place, any and all ACC road games are difficult, but tonight's game at Maryland has a little something extra added to it. Virginia embarrassed Maryland in the previous matchup by putting up over 100 points. Maryland coach Gary Williams has always prided his teams on good defense, and Virginia's dismantling of Maryland clearly went against that mantra.

In the previous matchup, Virginia easily handled the Terps 103-91 at John Paul Jones Arena. Sophomore guard Mamadi Diane had an offensive explosion and finished with a career high 26 points. Junior guard Sean Singletary also contributed 25 points and seven assists.

Statistically, Maryland ranks as the top team in the ACC in defensive field goal percentage. The Terps allow their opponents an average of 38 percent shooting from the field and only 28 percent shooting from three point range. Despite this, Virginia was able to easily shred Maryland's defense earlier in the season. Virginia made 44 percent of its field goals in the first matchup. Additionally, Maryland allowed Virginia 51 free throws, which led to 39 Virginia points.

Virginia's embarrassment of Maryland in the first matchup will likely fuel the fire of the game. The Terps will be gunning for Virginia from start to finish, and that is a response that Virginia is fully expecting.

"Given what happened the last game here against Maryland, they are going to be licking their chops, and they play very well at home," Leitao said. "It's almost getting to desperation time for them and it's a tough match up for us."

Maryland was once ranked among the top 25 nationally, but after losing big to Virginia, Maryland has been on a bit of a downward spiral. Maryland now stands at 17-6 (3-5 ACC) but has suffered recent losses to Virginia Tech and Florida State.

Maryland still remains a difficult opponent. The Terps rank first in the ACC in blocked shots and are led by senior forward Ekene Ibekwe and junior forward James Gist, who rank first and third, respectively, in the ACC for blocked shots. Furthermore, Maryland is coming off an important road victory over Wake Forest. Stealing a win at the Comcast Center in Maryland looks to be difficult given Maryland's great home court advantage and die-hard fans.

"It's going to be a tornado," Singletary said. "We expect them to bring everything and we don't expect to get any calls. We'll just have to execute our offense, be solid on defense and rebound the ball, and we can take care of business."

 

Cavaliers ranked No. 9 preseason
Virginia is one of four ACC teams to startseason ranked in Baseball America's top 10
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The success of the Cavaliers' baseball team last year brings high expectations for this year's squad; Virginia enters the season with an unprecedented No. 9 national preseason ranking by Baseball America magazine. The Cavaliers are eager to prove not only that the ranking is accurate, but that the ranking underestimates what the team is truly capable of achieving.

"I think it heightens our expectations for the season, and I think it puts a target on our backs," said Sean Doolittle, junior pitcher and first baseman. "Now we've got that kind of recognition, and teams know that, and they're going to be out trying to knock us off. We need to keep that in the back of our minds, to play with that same hunger and still try to prove that we're one of the top five teams in the country or that we're the best team in the ACC."

One major reason for the preseason hype is the number of returning players this season. The Cavaliers return eight position starters, their top two starting pitchers and several key relievers to a team that finished No. 14 in the nation at the end of last year by the USA Today / Sports Weekly coaches' poll. This gives the Cavaliers an advantage over other teams that will have to utilize less experienced players to replace larger graduating classes.

"Going through an ACC season even just one time, you know what to expect," Doolittle said. "Having played the caliber teams that are in this league, it definitely gives you an advantage. You get more confidence just knowing what to expect from our league."

These high hopes, however, come with one major caveat: six of the top 18 teams in the Baseball America rankings are in the ACC, including four in the top 10. Virginia's tough schedule will force the team to maintain a consistently high level of performance if they hope to live up to the expectations of the preseason poll.

"The thing about our league that's great is that it's just like basketball --- if you don't play your best game, and you don't play the game right, you will lose in this league," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "You're not going to get away in this league with making errors, not taking advantage of scoring opportunities and winning. It just doesn't happen, because the opponents are too good."

The difficulty of Virginia's schedule means that they cannot afford to take any game for granted. The players know that preseason rankings tend to be over-valued because of all that can change with just a few poor performances. All that matters is what the team shows on the field.

"Last year we weren't in the top 75 to start the year, and towards the end of the year we were fifth in the country, so the players know the rankings don't mean a whole lot," O'Connor said. "Our players know how hard college baseball games are to win. The difference between winning and losing is very small. A lot of times that comes down to the little details in your preparation every day. Continuing to remind them of that is important, and keeping them hungry and keeping them fresh to get the season started."

 

Tat becoming Cavs' stopper
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
February 5, 2007

When Solomon Tat first arrived at Virginia, his high school coach, Linzy Davis, proclaimed many things.

Davis said Tat would be an unstoppable offensive force. He said that the Nigerian would be one of the top freshmen in the ACC. He said that Tat, an extremely physical player, would become the Ronnie Lott of college hoops.

Davis even went so far as to say that the Virginia football team would be trying to get Tat to suit up.

Well, because of a groin injury that shelved him for 10 games early in the season, Tat hasn’t had the chance to live up to many of his coach’s predictions.

In the 10 games he has appeared in, he’s averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in nine minutes per contest.

However, in the last few games, Tat has managed to provide Virginia with something valuable - great defense.

Tat, one of several players responsible for holding Miami to just 36-percent shooting in UVa’s 81-70 victory on Saturday night, has been one of the team’s best on-the-ball defenders.

“I’m not ready to move him ahead of J.R. - I think J.R. is a terrific defender,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, “but I see the makings of a guy who can be very good in this league defensively.”

That was on display in Virginia’s upset of Duke on Thursday night. Tat, like in the season-opening win over Arizona, found himself on the court during crunch time because of his defensive prowess. The job he did on the Blue Devils’ Jon Scheyer in the closing seconds was a major key.

“He basically locked him up and forced him to take a shot that hit the side of the backboard,” Leitao said. “He’s terrific that way, and the good thing about it is that he knows it.”

Said Tat of the important defensive sequence: “I felt like we needed a stop because coach always talks about good defensive teams getting stops. When you really need a stop, he wants to see you do it. I felt at that point we really needed a stop, and I did what I feel I do best.”

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Tat, who certainly looks like he could play strong safety for Al Groh, seems to have a perfect understanding of what Leitao wants from him.

“Since I was [injured], I’ve been a little out of rhythm on [my] offensive game, so I just feel defense comes from your heart,” Tat said. “It’s something that I love to do and the defense actually provides my offense, so I feel like if I can play hard on defense, I can get a couple of buckets on the offensive end.”

One of the unique things about Tat - other than the fact he’s the only married guy on the team and is fluent in nine Nigerian dialects - is the fact that he has emerged as one of the team leaders, despite the fact he is only a freshman. Leitao has referred to Tat as the team’s “spiritual leader.”

So, what does that mean exactly?

“Coming down here to Virginia, I knew we had a couple of great players who could do a lot,” said Tat, who played his high school ball in suburban Atlanta, “but at the same time, they were missing that spiritual part of their life. I feel as though I can help some of the guys understand what it means to be a winner. It’s not just about yourself or about what you do on the court.”

Tat, who had career highs in points (five), rebounds (four) and minutes (16) in the win over Clemson last Saturday, said not being on the court for essentially the first two months of the season was tough.

“I was a little bit down from not playing, but now I’m feeling much better,” Tat said. “It feels like I’m contributing to the team.”

 

Terps digging out of another hole
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
February 6, 2007

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering how Maryland’s RPI (No. 32) is better than Virginia’s (40) heading into tonight’s game ...

It’s a big game for both teams, but maybe even more so for the host Terps, who are 3-5 in the league and fighting for their postseason lives. Maryland won’t hold anything back tonight with maybe their entire season on the line.

After beating Wake on the road over the weekend, Terps’ guard Greivis Vasquez guaranteed that Maryland would make the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Gary Williams’ team got off to a 2-5 ACC start and history shows that the odds are against Maryland in terms of NCAA play. Only four teams in ACC history have gotten off to a similar 2-5 start and made the NCAA Tournament: UVa in 1976 and 1984; Maryland in 1986 and 2004.

Virginia, by the way, bussed up to Maryland Monday and with it being a 9 o’clock tip tonight, found a way to not sit around a hotel room all day waiting to play. The Cavaliers are visiting U.S. military personnel at Walter Reed Hospital, a noble act that should earn them halos.

Can you spare a dime?

Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski isn’t the only ACC coach doing national TV commercials anymore.

North Carolina’s Roy Williams has done a spot for Coca-Cola, during which he reveals a story about his youth. It seems he didn’t have a dime to pay for a bottle of Coke one day as a kid. All his other friends did, leaving his financially strapped mother heartbroken over her young son’s plight.

Every morning forward, she made sure that Roy had a dime for a bottle. He told the story to a Coke executive over breakfast one morning and the company jumped on the chance to relay it through a commercial.

It was more than Williams bargained for. He figured it would take one man, one camera and a few minutes to do the commercial. Instead it took a crew of 50 that took over the Smith Center and requested five hours to shoot it.

“I said I’m not giving you five hours. It’s only 28 seconds. I’ve seen a camera before, so I’ll be able to handle it,’” Williams said.

After more than two-and-a-half hours, Williams had enough.

“I said, ‘I’m going to go jog and if this thing’s not finished in 15 minutes, all you guys got to go five miles with me,’” Williams said. “Well, hello Pete, that commercial was finished.”

London Calling

There’s a lot of rumors flying around about whether Virginia’s defensive coordinator and star recruiter Mike London will stay with the program or pursue the head coaching job at Old Dominion, which is starting a football program.

London is one of two candidates that have been interviewed along with William & Mary associate head coach Bob Solderitch. ODU will begin playing football in 2009, but won’t play a full Colonial Athletic Association schedule until 2011.

The Monarchs want to hire a coach this month, and in this columnist’s opinion they would be foolish not to grab London, if he’s interested.

However, our spies may have uncovered a reason for London to stay at UVa other than the bond he’s built with Cavalier football.

According to multiple sources, a member of Virginia women’s basketball coaching staff will travel this week to watch Kristen London, a sophomore small forward at Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma, play against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa.

Kristen, who averages 15 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, is one of numerous junior college and international players that Debbie Ryan’s coaching staff is recruiting.

Kristen London just happens to be Mike London’s daughter. Mike certainly isn’t calling in favors. His daughter has carved out her own reputation as a prospect. But it would be interesting to see if the lure of his daughter on campus would be so strong that he wouldn’t want to leave, at least for the next two years until after she graduates.

The devil you say

Interesting that Krzyzewski had no criticism of Florida State players’ behavior after they celebrated joyously after the Seminoles’ first-ever win at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the weekend.

That’s quite a switch from Virginia Tech’s upset over Duke on Jan. 6 at Cameron when Coach K chastised the Hokies’ Zabian Dowdell after Tech beat the Blue Devils in overtime. Krzyzewski told Dowdell that he was too classy a player to be celebrating exuberantly.

Asked about FSU’s celebration, the coach said, “I personally don’t fault anybody. It’s just such an extreme emotion.”

Hmm. Think there’s an underlying theme to this because Tech seems to have no fear of playing against Duke?

Quote of the Week

Roy Williams’ father-in-law is an alumnus of N.C. State. However, Williams met his future wife, Wanda Fay Jones, when at UNC. Both of Wanda’s sisters also went to Carolina.

All this left Williams to say:

“I told him, ‘The second generation got a lot smarter.’”

Stat of the Week

Call Virginia Tech’s Zabian Dowdell the King of the Road. The Hokie leads the ACC with an average of 21 points per game in (seven) road games.

Dudley the Studley

Fans ask how in the world Boston College sits atop the ACC, tied with Virginia for first place after the dismissal of defensive star Sean Williams and forward Akida McLain a few weeks ago.

The answer is simple: Jared Dudley.

The 6-foot-7 senior is tearing up the rest of the league. He leads the ACC in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounding (8.9), and minutes played (39.0 per game), and isn’t too shabby in the other statistical categories either. He has scored in double figures in a league-leading 28 consecutive games and has eight double-doubles this season, 22 for his career.

“He’s different,” said Virginia Tech’s Jamon Gordon of Dudley after the BC forward scored 30 points (11-of-15 shooting) and grabbed 13 rebounds in the lopsided win over the Hokies. “He ain’t no 2 (shooting guard). He ain’t no three (small forward). He ain’t no four (power forward). He’s just a basketball player. Basketball players can beat athletes any time.”

It’s going to be interesting to see who wins ACC Player of the Year. Dudley, Virginia’s Sean Singletary, Florida State’s Al Thornton and UNC’s Tyler Hansrough are all

building strong cases for the honor.

King Casella

A tip of our hat to Jimmy Casella, who for an unprecedented 11th consecutive year has been named “ACC Spotter of the Year.”

Casella, who does the spotting for Mac McDonald during Virginia football radio coverage, has the sharpest eye in the pressbox.

Asked about his cohort, McDonald said: “Jimmy has the best pair of eyes since Sophia Loren.”

For the younger set, that would be Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron.

Early admissions

For those keeping count, remember Fork Union offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo?

Yeah, the one who wanted to enroll at the semester break at Virginia? The one who had a 4.3 GPA and a mind-blowing SAT score? The one who turned away from the Cavs because they weren’t allowed to offer him early admission?

Well, Castonzo has enrolled at Boston College, a school that had previously not taken early admissions. Not only that, but BC took him after second-semester classes had already started.

Our research a couple of weeks ago revealed that Virginia and BC were the only two ACC schools that did not use early admissions for football recruits. Now, it appears that UVa is all alone.

“It was a big deal for me to enroll early,” Castonzo told a Rivals.com reporter. “BC made an exception and I guess they haven’t had a player enroll mid-semester in like eight years. I finished Fork Union about a month ago and didn’t want to just sit around and wait, so it was important to get in early.”

Free throws ...

... N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe sported a bright red sports coat for the Wolfpack’s home game against rival North Carolina over the weekend. After the Wolfies stunned the favored Tar Heels, fans wondered if the red coat might become a tradition? “You’ll see it again,” Lowe said with a wide smile. ... After a remarkable start and a national ranking, sinking Clemson now must win four of its final seven games to finish with an 8-8 record in the league. ... Singletary made the cut as the Wooden Award committee whittled down the number of contenders for its All-American team and national player of the year honors to 30. Singletary is also on the list of finalists for the Bob Cousey Award. ... Georgia Tech could get a lift from rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton if he can perform like he did against Clemson on Saturday. Crittenton, who had averaged only eight points per game and 23.9 percent shooting from the field in his previous four ACC games, hit 9 of 15 shots, scored 26 points and had seven steals, one shy of Kenny Anderson’s Tech record. ... Boston College unveiled new gold jerseys for its home game against Virginia Tech last Saturday, in lieu of the black road uniforms that Dudley had requested and was denied. The Eagles will wear them for their remaining Saturday home games.

 

Terps Will Look Inside for Key to Lock Out U-Va.
By Eric Prisbell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 6, 2007; Page E01

When Virginia brings its first-place ACC record and six-game winning streak into Comcast Center tonight, the spotlight will be on Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds, the dynamic guards who compose the Cavaliers' celebrated back court. But the overshadowed interior matchups could be what determines the game's outcome.

Maryland's Ekene Ibekwe and James Gist, two of the conference's best shot blockers, are three days removed from impressive efforts against Wake Forest. Both believe they need to duplicate those performances against an unheralded Virginia front court that in some ways outplayed them in the Cavaliers' 12-point victory over the Terrapins three weeks ago.

Since the Jan. 16 meeting in Charlottesville, Maryland has "changed and evolved a little bit," Virginia Coach Dave Leitao said. "Their big guys are emerging and playing very well. They continue to play solid on the perimeter, but the big difference I see with them is their interior play, offensively and defensively, has really stepped up."

Ibekwe and Gist have long been effective shot blockers, and both rank among the top three in conference play. But since the first meeting between Maryland (17-6, 3-5) and Virginia (15-6, 7-2), both big men have made adjustments to boost their offensive production.

After Maryland's loss at Florida State last Tuesday, Ibekwe met with Coach Gary Williams to talk about how to maintain his aggressiveness even after picking up early fouls. Williams told Ibekwe that he must maintain his intensity even as he tries to avoid additional fouls.

The slight mental adjustment was evident Saturday after Ibekwe was whistled for two fouls in the first five minutes against the Demon Deacons. Williams put Ibekwe back in the game during the first half, and the senior made important baskets, including an off-balance hook shot, as Maryland widened its lead, and he sank all six of his field goal attempts in the game.

"Usually, Coach wouldn't put me back in the game; he would save me" after picking up early fouls, said Ibekwe, who scored 16 points. "One thing about trying to block every shot, you have to learn how to play with fouls. He just trusted me that I would go back out and stay aggressive."

Gist's adjustment also was designed to allow him to become more aggressive. Instead of relying on pump fakes when he catches the ball, Gist is now more apt to attack the basket, beating the defender with his speed rather than shrewd shot fakes.

Gist has averaged 21 points in his past three games, during which he has made 26 of 36 shots from the floor. In ACC games, Gist ranks second in field goal percentage among conference players and has attempted shots with more confidence.

"I think it is just being more confident with the shots that I'm taking," Gist said. "I'm getting open shots, and the shots I'm creating for myself I am knocking down."

Williams acknowledged that no team has been able to significantly slow Singletary, who is second in the ACC in scoring, and Reynolds, who is fifth in the conference. Each seems to raise his performance in the biggest games. Reynolds scored 25 points against Duke on Thursday despite battling late-game cramps, and Singletary swished the game-winning baseline shot in the final seconds.

Given Virginia's advantage on the perimeter, Maryland players know they have to thrive against the Cavaliers' workman-like interior players, namely starters Laurynas Mikalauskas and Jason Cain. In the first meeting this season, Cain scored 13 points, his second-highest output of the season, and tied a career high with 16 rebounds in the 103-91 victory.

"Jason Cain is a great player," Gist said. "Not many people realize that because the two guards are Virginia's image, but Cain is like their energy player on the inside. He's always working, always active and it's always hard to guard someone like that."

Rebounding and foul trouble were the two biggest problems for Maryland in the loss at Virginia. The Cavaliers won the rebounding battle by 12 and made 39 of 49 free throws, one shy of the school record for most made in a game. Maryland's four front-court players picked up 15 fouls. Reserve Will Bowers fouled out in 12 minutes.

When asked if Maryland had an advantage over Virginia in the front court, Ibekwe said: "Most definitely. We're a running team. We can definitely beat the big men down the floor and get easy baskets. We're quick around the basket, that's another advantage. Just that right there would make us a better front court than Virginia."