Cavs come up short
Smart play in the closing seconds saves Tar Heels' win
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 - 12:15 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- After yet another clutch play by the indomitable Sean Singletary, Virginia desperately needed to foul last night. Alas, there wasn't a Tar Heel around.

On a night when the University of North Carolina men's basketball team proved uncharacteristically vulnerable, the fifth-ranked Heels showed enough savvy to prevail 75-74 in their first visit to John Paul Jones Arena.

"We feel very fortunate," said UNC coach Roy Williams, whose team took the court less than 48 hours after its double-overtime win over Clemson ended Sunday night.

All-ACC point guard Singletary's 25th, 26th and 27th points -- on a long trey -- pulled U.Va. to 75-74 with 8.2 seconds left. But the Heels inbounded the ball before the Cavaliers, who had no timeouts left, could set their defense. By the time Adrian Joseph grabbed Heels guard Wayne Ellington, the clock had ticked down to 2.9 seconds.

"The ball came in quickly, the receiver got it out of his hands, and now you're chasing people down," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said, "and it became a simple child's game of keep-a-way."

Ellington went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed the front end, but teammate Danny Green kept the rebound alive long enough for time to expire. And so U.Va. (11-12 overall) fell to 1-9 in ACC play for the first time since 1976-77.

The Cavaliers have lost seven straight games and 10 of their past 11.

"When you play excellent basketball teams, the margin of error is razor thin, and you know that going in," Leitao said. "So any mistake that you make leads to something positive on the other end from a good team, and that's what happened a number of times."

All-America forward Tyler Hansbrough led UNC (8-2, 23-2) with 23 points. His final two put U.Va. in a hole out of which it couldn't climb.

When two Tar Heels converged on Singletary in the final minute, he found sophomore guard Calvin Baker open on the right wing. Baker's trey made it 73-71 with 51.7 seconds left, and U.Va. called time out.

On its next possession, Carolina put the ball in the hands of its best player, and Hansbrough delivered with 21 seconds to play, hitting a half-hook from the right baseline against the good defense of U.Va. junior Laurynas Mikalauskas.

"Great player," Leitao said of Hansbrough. "Great player."

Even without injured point guard Ty Lawson, the Tar Heels shot 52.5 percent from the floor last night. But they do that to a lot of teams. More damaging to U.Va. was its inability to come close to matching UNC's marksmanship. Virginia shot only 29 percent from 3-point range -- 9 of 31 -- and 37.8 overall. That marked the fourth straight game in which the Cavaliers shot worse than 40 percent.

Singletary went 3 for 8 from beyond the arc, but forwards Joseph, Jamil Tucker and Mamadi Diane were a combined 4 for 17.

"We're a team that has to make perimeter shots," Leitao said. "I wish it wasn't that way, because I'm a believer that if you live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot. And if you have to have that as a weapon, then the night's that it's not there -- and it has not been as good for us recently -- then you suffer."

Trailing 71-68, U.Va. missed four shots, three beyond the arc. Carolina would not be denied forever, however, and point guard Quentin Thomas found Ellington (19 points) for a layup that made it 73-68 with 1:36 left.

Virginia trailed by seven at halftime, in part because of a critical lapse in the final minute. With the score 33-31, Carolina, Hansbrough missed the front end of a one-and-one. But the Heels grabbed the rebound, and Ellington's 3-pointer made it 36-31.

U.Va. missed at the other end, and Hansbrough capped a 17-point half by burying a face-up jumper with 2 seconds showing.

"We tried hard," Singletary said, "but it's another loss."

Some hope, but more heartbreak
David Teel
February 13, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Bring hope to the hopeless. Such was the task for the University of Virginia's basketball team Tuesday night.

Surely, the Cavaliers weren't going to compete against North Carolina on talent alone. We're talking about the ACC's last-place squad against the nation's fifth-ranked team and a genuine national-championship contender.

No, to challenge the Tar Heels, the Cavaliers needed a boost from the home crowd. They needed fans to raise the John Paul Jones Arena roof — the same fans who heckled Virginia and checked out early from last week's 31-point loss to Clemson.

This would not be easy. To engage the crowd, the Cavaliers needed to display the life they so lacked against Clemson.

They needed to give fans reason to believe.

And so they did.

With less than three minutes remaining and the heretofore hopeless on their feet, Mamadi Diane launched a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game. He missed.

As did Jamil Tucker. As did Sean Singletary.

Three great looks from beyond the arc. Three misses. A 75-74 defeat.

And so the season is lost. Virginia (11-12) is 1-9 in the ACC for the first time in 31 years, the break-even conference record it needed to even sniff a second consecutive NCAA tournament bid mathematically impossible.

Oh, and don't even think about winning the conference tournament and the accompanying NCAA trip. In your expanded ACC, that requires a second-tier team to win four games in four days.

Not gonna happen. The best-case scenario is a winning overall record.

We have the rest of the season to craft obits, but suffice to say, Tuesday's defeat epitomized much of what ails the Cavaliers. Not enough talent outside or muscle inside.

In one absurd second-half sequence, with Virginia hanging close, North Carolina scored three quick baskets on put-backs by Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Deon Thompson. But that paled to the final 2.9 seconds.

After 3-pointers by Baker and Singletary drew Virginia within one, Ellington went to the line for a bonus free throw. The ACC's No. 2 free-throw shooter at 89.6 percent, he missed the first attempt.

But the Cavaliers could not grab a simple rebound. Green and other Tar Heels played volleyball among themselves, and the clock expired on Virginia's seventh consecutive defeat.

"I feel for Dave Leitao," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of his Virginia counterpart. "I've been there. My first year at Kansas we lost eight in a row. You go home at night and feel like your insides are turning out."

Leitao's latest indigestion will come from the Tar Heels' 16-7 advantage in second-chance points and the handful of shots the Cavaliers missed from point-blank range — no wonder they rank last among the ACC's 12 teams in field-goal percentage.

Don't misunderstand. Led by Singletary's 27 points, seven assists, six boards and three steals, the Cavaliers showed they've yet to pack it in.

They overcame a 13-point, first-half deficit to take a 31-30 lead on Baker's bucket. Why, Lars Mikalauskas (shoulder) even returned from a 13-game absence, absorbed a charge from All-American Tyler Hansbrough, made both his shots from the floor and energized the crowd.

Mikalauskas also tag-teamed with Ryan Pettinella to collar Hansbrough for lengthy stretches. After a 17-point first half, Hansbrough — he and Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley are the only Division I players among the nation's top 10 in scoring and rebounding — did not scratch again until 5:05 remained.

But Hansbrough's final bucket was the winner, a leaner from the right baseline over Mikalauskas with 21 seconds left.

Say what you will about Hansbrough's dip-the-shoulder awkwardness. He is stunningly effective against college competition, and two days removed from a 39-point effort against Clemson, he was far more than the Cavaliers' depleted frontcourt could handle.

Speaking of depleted …

Ty Lawson, North Carolina's jet of a point guard, sat out his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle, backup Bobby Frasor is done for the season with a knee injury, and third-stringer Quentin Thomas was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

But Hansbrough (23 points) and Ellington (19) got just enough help as North Carolina (23-2, 8-2) ran its road record to 10-0.

"Winners are revered," Leitao said, "and losers go home."

Cruel but true.



 

Cavs come up just short
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 13, 2008

During the course of Virginia’s previous six games - all losses - UVa fans certainly had the right to throw their hands up in the air and demand some sort of reimbursement for having to watch such wretched basketball.

On Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia lost its seventh straight game to North Carolina.

But there couldn’t have been too many fans in the house who wanted their money back.

As has become custom, Virginia didn’t shoot very well - but the Cavaliers performed with a passion and focus that had been missing in action.

Unfortunately, UVa was taking on one of the most talented teams in the country.

Fifth-ranked North Carolina, behind 23 points from All-American Tyler Hansbrough and 19 points from Wayne Ellington, escaped with a 75-74 victory.

“When you play excellent basketball teams, your margin of error is very slim,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team has now lost 10 out of its last 11 games and is off to its worst start in league play since the 1976-77 season. “You know that going in. Any mistake that you make leads to something positive from a good team on the other end, and that’s what happened a number of times.”

Virginia (11-12, 1-9 ACC), which shot just 38 percent from the field - just 29 percent (5 of 19) from downtown - was led by Sean Singletary’s game-high 27 points and seven assists. The senior captain seemed less downtrodden than he had after the team’s loss to Wake Forest on Saturday.

Virginia, which trailed by seven points at the half, cut the lead to 71-68 on a 3-pointer by Jamil Tucker with 3:25 to go. After a defensive stop, UVa had chances to tie the game, but 3-pointers by Mamadi Diane and Tucker were off the mark.

On North Carolina’s ensuing possession, Singletary stole the ball from Ellington and launched another triple that also would have tied it, but that, too, missed.

Leading 73-71, Hansbrough scored the biggest hoop of the game when he posted up and scored on Lars Mikalauskas with 22 seconds left.

“We’d like to think that it’s a jump hook, but it’s not,” said UNC coach Roy Williams, when asked about Hansbrough’s unorthodox-looking shot. “It’s a shot-put, jump hook, ‘Hansbrough special’ - whatever you want to call it. We went inside for him and he delivered with a big basket.”

Singletary answered with a triple to make it 75-74 with 8.2 seconds remaining, but Virginia couldn’t foul UNC on the inbounds pass until there were just 2.9 seconds left.

“You’re in scramble mode,” said Leitao, whose team plays at Boston College on Sunday. “The ball came in quick, the receiver got it out of his hands and now you’re chasing people down and it becomes a simple child’s game of keep-away.

“We knew we needed to foul. I don’t fault the guys for not fouling. It was just very difficult since the ball came in so quick.”

Ellington missed the front end of a one-and-one, but teammate Danny Green was able to bat the ball around until time had expired.

“We feel very fortunate. I have no problem saying that,” Williams said. “Thought they were much more aggressive than we were.”

The game started in much the same way as Virginia’s previous six defeats. After taking an early 7-5 lead, UNC (23-2, 8-2) went on a

15-0 run to go up 20-7 after a 3-pointer by Quentin Thomas.

After Singletary missed a wide-open, breakaway dunk, it seemed like it was going to be a really long night for Virginia. Hansbrough answered with a jumper for a 24-14 advantage.

However, Singletary responded with a 3-pointer that was the start of a 9-0 run that pulled UVa to within a point.

 

No moral victory for UVa
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
February 13, 2008

If you’re one of those fans that gave Virginia a moral victory after the Cavaliers played fifth-ranked North Carolina to the wire last night, then stop right there.

Yes, it would have been understandable if the Tar Heels, who hobbled into John Paul Jones Arena without starting point guard Ty Lawson and featured players with assorted bumps and bruises, had succumbed to the pressure of playing as one of the nation’s best teams. After all, Virginia, now off to its worst start in ACC play (1-9) since 1975-76, was a considerable underdog.

Backed into that kind of a corner, the Cavaliers realized time is running out on a season where they are desperately trying to right the ship. What better way than to knock off Carolina?

And they nearly pulled it off.

Season-defining effort

Virginia threw everything it had - including Lars Mikalauskas and the kitchen sink - at the Tar Heels. In an intense battle, the Cavs had their chances at the end. Trailing 71-68 with 3:23 to play, UVa shooters missed a series of shots, three open treys and a short jumper.

Still, they managed to cut Carolina’s lead to one off a Sean Singletary 3-pointer with eight seconds to go at 75-74, but never got their hands on the ball again.

While Tar Heels coach Roy Williams praised Virginia’s effort, Cavaliers’ coach Dave Leitao said he wouldn’t have accepted anything less.

“I keep saying the same thing over and over again, that effort is a given,” Leitao said. “That’s what they’re here for. It’s hard for me to take any consolation in playing hard. Is anybody in here happy they wake up in the morning? It’s what you do.”

Leitao said his challenge is to get his team to play harder than anybody the Cavs play against.

“In that arena we haven’t done that as much,” Leitao said.

A precipitous fall

For Virginia, which dropped to 11-12 on the season to become the only ACC team with a losing record, it was the seventh loss in a row and 10th in the last 11 games.

It’s been a monumental slide for a team that began the season with a stunning upset at then-No. 17 Arizona, which led to a 10-2 start.

Once considered an NCAA bubble team heading into conference play, things haven’t worked out for the Cavaliers, who have been plagued with faulty defensive play and less than impressive shooting.

Even in last night’s close call, the Cavs hit only 37.8 percent of their shots (28 of 74), behind Singletary’s 27-point effort. It was the fourth straight game in which UVa hit less than 40 percent of its field goal attempts.

“We’re a team that has to make perimeter shots and we have not done that,” Leitao said. “I wish it wasn’t that way because I’m a believer in that if you live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot and if you have to have that as a weapon, then the nights that it’s not there, then you suffer.”

Virginia knows all about suffering. It was the Cavs’ third loss by two points or less to go along with two other overtime losses.

While Singletary kept the faith after the game - talking about there’s plenty of basketball yet to be played, that it’s not to late to turn things around - Leitao wasn’t about to envision rainbows after the loss.

“As I just said to the guys, competitive sports is a cruel, cruel game,” the coach said. “You win and you lose. Winners are revered and losers go home. So, I don’t think they’re going to put any asterisks on anything.”

The ACC is a no-mercy league. Williams said he felt bad for Leitao, because he’s been in a similar situation before in his first year at Kansas.

“I lost eight in a row,” the Tar Heels’ coach said. “You go home at night and feel like your insides are turning out. You feel badly for such a good guy [Leitao] that is such a great person.”

There’s no mercy, though - not in this dog-eat-dog league.

Singletary was hoping that making Carolina sweat for its 23rd win in 25 games might have a positive effect on what he hopes will turn things around.

“Some times there are changing moments in a season,” the UVa senior captain said. “Last year, it was in Puerto Rico for us. Hopefully, this can be one of those in playing a No. 5 team to the wire. We should have won the game at home. Hopefully, our guys will understand what happened tonight and if we stick together we can win.”

And if they can’t, as Leitao said, they’ll go home and sit out the madness that follows the regular season. Sports truly is a cruel, cruel game.

 

Hansbrough delivers again in the clutch
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 02:42 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHARLOTTESVILLE Two-point lead, mammoth possession, shot clock winding down, home crowd going nuts, game on the line.

Who you gonna call?

Rimbusters?

Uh-uh.

Tyler Hansbrough.

And no one else need apply.

"I get tickled when people talk about [others being named] the national player of the year," North Carolina coach Roy Williams would say a few minutes after last night's final horn. "Guys, there can't be anyone who gives more to college basketball than that guy. The bottom line is that sucker can really play."

That sucker really won this 75-74 decision over Virginia. He dominated the first half to give UNC a lead it never quite lost. And he sank the killing basket -- a half-hook over Lars Mikalauskas that Williams called "a shot put jump hook" and "a Hansbrough special" -- for 75-71 with 21 seconds left and just enough of a cushion to weather the frantic windup.

It was another crippling setback for U.Va., which sank to 1-9 in the ACC, under .500 all told and deeper into its losing funk -- now at seven straight heading to nearly-as-needy Boston College on Sunday. The Cavs played hard but not particularly well. They shot under 38 percent from the floor and allowed UNC to clear the 52-percent barrier. They misfired on open 3-pointers when one of them might've tilted the floor their way.

Mostly, they squandered a major opportunity against a UNC squad so depleted in the backcourt that Williams was checking the waiver wire and searching for the ghost of Ranzino Smith before tipoff. As it was, the Tar Heels got power-lifting from Hansbrough and solid efforts all around in escaping U.Va.'s annual try to spring a home upset in this long-running series.

Not that these woebegone Cavs lacked role models for ambushing glossy UNC visitors. A couple of 18-13 U.Va. squads home-cooked a pair of 28-7 UNC outfits in 1994 and 1997, for instance -- the Tar Heels' rosters during those years featuring the likes of Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.

And the 19-11 Cavaliers of 1986 waylaid a 28-6 UNC bunch whose lineup was graced by Brad Daugherty and Kenny Smith, among others. Which is to say there was precedent here.

Difference is, those U.Va. teams boasted legitimate second bananas -- Mel Kennedy and Tom Sheehey to Olden Polynice in '86, Harold Deane to Junior Burrough in '94, Deane and Curtis Staples to Courtney Alexander in '97.

This Virginia crew? Name me anyone you'd trust in a game of H-O-R-S-E this side of Sean Singletary. Mamadi Diane? He was a 2-for-8, 1-for-8, 2-for-9 scattershot in his three most-recent efforts before last night. Adrian Joseph? He'd gone 0 for 4, 3 for 9 and 2 for 7 in three of his past four starts. J.R. Reynolds? Sorry, no retroactive eligibility allowed.

Once again, Singletary was terrific last night -- 27 points, seven assists, six rebounds -- but Diane and Joseph were a combined 6 for 21. Plus, no one else really stepped forward with the sort of aid the Tar Heels gave their top gun -- especially after the break, when he cooled off.

Those first 20 minutes, on the other hand, belonged to Hansbrough, who got help early and late in the period from sniper Wayne Ellington but otherwise was the show.

The numbers alone -- 17 points, only two misses in 10 attempts -- were eye-catching. But it was Hansbrough's style points -- heavy on finesse, light on muscleball -- that likely wowed pro scouts in the building. Those guys watched Hansbrough score on a variety of jump shots -- facing, turnarounds in the low post, all delicately deposited in net.

Only once, in fact, did Hansbrough make one of his shoulder-lowering assaults on the rim -- and he paid for it with an offensive foul that floored Mikalauskas.

Mikalauskas got up bellowing.

Came money time, he had nothing to shout about.

The same, by extension, went for his team.

 

Heels by a toe
Tyler Hansbrough's baby hook with 21 ticks left gets fifth-ranked North Carolina past Virginia.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Two last-minute 3-pointers took Virginia to the brink of an upset over fifth-ranked North Carolina on Tuesday night.

If it hadn't taken 39 minutes for the Cavaliers to find their touch from long range, it might have been a different story.

Some better defensive rebounding would have helped as well.

North Carolina scored 16 points on second-chance baskets and held off the Cavaliers 75-74 without starting point guard Ty Lawson.

Virginia had the preeminent point guard on the floor Tuesday night, but senior Sean Singletary, who finished with a game-high 27 points, had little support.

The Cavaliers didn't have another double-figure scorer before Calvin Baker hit a 3-pointer to cut Carolina's lead to 73-71 with 51.7 seconds left.

Virginia needed a defensive stop at that point and gave little ground before Tyler Hansbrough scored on a half-hook from the baseline with 22 seconds left.

"We like to think it's a jump hook, but it's not," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "It's a shotput, jump hook, Hansbrough special. Needless to say, he delivered for us and made a big basket.

"That's who he is. I get tickled [when] these people talk about national player of the year. Guys, there can't be anybody who gives more to college basketball than that guy.

"In some ways, maybe he's not a popular choice because he's a blue-collar guy. He thrashes around in there but, bottom line, the sucker can really play."

Virginia used its last timeout when it appeared as if Singletary would be tied up with 13 seconds left. In its huddle, Carolina assigned two players to Singletary but that didn't prevent him from hitting a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds left to make it a one-point game.

Carolina inbounded the ball quickly after Singletary's shot and made three passes before Baker fouled Wayne Ellington with 2.9 seconds left.

"It was a simple child's game of keep-away," UVa coach Dave Leitao said. "We knew we wanted to foul. We knew we needed to foul. I don't fault the guys for not fouling, but it was just a very difficult thing."

Ellington missed the front end of a one-and-one but the Cavaliers failed to control the rebound, a failing all night at the defensive end.

The Tar Heels (23-2, 8-2 ACC) outrebounded the Cavaliers 43-36 and scored off offensive rebounds three times in a span of four possessions during a crucial part of the second half.

Virginia (11-12, 1-9) shot 37.8 percent from the floor, marking the fifth time in the past six games that the Cavaliers have failed to shoot 40 percent from the field.

"We're a team that has to make perimeter shots," Leitao said. "We have not done that."

The Cavaliers have lost seven games in a row and 10 of 11. UVa's conference record is Virginia worst after 10 games since 1976-77.

"It's always tough," Singletary said, "but, hey, it happens. We didn't get the win, so we've got to move on. Sometimes, there are changing moments in a season. Last year, it was Puerto Rico for us. Hopefully, this [performance] will be that for us. We were playing a top-five team and we played them to the wire."

Virginia, which has lost four games by one or two points, did not have a turnover in the second half and had seven in the game. Carolina, which shot 52.5 percent from the field, had 17 turnovers.

"We feel very fortunate and I have no problem saying that," Williams said.

The Cavaliers battled back from a 13-point deficit to take the lead twice in the first half, but the Tar Heels scored the last eight points before halftime to extend their lead to 38-31.

Virginia had scored the first five points of the game and had two shots to go ahead 7-0 before North Carolina went on a 20-2 run in taking a 20-7 lead on a Quentin Thomas 3-pointer with 10:12 left.

Singletary subsequently sparked a comeback that coincided with the insertion of fan favorite Lauris Mikalauskas with 9:10 remaining. Mikalauskas, wearing a harness to stabilize his left shoulder, had not played since Dec. 7.

The crowd went nuts when Mikalauskas took a charge from Hansbrough with 9:10 but a substitute already was waiting at the scorer's table. Mikalauskas returned in the second half and finished with four points in 13 minutes.

 

Virginia falls short of upset
A painful Cavaliers season gets worse with a narrow loss to No. 5 North Carolina.
By MELINDA WALDROP | 419-4643
February 13, 2008
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Two-point-nine seconds doesn't seem like much.

But as the rebound off Wayne Ellington's missed free throw was tipped once, twice, and then again, the final ticks on the clock stretched out in one long breath before the backboard lit up in red lights.

The ball wound up out of bounds, and Virginia ended up with its seventh straight loss, this one a 75-74 heartbreaker to No. 5 North Carolina on Tuesday night.

"That was a long 2.9 seconds when we couldn't get our hands on the ball," said U.Va. senior guard Sean Singletary, who had a game-high 27 points. "We tried hard, but it's another loss."

Singletary's 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds to play pulled U.Va. within one point, but Adrian Joseph couldn't get to Ellington to commit a foul until 2.9 seconds were left in the game. Ellington then missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the ball was batted around until the buzzer sounded.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 23 points and Ellington added 19 as the Tar Heels (23-2, 8-2 ACC) handed the Cavaliers (11-12, 1-9) perhaps their most painful loss in a season full of them. U.Va has lost three ACC games in overtime and another by two points.

For the third straight game, the Cavs fell behind by double digits in the first half, when Hansbrough scored 17 of his points with an unstoppable variety of baseline jumpers. But U.Va. didn't wilt like it did in an 82-51 loss to Clemson on Feb. 7, fighting back to tie the game at 28 and twice take a one-point lead.

An 8-0 run, capped by Hansbrough's head-faking fadeaway, put UNC up seven at halftime, and the Cavs fell behind by nine on Danny Green's driving layup with 12:45 to play. But U.Va., with the help of several of the Heels' 17 turnovers, rallied, and got within 60-59 with 7:35 to go on a spinning layup from junior forward Lars Mikalauskas, playing his first game since Dec. 7.

UNC stretched its lead back to six, but first Jeff Jones and then Jamil Tucker hit 3-pointers to keep Virginia within striking distance.

With 51.7 seconds to play, Calvin Baker's 3 made it 73-71 and left Virginia needing something it had rarely been able to get – a defensive stop. But Hansbrough's one-handed baseline jumper put the Tar Heels back up by four with 21 seconds left.

Singletary then drained his third 3-pointer to leave U.Va. one point short of winning its first game since an 84-66 victory against Boston College on Jan. 19.

"We lost the game for a number of reasons, one of which is when you play excellent basketball teams, the margin for error is razor-thin," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said. "So any mistake that we make leads to something positive on the other end for a good team, and that's what happened a number of times."

Quentin Thomas, playing point guard for UNC with Ty Lawson out with an ankle injury, picked up his fourth foul 3:46 into the second half. But Hansbrough's post presence and timely 3-pointers from Ellington and Deon Thompson, who had 12 points, kept the Heels in the lead, however thin, for the entire second half.

"I'm extremely proud of how tough our kids are," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "I'm not extremely proud of how we handled the ball and those kinds of things. ... We feel very fortunate. I have no problem in saying that."


 

'Hansbrough Special' gets Tar Heels past Cavs
By JACK DALY : The Herald-Sun
jdaly@heraldsun.com
Feb 13, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Tyler Hansbrough's right big toe was a swirl of red, yellow and white after he had it drained for an ingrown toenail Monday afternoon. It was painful enough that it caused him to miss practice for the first time in his North Carolina career.

There was a boot beside Marcus Ginyard's locker on Tuesday to protect his sprained left big toe. He has a brace for his sprained right ankle. He thought about using crutches before deciding he didn't need them.

Deon Thompson hyperextended his left knee in the first half against Virginia. He still played 25 minutes, afraid to take himself out knowing how battered and bruised the rest of the UNC team was.

Don't even ask about Ty Lawson.

So after the No. 5 Tar Heels escaped with a fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants 75-74 victory over the Cavs (11-12, 1-9) at the John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday evening, UNC's players had a hard time deciding if they were invigorated by the team's second grueling win in 48 hours -- or if they simply were exhausted.

"I'm just happy to get some rest," said Hansbrough, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. "I still think we're a better team than what we played like tonight."

Save for the discolored toe, there weren't many clues Hansbrough had joined UNC's ranks of walking wounded.

He looked to be his usual precocious self in the first half against the Cavaliers, making a host of outside shots to tally 17 points by halftime. While Virginia geared its defense on him in the second half, Hansbrough made a critical jump hook -- or whatever you want to call it -- with 21 seconds left that gave the Tar Heels a 75-71 lead and the necessary breathing room.

"We like to think it's a jump hook, but it's not," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "It's a shot put, jump hook, 'Hansbrough Special' -- whatever you want to call it. "

From there, Virginia's Sean Singletary hit a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds left that brought the Cavaliers back within one. The Tar Heels quickly got the ball inbounds and managed to run out most of the clock before Wayne Ellington was fouled with 2.9 seconds left.

He missed the free throw, but Danny Green got his hand on the rebound, deflecting it to Ginyard as the clock ran out.

Draining as it was, The Tar Heels (23-2, 8-2) had their fifth ACC road win. UNC also improved to 14-1 in regular-season games under Williams with a turnaround of two days or less.

"We're growing as a team," Green said. "With people hurt, we're starting to step up and starting to play even stronger when we know we have people down."

Even if some of the UNC players are down, they're not out.

About 10 minutes before tipoff, Ginyard met at center court with Williams and UNC trainer Marc Davis. They discussed Ginyard's sprained left ankle, which had bothered him to the point he had to sit out Monday's practice and both overtimes of the Tar Heels' epic win over Clemson on Sunday.

As the meeting of the minds concluded, Ginyard broke into a wide grin: He was starting.

"It was definitely going to be my decision the whole way up," said Ginyard, who didn't wear a brace during the game, just an extra level of tape.

"I just didn't want to sit down and watch this game go by. It killed me to be on the bench at the end of the Clemson game just watching all that craziness happen."

Two things made Ginyard's playing through the pain especially significant.

First, his job was to help contain Singletary, the third-leading scorer in the ACC. Singletary finished with 27 points, but he had only four of those in the final 9:39 as the Cavaliers tried to chip into the Tar Heels' lead. They never could completely erase it -- UNC led the entire second half.

Second, with Quentin Thomas getting into foul trouble (he picked up his fourth less than four minutes into the second half), Ginyard was needed at the point. While UNC had 17 turnovers and 12 assists -- the Tar Heels have had more turnovers than assists in each of the four games Lawson has missed -- some of that is to be expected considering that UNC didn't have the services of its starting point guard (Lawson, sprained ankle), its No. 2 point guard (Bobby Frasor, out with a torn ACL) and Thomas for significant stretches of Tuesday's game.

"He played the point for us for a long, long period," Williams said. "I am extremely proud of how tough our kids are. ... That is a tough bunch of kids in that locker room."
 

Tar Heels hang on
North Carolina thwarts Virginia's bid for upset 75-74
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.

Virginia held Tyler Hansbrough in check for almost all of the second half last night but North Carolina still found the way to pull out a close victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

North Carolina won 75-74 in a game that went down to a final missed shot, a misfired free throw on a one-and-one by Wayne Ellington with 2.9 seconds left.

Virginia never got a chance to get the ball and one last desperate shot at pulling off an upset. Danny Green muscled in on the right side of the lane to put a hand on the ball and kept it alive, but he couldn’t control it. Then Marcus Ginyard tapped the ball to keep it alive and out of Virginia’s hands.

Time expired and North Carolina escaped in its first game in Virginia’s second-year arena. Almost every time in the final seven minutes, after Virginia cut the lead to 60-59, a North Carolina player not named Hansbrough did something to keep his team in the lead and force Virginia to keep coming back.

“It definitely was a collective effort,” said point guard Quentin Thomas. “We’ve had a lot of nicks and pain on this team and lot of people are dealing with injuries but we fought through it against a good Virginia team.”

After the Cavaliers cut the lead to the one-point difference, Ginyard hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the Tar Heels. Virginia got another basket, but Deon Thompson scored for the Tar Heels to pad the lead to 65-61.

Hansbrough scored his first points of the second half with 5:05 left for a 67-61 advantage. He added two free throws 35 seconds later for a 69-65 lead. He scored only one more basket, but it provided the Tar Heels with the points needed to hold on and win.

The score was 73-71 after Calvin Baker’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 51.7 seconds left. Hansbrough had taken only four shots after halftime because of the tough defense of Ryan Pettinella and Lars Mikalauskas, but Coach Roy Williams wanted the ball to go inside to Hansbrough on the Tar Heels’ possession.

Ginyard had the ball on the right side and bounced a pass into Hansbrough, who was low near the basket. Mikalauskas was on Hansbrough tight and tried to prevent a shot, but Hansbrough jumped and put up a half-hook shot, half-push shot from six feet and the ball went in the basket.

“That’s Tyler Hansbrough for you,” Ginyard said. “You feel like you slow him down and you feel like you slow him down and then when it really, really counts it’s going in for him.

“He’s a tough guy to stop. It was definitely the game plan to get it to him and let him make plays. And when we needed them, he made them.”

The basket proved critical because Virginia still wasn’t done. Sean Singletary buried a 3-pointer from deep on the left wing with 8.2 seconds left to end the scoring. There was plenty of time left for a foul, but Green thwarted Virginia by getting the ball in almost immediately after Singletary’s basket.

North Carolina moved the ball down the court crisply on passes and consumed time before Virginia could foul. Thomas caught the inbound pass and gave up the ball to Ginyard, who passed across court to Ellington, who finally held the ball long enough to be fouled.

Coach Dave Leitao of Virginia said that Green’s smart move on the inbound play was another strike in his team’s snake-bitten season.

“We wanted to foul,” Leitao said. “We needed to foul. I don’t fault the guys for not fouling because they got the ball in so quickly.”

The Tar Heels improved to 23-2 overall and 8-2 in the ACC, winning their fifth conference road game in five attempts. Hansbrough led the Tar Heels with 23 points, 17 in the first half, and seven rebounds.

Ellington added 19 points and Thompson scored 12. Thompson played most of the game limping after suffering at least a slight left knee injury early. The extent of the injury wasn’t thought to serious late last night.

Ginyard played 35 minutes on a sore left big toe and slightly sprained right ankle. Williams said he didn’t think Ginyard was capable of playing, but Ginyard took off a brace on the ankle and had trainer Marc Davis apply an extra layer of tape to the ankle.

Ginyard said he moved more normally with the brace off. He was needed because Thomas got into foul trouble and played only 20 minutes. Point guard Ty Lawson missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle.

“We fell very fortunate and I have no problem saying that,” Williams said.

“I thought they were much more aggressive than we were and yet I was really pleased with the contributions that we got from a lot of guys.”

The Cavaliers fell to 11-12 and 1-9 and lost their seventh straight. Singletary had 27 points but had little support. The Cavs shot 37.8 percent from the field, missing 46 of 78 shots, and the Tar Heels forged a seven-rebound advantage off the boards.

North Carolina led 38-31 at halftime and had to finish strong to take the lead into intermission. North Carolina scored the half’s last eight points, with five coming from Hansbrough, to recapture the lead after Virginia had surged in front 31-30 with 2:43 left before the break.

North Carolina led by 10 points in the first half, but Singletary sparked a surge that produced a 15-4 scoring run and a 29-28 lead. Hansbrough’s six-foot bank shot put North Carolina ahead for good in the game at 33-31 with 84 seconds left before halftime but the outcome was far from being decided.

 

Tar Heels tough one out
The junior steps up for North Carolina, which plays its third straight game without point guard Ty Lawson. The Heels remain perfect on the road.
Robbi Pickeral, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - North Carolina junior Marcus Ginyard has long been lauded for being able to do so many things: scrap on defense, play four positions, lead.
But Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena, it was his ability to do anything at all that was key to the No. 5 Tar Heels 75-74, down-to-the-wire survival against Virginia.

With starting point guard Ty Lawson sidelined for his third straight game because of a sprained left ankle and backup starter Quentin Thomas in foul trouble throughout, Ginyard had seven points, six rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes-- all while playing with a sprained right ankle and sprained left big toe.

He was even on the floor in the final minute, when teammate Tyler Hansbrough's hook shot gave the Tar Heels (23-2, 8-2 ACC) enough of a cushion to stay undefeated on the road.

"Marcus Ginyard is a gamer,'' UNC coach Roy Williams said.

He needed to be. Not only were the Tar Heels still weary from their double-overtime comeback against Clemson less than 48 hours before, but they were hurting. Hansbrough sat out Monday's practice because of an ingrown nail on his right big toe. Thomas' back was sore after playing 30-plus minutes for three straight games. Starting power forward Deon Thompson hyper-extended his left knee in the first half and had to sit for a spell.

And then there was Ginyard, who had a brace on his right foot and walking boot on his left foot Monday, but declined crutches.

"Probably at the 8-minute mark [left in the game], it hurt bad,'' said Ginyard, who started at small forward but played 15 minutes at point guard after Thomas picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, then his fourth early in the second half. "But it was tough to even think about it, because there was so much going on on the court at that time, I just had to focus on that."

Indeed, Carolina led by as many as 13 points midway through the first half, but the Cavaliers -- led by relentless senior ballhandler Sean Singletary -- trimmed it back to 38-31 at halftime. UNC never pushed it to double figures again.

With 52 seconds left, Virginia cut it to 73-71 when reserve Calvin Baker buried a 3-pointer.

But on UNC's next possession, Hansbrough -- who had 17 points by halftime but was scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the second half -- swished a familiar shot from the lane with 21 seconds left to make it 75-71.

"We like to think that is a jump-hook,'' Williams said, describing what has become the All-America's signature move, "but it is not. Shotput, jump hook, Hansbrough Special, whatever you call it -- but our goal was to come down and spread and try to use the clock and try to go in to him inside. We went to him inside and, needless to say, he delivered for us and made a big bucket."

Singletary countered with one more big bucket of his own, a 3-pointer, with 8 seconds left. But after shooting guard Wayne Ellington was fouled, teammates Danny Green and Ginyard tipped the rebound into the air until time expired.

"It just shows his determination," Thomas said of Ginyard's decision to play with pain, "and his love and his concern for his team. Marcus always puts himself out there for his team and his teammates, and it just shows the type of person he is."

In the end, Hansbrough led the Tar Heels with 23 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Ellington chipped in 19 points, and the Tar Heels outrebounded the Cavs by seven and shot 52.5 percent.

Singletary -- a load to guard even if you had three healthy feet, Ginyard said -- led the Cavaliers (11-12, 1-9) with 27.

"When you play very good basketball teams, the margin of error is razor thin," said Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao, whose team has now lost seven straight. "You try the best you can, but you can't play a perfect game. Any mistake leads to something positive on the other end, and that's what happened a number of times."

UNC doesn't play again until it faces Virginia Tech on Saturday, and Williams is hoping that's enough time for some of his players' hurts to heal. He called the Tar Heels "a tough bunch of kids."

Especially Ginyard, who sprained his ankle Sunday and who has been playing on the sore toe all month. His painful minutes helped make the difference.

"I didn't think I would be able to go as hard and as long as I did tonight," the junior said, "so I just thought it was great that I was able to get out there."

 

CAVS CLOSE, BUT HEELS CLOSE IT
February 13, 2008 12:16 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

The effort of the Virginia men's basketball team was called into question after an embarrassing 31-point loss to Clemson on Thursday.

But while hustle wasn't a problem against fifth-ranked North Carolina (23-2, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) last night at John Paul Jones Arena, the Cavaliers still came up short in a 75-74 defeat.

The loss was Virginia's seventh in a row and 10th in the past 11 games.

Cavaliers head coach Dave Leitao said he doesn't take any consolation in the close loss, but moral victories are what his battered team may have to settle for at this point in the season.

"To believe in anything like that, I think is the mentality of somebody who doesn't believe in winning," Leitao said of moral victories. "As I said to the guys, 'Competitive sports is a cruel, cruel game. You win and you lose. Winners are revered and losers go home.'"

It wasn't quite that cut and dry for the Cavaliers (11-12, 1-9) last night.

They put up a fight behind 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists from senior point guard Sean Singletary.

They trailed 75-74 after Singletary drained a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds remaining.

But when Tar Heels' sophomore guard Wayne Ellington was finally fouled afterwards, just 2.9 seconds remained.

Ellington missed the free throw, but the Tar Heels batted the ball around until time expired, sending them to their second straight win after a loss to Duke last week.

Leitao said he doesn't blame his players for not fouling a North Carolina player quicker.

"You're in scramble mode," Leitao said. "The ball came in quick. The receiver got it out of his hands and now you're chasing people down. It becomes a simple child's game of keep-away."

The Cavaliers wish they could've kept the ball out of the hands of North Carolina senior forward Tyler Hansbrough.

The All-American scored 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds. He had 17 of his points in the first half and was held scoreless in the second until a field goal with 5:04 remaining.

Still, he came through with the biggest basket of the night when he converted an awkward looking hook shot with 22 seconds remaining to give his team a 75-71 advantage.

Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams doesn't know what to make of Hansbrough's form on his shot, but it's helped bring him plenty of victories.

"We'd like to think it's a jump-hook, but it's not," Williams said. "It's a shot put, jump hook, Hansbrough Special--whatever you want to call it."

The Tar Heels also got 19 points from Ellington and 12 from sophomore forward Deon Thompson. They shot 52 percent from the field compared to just 38 from the Cavaliers, but Virginia stayed close by forcing 17 turnovers.

That may have been helped by the absence of Tar Heels' sophomore point guard Ty Lawson, who missed his third straight game with an ankle injury.

North Carolina is also without top backup point guard Bobby Frasor, who suffered a torn ACL earlier this season, and starter Quentin Thomas was plagued by foul trouble last night.

"I'm extremely proud of how tough these kids are," Williams said of the way the Tar Heels won despite their point guard troubles.

Both teams made big runs in the first half. The Tar Heels fell behind 5-0 to open the game before going on a 20-2 spurt.

The Cavaliers answered with a run of their own, outscoring North Carolina 22-8 to take a 29-28 lead on a Calvin Baker free throw.

But it was North Carolina who had the final say in the half. It closed on an 8-0 burst, punctuated by a Hansbrough jumper shortly before time expired as it went into halftime with a 38-31 lead.

The Cavaliers never fell behind by more than nine points in the second half as they were able to keep it a tightly contested game.

They'll try to snap out of Leitao's worst slump in his three-year tenure when they visit Boston College on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Lovin' the lights- out Lithuanian
Paul Montana

So close. Doggone Hansbrough. What do you call that shot anyway?

"Well we like to think that it is a jump hook, but it's not," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "Shot-put, jump hook, Hansbrough special, whatever you want to call it."

First of all, hand it to Hansbrough. That shot to put the Tar Heels up 4 with under a minute remaining was a heck of a shot. If there's anybody in this conference who can compete with Singletary's combination of ability and heart, it's Hansbrough.

Second, hand it to Virginia, even though silver lining is not a theme that Virginia coach Dave Leitao is too interested in talking about.

"To believe in anything like that means that I take a mentality of somebody that doesn't believe in winning," Leitao said. "Competitive sports is a cruel, cruel game. You win and you lose."

Fortunately, I am interested.

Ever heard an athlete say, "They just wanted it more?" No one can say that about Virginia's effort last night. The fact that it took a "Hansbrough special" to clinch the win for the Tar Heels is, if nothing else, a testament to this team's never-quit attitude.

Just when I said in a column in Monday's edition that no one but Singletary was doing anything on offense, the rest of the Cavs woke up. The usually passive Jeff Jones was playing aggressively. Mamadi Diane and Calvin Baker were taking it strong to the rack. Singletary was, of course, Singletary, but then again, that never changes.

And then there was Lars.

Just typing his name gets me fired up. The lively Lithuanian finally got into the action after sitting for most of the season with a shoulder injury. Honestly, I was expecting a pretty sluggish outing from Lars. If you've ever sat the bench with an injury for an extended period and tried to come back, you know how tough it is to regain your stride the first time out.

But from the time he took a charge on Hansbrough less than three minutes after he entered the game, it was clear that the livin'-large Lithuanian hadn't missed a beat. Lars made all the usual Lars plays; on top of the early charge, he hounded Hansbrough defensively and got a tip with the patented fist pump celebration. The lock-and-load Lithuanian even slipped in a Hansbrough-esque spin to the baseline for a bucket.

"It's all those Mighty Shakes," Mikalauskas said. "No, just kidding."

Where can I buy one of those?

The fans gave it up for him, as they should. And Lars loved it.

"It was great," he said. "At least I know they still like me after six weeks."

The crowd was as into this game as any home game this season, and it deserves as big a cheer as any that a Virginia player received. At 1-8 in the conference going into this game, the fans had every reason to quit. Over and over, fans have flocked to John Paul Jones Arena, and over and over, they have been disappointed by 1- and 2-point losses, overtime losses, and finally the culmination in the 31-point embarrassment to Clemson.

Yet, there was the 'Hoo Crew, bouncing up and down to the ritual playing of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." There were the fans rising to their feet at key possessions in the second half. There was the band doing a jig during a timeout that got everybody into it.

And, Cavalier fans, now is not the time to stop. I'll be the first to admit that Virginia is going nowhere this season, but that doesn't mean the fans shouldn't hang with the Cavs.

Any sports fan will tell you, the good times are always sweeter when you've been there for the down years. For those of you fourth-year students who flocked to U-Hall in your first two years to watch Virginia get pummeled game-in and game-out, remember the excitement of last year's Tournament run? When the fans rushed the court last year after the home victory against Duke, was the celebration only a consequence of the outcome of that game? I don't buy that; it was something more. It was a culminating point of the team's rise from mediocrity.

And so it will be when Virginia rises from the doldrums once more, whether it's one, two, or five years from now.

So stick with 'em, Cavs fans. You can't get to the destination unless you're there for the journey.

 

Virginia boasts tough defense against Hoyas
Cavaliers defeat Georgetown in final scrimmage; veterans Petit, Timms, Barrow look to continue winning tradition
Megan McDonald, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The Virginia men's lacrosse team's pre-season scrimmage at Georgetown this past Saturday proved a battle of the defenses. With the majority of the match's 12 goals coming in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers held their own and allowed only five, while the Hoyas gave up seven.

Although spectators usually find defensively-minded games somewhat less exciting, Virginia fans likely were pleased to see the Cavaliers mount a solid defensive effort without former goalkeeper Kip Turner or former defenseman Ricky Smith.

Since Turner and Smith served as the backbone of the Virginia defense last season, their graduation this past May could have had severe consequences for the back line. But although both are certainly missed, the current Cavalier defensemen do not seem fazed.

"We have a couple guys who didn't play last year but who could have started if we had needed them," senior goalkeeper Bud Petit said. "And we still have Mike Timms at long pole and Will Barrow at short stick, and they are two of the best in the country."

Petit also cited the friendships among members of the team as he talked about how the back line is adjusting to life without Turner and Smith. Being a close-knit group, the new defensive lineup has meshed well and worked hard together in practice.

"I do not think its going to be a problem," Petit said. "I think we have more speed and athleticism than we did last year actually so it is going to be good overall."

That said, Virginia coach Dom Starsia, as well as several members of the defense, saw room for improvement after the Navy scrimmage . To that end, practice has been and will continue to be intense up until the season opener at Drexel Sunday.

The question of who will start in goal Sunday remains to be decided. The choice appears to be between Petit and freshman Adam Ghitelman. Ghitelman, ranked the top goalie and overall No. 4 recruit in the country by Inside Lacrosse, started against Georgetown while Petit was in first against Navy. Sophomore Mark Wade also saw playing time in both scrimmages and looked solid during both.

"I thought all the goalies played well," Starsia said. "We don't have a lot to complain about there but that doesn't necessarily make my job any easier."

A veteran like Petit is invaluable to this Cavalier team, regardless of who wins the starting job in goal. With freshmen expected to make an immediate impact on the field, more experienced players must help them make the leap to collegiate lacrosse.

"I was one of the oldest guys on the team last year too so I just have to keep doing my part, keep the young guys in line a little bit," Petit said. "I can help let them know that it is just a game, and we are out here to have fun and to try and do our best and do it right."

With senior attack Ben Rubeor, a team captain and one of the top players in the nation, still sidelined and Turner and Smith no longer on the team, Virginia will look quite a bit different, both offensively and defensively, from its 2007 counterpart.

Nevertheless, with a new crop of athletes, the outlook remains positive as the season opener fast approaches.

"As a class, the freshmen are as good as everyone says they are -- if not better -- and that's a huge help for our team," Petit said. "They give us so much more depth and help to make us just that much better going into the season."

 

...And twins

Kyle O'Connor

Back in 2003, when some of you first-years were just wee babes, Coors aired a legendary TV commercial titled "Love Song." The ad was subtle, the target audience was sophisticated and the lyrics (screamed by a pack of wild, beer-chugging dudes) went something like this:

"I love football on TV, shots of Gina Lee, hanging with my friends ... and twins. I love burritos at 4 a.m., parties that never end, dogs that love cats ... and twins. And I love you too!" [Coors Light logo comes up].

Like every other commercial, this one spun around in my head for a couple weeks and then burrowed deep into my brain never to be heard from again. At least not until I saw the recruiting video from heaven.

Rhamel and Shamel Bratton, both first-year midfielders on the Virginia lacrosse team, are twins. They are not blonde, they are not female and they do not endorse Coors Light. They may not even drink Coors Light.

Still, when I ran across the Brattons' highlight reel on Insidelacrosse.com, I fell in love with twins all over again (but in a very different way).

To begin with, the fact that the video is posted on a lacrosse Web site is somewhat misleading given the sheer number of sports being played in it. It's like a low-budget Nike commercial. At Huntington High School in Huntington Station, N.Y., the Brattons were each one part Mike Powell, one part Reggie Bush and one part Dwayne Wade (that's six parts if you're counting at home). These guys must have been at practice 25 hours a day, seven days a week and all through the summer.

Let's start with football. On the gridiron, it looks like they're playing against the worst team in the league every night. The medical bill for broken ankles must have been enormous. In one particularly devastating sequence, Shamel returns a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, juking the entire special teams unit out of their collective socks. That may have been one of the reasons why he earned first-team all-state and first-team Newsday All-Long Island football honors as a senior wide receiver. Rhamel earned the exact same awards as the team's other wideout.

Moving on to the basketball court, where both brothers lettered and Shamel earned all-conference honors. In one move that would make Mamadi Diane drool, Shamel is on the receiving end of an alley-oop throw-in from the baseline. You heard that right. Running in from the top of the key, he elevates over a crowd, snags the pass and dunks before the ball even touches the ground.

At the other end of the court a few plays later, Rhamel picks off a pass and sprints the length of the floor to throw down one of his own. Both the brothers are listed at a mere 6 feet, 1 inch tall. Eat your heart out, Dave Leitao.

Now to the main event: lacrosse. When Virginia coach Dom Starsia signed the top two high school recruits in the nation last spring, he didn't just get them from the same state. He got them from the same house.

Shamel, heavier than his brother by eight pounds, was rated the No. 1 recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse while Rhamel checked in at No. 2. You can just picture Starsia making a recruiting call to the Bratton house, asking to speak to whoever's home.

Maybe it's the video's poor quality or maybe it's the laws of physics, but for the life of me I can't see the ball in any of the Brattons' lacrosse highlights. In every clip, one of the twins cradles past the midfield line, gets a foot in the box, jukes out a defender or five and then rips a shot from 15 yards out. A millisecond later the net flutters, the hapless goalie slumps over and the crowd explodes. Just like that.

So today I've got the recipe for fixing a basketball team that looks stiffer than Hillary Clinton's helmet o' hair.

I've got the answer for a football team that left fans' jaws on the turf in Jacksonville.

I know what to do about a young lacrosse team that hasn't won a national title in (gasp!) two years.

The answer: twins.

Suit 'em up for every sport. Who knows? Maybe there's a highlight reel of the Brattons playing baseball that coach Brian O'Connor would like to take a look at. Maybe there's some footage of them playing some mean croquet.

I do know one thing, though. If Virginia wins some more lacrosse national championship hardware in the next four years (and I'd bet my left eyebrow that they will) at least one Bratton will have a hand in it.

So the folks at Coors had it right after all. I like football on TV. I like shots of Gina Lee. I like hanging with my friends. And man, do I love twins. And you should too.