Men’s basketball: Miami 62, U.Va. 55
MIAMI 62, U.VA. 55
By Jeff White
Published: February 27, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The pass from Sammy Zeglinski came to Jeff Jones on the left wing, and the sophomore guard buried a 3-pointer that pulled the University of Virginia to 55-55 with 3:50 to play.

Unbelievably, those were the final points the Cavaliers scored last night. U.Va.'s offense unraveled late, and the Miami Hurricanes capitalized, pulling away for a 62-55 win before a dismayed crowd of 9,392 at John Paul Jones Arena.

With the score 55-55, Virginia got the ball back with 3:21 to play, but freshman Sylven Landesberg's pass into traffic was stolen, and Miami scored to go ahead for good. That was the first of three straight turnovers by the Cavaliers (3-10 Atlantic Coast Conference, 9-15).

"We all had our minds in the right places," Landesberg said. "We were trying to make the right plays, but we tried to force things."

Virginia wasted a magnificent defensive effort by junior Calvin Baker, who shut down all-ACC guard Jack McClinton for most of the game. The 6-1 senior finished with 11 points - 12 fewer than his average in conference games.

"We just guarded him tight and close," Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao said. "Calvin took on the challenge and did a real good job."

Still, when the 'Canes (6-8, 17-10) needed a big play, McClinton delivered. With the score 57-55, he used a solid pick from teammate Jimmy Graham to elude Baker and hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with 47.3 seconds left.

Virginia's next possession ended no better than its previous three. Junior forward Jamil Tucker missed from beyond the arc, and Miami rebounded. McClinton was fouled and sank two free throws with 19 seconds left to close the scoring.

McClinton was one of seven Hurricanes with at least six points last night.

"Every game I don't have to have a breakout game," McClinton said. "Today other players stepped up."

The victory enhanced the Hurricanes' credentials for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Virginia has three regular-season games left, starting tomorrow against Wake Forest at the JPJ.

Jones led the Wahoos with 16 points, despite spending a chunk of the second half on the bench.

After his three-point play put Virginia ahead 43-40 with 11:16 left, Jones was a spectator for the next 7:03, during which his replacement, sophomore Mustapha Farrakhan, went 1 for 4 from the floor.

"What I told [Jones when he came] out was there were three or four specific defensive assignments that he got lost on," Leitao said. "All of them didn't cost us points. So I took him out and put Mustapha in. Mustapha did a better job that way. I rode it a little longer than I intended to."

Also scoring in double figures for U.Va. were Landesberg (13 points) and Baker (11), but their ballhandling errors proved costly. Baker had five turnovers and Landesberg four.

Landesberg's points came from outside. Early in the season, the scouting report on him went something like this: great around the basket, especially on drives, and mediocre from 3-point range. But Landesberg had two treys last weekend against N.C. State, matching his career high, and the 6-6 guard had three in the first half last night.

Freshman center Assane Sene, who started for U.Va., played only nine minutes before spraining his right ankle in the first half.

 

UVa goes cold at wrong time
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In holding Jack McClinton to one field goal in the first 33 minutes Thursday night, Virginia seemingly was executing its defensive game plan to perfection.

Miami showed the Cavaliers that two can play that game.

The Hurricanes held Virginia without a basket on its last six possessions of the game and pulled away for a 62-55 victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

"I think it made a statement that we can win a game without Jack having a monster game," Hurricanes coach Frank Haith said. "I think there are times when our guys sit and watch Jack play. We need to get away from that and be more involved."

McClinton finished with 11 points but five of those came during a game-ending 7-0 Hurricanes' run, including a 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining and two free throws with 19 seconds left.

Virginia (9-15 overall, 3-10 ACC) had forced a 55-55 tie on a 3-pointer by sophomore Jeff Jones with 3:52 left, but that was the end of the Cavaliers' night offensively.

Over the next 3:28, the Cavs took one shot.

More than anything, sloppy ballhandling cost three-point underdog Virginia the victory.

"Absolutely," coach Dave Leitao said. "It was a combination of their being more aggressive on defense and our tentativeness. I think their zone had a wear-down affect in terms of us playing back on our heels. We had a whole lot of empty possessions."

One of the first questions that Leitao fielded after the game concerned Jones, who finished the game with 16 points.

A three-point play by Jones had given the Cavaliers a 43-40 lead with 11:13 left but Jones took a seat after converting his free throw and did not return until 4:13 remained, at which point Miami led 53-50.

Mustapha Farrakhan, who took Jones' place, finished 1-for-5 from the field.

"What I told him [Jones] when he came out was that there were three or four specific assignments that he got lost on," Leitao said.

"All of them didn't cost us points, [but] Mustapha did a better job that way.

"I rode it for a little longer than I intended to and, obviously, with about five or six [minutes] to go, put Jeff back in."

Jones said, "I definitely was feeling 'it.' I've been feeling it all week. Even when I was on the bench, I felt I was in a rhythm to go back in there and hit shots."

Miami had scored on only two of eight possessions prior to Jones' departure and it wasn't as if the 'Canes (17-10, 6-8) were operating smoothly all night.

They shot 44 percent from the field, including 38.9 percent (7-of-18) on 3-pointers. Senior swingman Brian Asbury led Miami with 13 points.

"I thought Calvin [Baker] did a wonderful job all night in taking a personal challenge on the best scorer in the league," Leitao said. "Even so, I thought we could have withstood that. Offensively, we did a good job in the first 20-25 minutes taking care of the ball, but we had a whole lot of empty possessions."

Miami had come into the game with four losses in its previous five games and was in an obvious "must-win" situation, according to Haith.

"Obviously, it was a huge win for us," he said. "Defensively, we were exciting, particularly to end the game."

UVa freshman Sylven Landesberg, averaging nearly 18 points per game, hit three early 3-pointers and had 11 points by the half. But Miami took away his driving ability and he had only two free throws in the second half.

UVa had only eight assists to go with 16 turnovers, four by Landesberg.

 

Hurricanes know how to close deal
Virginia shuts down Miami's Jack McClinton for most of Thursday night's game, but the Hurricanes still come out on top.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
February 27, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - If Virginia's players and coaches would've known before Thursday night's game against Miami that prolific scorer Jack McClinton would only make three shots from the floor, the Cavaliers probably would've felt good about their chances.

It still wasn't enough for U.Va. to get its third consecutive home victory, as Miami held on for a 62-55 victory and preserved its NCAA tournament aspirations. While McClinton only scored 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the floor, he still accounted for arguably the biggest basket of the game.

McClinton took advantage of U.Va.'s Calvin Baker falling down on his defensive assignment and nailed a 3-pointer deep in the right corner with 47.3 seconds left to give Miami a 60-55 lead. Miami (17-10 overall, 6-8 ACC) scored the final seven points.

"We got to a timeout with, I think, three minutes and 21 seconds to go, and it was a tie score 55-55, and that's when I said to the group 'Somebody is going to separate themselves'" U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't us."

U.Va. (9-15, 3-10), which shot 40 percent from the floor for the game, couldn't take advantages of chances down the stretch. After Brian Asbury gave Miami a 57-55 advantage via a lay-up with 2:41 remaining, U.Va. called a timeout to plot an offensive strategy…or so it seemed.

U.Va. emerged from the timeout and didn't make an effort to get the ball inside or bring a shooter off a screen. Miami's Jimmy Graham blocked Sylven Landesberg's driving lay-up attempt out of bounds with 2:11 left. Graham stole the ball away three seconds later.

McClinton gave the ball right back with 1:33 remaining, but nothing good came of U.Va.'s next possession, as McClinton made up for his previous blunder with a steal of his own. It was U.Va.'s third turnover in as many possessions. Landesberg finished the game with 13 points on just three of seven field goal shooting.

"We saw plays that were there and tried to force things," said Landesberg regarding U.Va.'s late possessions. "I know I turned the ball over one time … We all had our minds in the right places."

Baker, a Woodside High graduate who had 11 points, played outstanding defense on McClinton. McClinton, who came into the game averaging 20.1 points per game, only attempted two shots in the first half. He didn't score from the field until he hit a 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the half.

U.Va., which had center Assane Sene come out of the game with seven minutes left in the first half and not return due to a sprained right ankle, jumped out to a 17-7 lead. Miami missed six of its first nine shots, but it still managed to claw its way back on the strength of a 12-2 run. The game was tied 29-29 at halftime.

Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way until the final minute. Miami, which shot 44 percent from the floor, stayed in its trademark 2-3 defense for the entire game and forced 16 turnovers.

Jeff Jones, who led U.Va. with 16 points, broke loose for a 3-pointer with 11:16 left to put the Cavaliers ahead 42-40. Leitao took Jones out of the game immediately after the 3-pointer and kept Jones on the bench for seven minutes.

"What I told him when he came out was there were three or four … specific defensive assignments that he got lost on," Leitao said. "All of them didn't cost us points, and so I took him out and put Mustapha (Farrakhan). Mustapha did a better job (on defense). I waited a little bit longer than I intended to (in putting Jones back in)."

 

One lapse costs the Cavs
By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: February 26, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia’s Calvin Baker was Jack McClinton’s shadow all night Thursday at John Paul Jones Arena. If Miami’s sharp-shooting guard moved one way, Baker clung to him, refusing to give an inch.

Baker only let McClinton free once. One opening. One wide-open shot. One dagger that crushed the Cavaliers.

McClinton’s 3-pointer from the right corner with 47.3 seconds left buried Virginia, essentially sealing the Hurricanes’ 62-55 victory. On a night when the senior guard could seemingly never find a rhythm, he hit the biggest shot of the game and kept his team’s flickering NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Jimmy Graham set the screen that freed McClinton for the shot, which extended Miami’s lead to 60-55. Baker was slow to react to McClinton’s sharp step-back move, and Mike Scott, the help defender on the play, slipped after Graham screened him. McClinton, a 47.7 percent 3-point shooter, had the wide-open shot he had been looking for all game.

“I didn’t know which way he was going, and he was smart enough to fade the screen,” Baker said. “He read the screen properly, got the time, and he knocked the shot down.”

McClinton entered the game averaging 20.1 points per game, and he had broken the 30-point mark in three of his past five games.

Virginia (9-15, 3-10 ACC) clearly wasn’t interested in allowing McClinton to have that sort of game Thursday. Baker’s defense was key. He played 34 minutes, McClinton played 35. Whenever Miami coach Frank Haith subbed McClinton out, Virginia coach Dave Leitao gave Baker a rest. The second McClinton came back in, Baker returned to the floor.

McClinton scored 11 points, five in the final minute.

“I thought Calvin did a wonderful job with him all night long, taking a personal challenge against one of the best scorers in the league,” Leitao said.

Though the Cavaliers’ defense kept them in the game, their offense failed them at the end. Jeff Jones, who scored a game-high 16 points, tied the game at 55 with a 3-pointer with 3:52 left. Virginia wouldn’t score again.

McClinton missed a shot after Jones’ 3, and Virginia had a chance to take the lead. But Sylven Landesberg, who scored all 11 of his points in the first half, fired an errant cross-court pass toward Sammy Zeglinski, who was open in the right corner. Adrian Thomas picked it off, and Brian Asbury, who led Miami with 13 points, hit a layup at the other end to give the Hurricanes (17-10, 6-8) the lead for good.

Virginia’s last few possessions were sloppy. Landesberg found a rare driving lane, but Graham swatted his attempt at a floater out of bounds. With three seconds left on the shot clock after the block, Virginia turned it over. On its next possession, the Cavaliers turned it over trying to force an entry pass to Jamil Tucker in the post. Down 60-55, Virginia’s only look was a contested Tucker 3-pointer, which he missed.

Miami spent much of the game in a 2-3 zone, with a smattering of man looks. That negated Landesberg’s biggest strength — his ability to score and create off the bounce. All three of his made field goals were 3-pointers, and he only attempted two shots inside the arc. That was precisely the defensive game plan, Haith said.

“It makes us stagnant” when Landesberg can’t drive, Baker said. “Even when he doesn’t score, he makes more than one person guard him. It was hard for him to penetrate that zone tonight. I think they did a real good job.”

Said Leitao: “When he did have driving lanes, his man kind of stayed on his hip, the extra defender. His runner wasn’t available today. He kind of left off one foot and got it blocked, or got it challenged, more than normal. They flooded him.”

Virginia’s best offense was Jones, whose strength is his outside shooting. Thursday, he found soft spots in the zone and used his mid-range jumper to score. His three-point play with 11:16 left gave Virginia a 43-40 lead, but Leitao benched Jones and replaced his with Mustapha Farrakhan for the next seven-plus minutes.

“There were three or four specific defensive assignments that he got lost on,” Leitao said. “All of them didn’t cost us points. Mustapha did a better job that way. I left him in for a little bit longer than I intended to.”

Virginia played the final 33 minutes of the game without freshman center Assane Sene, who sprained his right ankle and returned to the bench in the second half, using crutches and wearing a walking boot. How long Sene will be out is unknown, but it’s unlikely he’ll play Saturday afternoon here when Virginia hosts No. 13 Wake Forest.

 

Hurricanes pull away late
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 27, 2009

For roughly 39 minutes and 10 seconds, Virginia was masterful in its defense of Miami’s Jack McClinton on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena. The Hurricanes star was practically invisible.

That is, until crunch time.

With just under a minute remaining, the senior showed why he is considered one of the best players in the country.

McClinton popped open in the right corner and drained a 3-pointer that hit nothing but net to keep his team’s NCAA tournament hopes alive, propelling Miami to a 62-55 win in front of a crowd of 9,392.

Miami coach Frank Haith knew Virginia had been cheating over the top of screens and designed a play for McClinton to fade to the corner.

“Jimmy [Graham] set a great screen and I got a good look,” McClinton said.

McClinton finished with just 11 points on three of 10 shooting, his second lowest output of the season.

“Calvin [Baker] did a heck of a job in guarding McClinton,” said Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg. “We couldn’t have asked him to do a better job. It was just that other parts of the puzzle didn’t come together.”

Landesberg finished with 13 points — the first time in five games that he didn’t lead the team in scoring. Landesberg, who was forced to shoot from the outside by Miami’s 2-3 zone, scored just two points after the break.

“We really didn’t want him to drive the ball,” Haith said. “That’s where he’s dangerous in putting a lot of pressure on people off the dribble. I thought our guys did a really good job of keeping him out of the paint.”

After the game, Landesberg was noticeably frustrated.

“They just closed all the holes up every time I touched the ball,” he said. “It was just real tough penetrating … they just stuck to their gameplan and denied me the lane.”

Jeff Jones led Virginia with 16 points, but was replaced by Mustapha Farrakhan down the stretch because of a couple of defensive lapses.

“There were three or four specific defensive assignments that he got lost on,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “Mustapha did a better job that way. I rode it for a little longer than I intended to do.”

Jones re-entered the game and nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 55, but Virginia committed three straight turnovers before McClinton’s big shot.

“We tried to force things,” Landesberg said. “I turned the ball over once when I tried to get the ball to Sammy [Zeglinski] in the corner … all our minds were in the right place, but we just tried to force it.”

Virginia (9-15, 3-10 ACC) started the game strong, showing the kind of intensity that had been lacking in its previous loss to N.C. State.

UVa, behind the somewhat surprising outside shooting of Landesberg — he drilled three 3-pointers — jumped out to a 17-7 lead.

Meanwhile, Virginia was able to hold McClinton in check. The senior didn’t score his first basket until more than midway through the first half.

Still, the Hurricanes (17-10, 6-8), behind the 3-point shooting of Adrian Thomas — were able to climb back into the game.

They took a four-point lead after a Lance Hurdle jumper before Virginia answered with baskets by Jones and Mike Scott to tie things up. Jones blocked a Thomas 3-point attempt at the buzzer as the teams headed into the intermission deadlocked at 29.

For the second time in the last three home games, Tunji Soroye gave Virginia a huge lift off the bench. In the second half, he blocked shots on back-to-back Miami possessions, then scored on the other end after the second block to give Virginia a 37-35 lead.

There were eight ties and neither team led by more than three points until McClinton’s 3-pointer.

“At 55-55, I said, ‘That’s when somebody’s going to separate themselves,” Leitao said. “Unfortunately it wasn’t us.”

Dunks

Virginia freshman Assane Sene sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return. “It’s hard to tell,” said Leitao, when asked about the severity. “It’s anything from mild to serious.” … Wally Walker, the 1976 ACC Tournament MVP, was in attendance.
 

’Canes come up big in clutch
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 27, 2009

White-knuckle time — it usually brings out the very best and the very worst in teams as they try to win in the clutch.

With four minutes to play in Thursday night’s game, Miami showed why it is striving to become part of the NCAA conversation. Virginia showed why it isn’t.

Up until that point, the visiting Hurricanes were playing like a team without a future, just kind of hanging around and hoping that the host Cavaliers would falter. The strategy seemed to work.

Deadlocked at 55-all, Virginia came unglued. Didn’t score again. Turned the ball over and lost, 62-55.

McClinton’s late dagger
After doing an admirable job for more than 38 minutes of bottling up Miami’s most lethal weapon — guard Jack McClinton — the Cavaliers’ defense lost track of him at the most inopportune time. McClinton uncorked an open 3-pointer from the right corner with 47 seconds to go, essentially jabbing a dagger into any UVa hopes of winning.

The Hurricane star was held to 11 points, much to the credit of Calvin Baker’s defensive effort. However, five of those came when it counted most: at the end.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had no answer.

“This was a huge win for us,” said ‘Canes coach Frank Haith. “It wasn’t pretty, but our defense, particularly at the end of game was great. This was a statement that we can win without Jack having a monster game.”

Haith was spot on with his quick assessment.

Miami, once 4-8 in the ACC, is fighting for its postseason life. Now at 6-8, the Hurricanes can see the light with their next game at last-place Georgia Tech, then a home finale against so-so N.C. State. Run the table, make an impressive ACC Tournament appearance and who knows ... they could be dancing.

Haith was spot-on as well that the game wasn’t pretty. This contest would have finished second in an ugly contest.

Defense in the clutch
Still, it was a major deal that the ‘Canes had six straight defensive stops against Virginia to end the game. It was even bigger that some of Miami’s other players stepped up while McClinton, who averages 20.1 points per game, struggled.

Maybe Miami can win without its ace firing on all cylinders, but clearly, Virginia can’t.

Star freshman Sylven Landesberg was held to 13 points, a mere two in the second half, as the Miami zone took away his driving lanes most of the evening. When the ‘Canes manned-up, they used either an extra defender on him or had his defender sticking right with him.

Without Landesberg scoring, the Cavaliers struggled to find another to take up the slack. That is a common occurrence on a squad that doesn’t seem to have ACC-caliber talent.

The only other player who seemed to find his stroke was guard Jeff Jones, who led UVa in scoring for the night with 16 points.

However, coach Dave Leitao pulled Jones out of the lineup with 11:16 to play and seemed to forget about him for the next seven minutes.

Jones had just converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give Virginia a 43-40 lead when Leitao got out the hook.

After the game, the Cavs’ coach said that Jones had missed four specific defensive assignments and so he took him out and inserted Mustapha Farrakhan.

“I rode it [Jones’ on the bench] a little longer than I had intended,” Leitao said later.

While the thought of teaching a player a lesson for blowing defensive assignments is a noble one, can a coach really afford to pull his chief offensive threat for that long in a game that was up for grabs?

Maybe you can when you’re 3-10 (9-15 overall) and going nowhere.

Maybe Leitao is still trying to get his message across four months since practice began.

Just wait ‘til next year.

 

‘Canes blow past Virginia, complete comeback effort
McClinton sinks three-pointer in last minute to lead Miami past Virginia; team hangs tough in back-and-forth battle, goes cold with win on line
JP Stroman, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Published: Friday, February 27 2009

Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg tallied 13 points with 3 for 5 shooting from the field during Virginia’s loss against Miami last night. He also notched seven rebounds. The Virginia men’s basketball team continued its high-energy play last night but was unable to prevent a 62-55 loss against Miami in John Paul Jones Arena.

“It wasn’t a great performance or display on either end,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

Leitao stuck with the same starting lineup that propelled the team to win two of its last three games. Freshman center Assane Sene and junior forward Solomon Tat played in the first few minutes to give the team a boost of energy. Unfortunately, Sene sprained his right ankle at the end of the first half, limiting him to just nine minutes of playing time.

The team’s early game plan seemed to work, as Virginia (9-15, 3-10 ACC) sprinted out to an early 10-point lead with 11:38 left in the first half. The Cavaliers’ physical defense was able to hold the Hurricanes’ leading scorer, senior guard Jack McClinton, in check, as he failed to score until just more than four minutes left in the half.

“There’s no question that it’s really good for us this time of year as we continue to move forward to get some more production out of other guys,” Miami coach Frank Haith said, ”when they see that Jack’s not having a great night and we can still win the game.”

Miami was able to battle back and tie the game at 29 entering halftime. The Hurricanes (17-10, 6-8 ACC) spread the ball around well in the first half, with seven players scoring at least three points and no player scoring more than junior forward Adrian Thomas’s six. Senior forward Brian Asbury ended up leading Miami with 13 points in the game.

The contest stayed tight early in the second half, with frequent lead changes and pivotal plays. Miami’s opportunistic defense was able to capitalize on several Virginia offensive miscues, earning six consecutive stops on defense in the final five minutes. Following the turnovers, Miami held onto the ball, draining precious time and eliminating the Cavaliers’ rally hopes. McClinton made a three-pointer with just less than a minute left for the final dagger.

Overall, the Hurricanes scored 22 points off turnovers compared to Virginia’s seven.

“Under four minutes, it was a combination of tentativeness and just not making the right passes,” Leitao said.

Throughout the game, Virginia players made several acrobatic plays, like sophomore guard Jeff Jones’s athletic block to close the first half. Fifth-year senior Tunji Soroye continued the theme with two early blocks to start the second period, at one point swatting away what appeared to be a sure-fire dunk.

The Hurricanes do not play again until a March 4 date with Georgia Tech on the road. With another game March 7 against N.C. State, Miami will be looking to keep pace in the conference and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia faces a quicker turnaround, taking on Wake Forest a mere two days from now in JPJ.

Leitao insisted the team will be prepared for Sunday’s matchup.

“It’s somewhere around 40 hours — give or take — before we’ve got to get on the court again,” Leitao said. “This is the third time that we’ve done it. Fortunately or unfortunately, [Wake Forest] play[s] tonight, and they’ve got to travel, so we’ll be equally challenged on the physical part of it.”

Making headaches for other teams
Ernie Washington
Published: Friday, February 27 2009

The theme of this ACC basketball season has been constant. When Virginia falters coming out of the gate, it creates a large deficit that’s too great to overcome. When Virginia starts out a game strong — like in matchups against Clemson and Virginia Tech — it more often than not finds a way to win.

When Virginia jumped out to a 17-7 lead with 11:38 left in the first half last night against Miami, it appeared as if the Cavaliers could claim their third upset victory in four games.

Alas, in the end, the team wasn’t able to come out on top.

Two big things stand out about last night’s game: First, Miami senior guard Jack McClinton did not have the greatest game. McClinton came into the matchup averaging more than 20 points per game. Yet, against the Cavaliers, he failed to score his first basket until there were 4:12 left in the first half and only hit three of his 10 field goal attempts.

In crunch time, however, he made two game-changing plays.

McClinton made a crucial steal with 1:06 left and Miami up just two; during the Hurricanes’ ensuing possession, he knocked down a big three-pointer from the right side with 46 seconds left to put the Hurricanes up five. Such a sequence shows why McClinton is deserving of First Team All-ACC Honors. He made big plays when he had to, and as a result, the Hurricanes still have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

The second note to take away from last night’s game was the overall discombobulation of the Virginia offense down the stretch. Between 2:41 and 0:24 left in the game, the Cavaliers failed to get off a single shot. Freshman standout guard Sylven Landesberg hardly even touched the ball down the stretch.

Miami found a way to get its best player the ball. Why couldn’t Virginia do the same?

While most of us will be enjoying Spring Break, the Cavaliers will face three games in which they have an opportunity to cause some major headaches for teams with NCAA Tournament plans. But they’ll need to play better to have that kind of impact.

“We know that most of the teams that we are going to play have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament,” Landesberg said. “We’re just going to come out there and try to break their dreams.”

The next three teams to test Virginia all have something for which to play. The first two — Wake Forest and Clemson — have staying close to home during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament on their minds. It is widely believed among experts that the two best teams in the ACC will have the privilege of playing the first and second rounds of the tournament in Greensboro, N.C. For nearby North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest or Clemson, such an incentive means the teams will not have to travel far at all, and more importantly, it also allows their fans to make a huge presence. North Carolina will likely get that privilege, but the other three teams will battle it out down the stretch, and — surprise, surprise — Virginia plays two of those teams next.

Wake Forest visits Charlottesville tomorrow, and while the Demon Deacons are extremely talented, they are also extremely young and have already been upset four times during ACC play. Virginia played capable basketball against these same four teams. The Cavaliers have already defeated Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech this season; they came back against N.C. State and had chances in the final minute to pull out the victory. And with a little better offensive execution, Miami might have gone down last night. Tomorrow will be a great spoiler opportunity for the Cavaliers.

An even greater spoiler opportunity presents itself Tuesday when the Cavaliers head to Clemson, S.C. to face the Tigers. The Cavaliers played surprisingly well in their upset against Clemson Feb. 15, and while the Tigers would love to enact revenge, Virginia should be ready. In addition, the Tigers have been notorious during the past three seasons for playing to the level of their opponents. The game against Virginia is a perfect trap game, too, as Clemson will be looking ahead to its next matchup against Wake Forest. A loss to the Cavaliers would all but send Clemson away from Greensboro the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, something that the Tigers would not like to see happen.

The greatest possible goal for this year’s Virginia team, though, is the golden opportunity to outright pop a rival’s tournament bubble — and that’s exactly what Virginia has the chance to do against Maryland next Saturday. Currently, the Terps sit at 17-10 overall, 6-7 in the ACC. With only two marquee wins — against Michigan State and North Carolina — Maryland can ill afford to slip up and lose to Virginia during the Cavaliers’ Senior Night. The Terps have been playing much better basketball lately — especially after The Washington Post ran a series of articles highly critical of Maryland coach Gary Williams ­— but they have lost their last two games in Charlottesville. Virginia, on the other hand, has won its last three Senior Night games.

Most of us will be at home or chilling on the beach when the Virginia men’s basketball team will have a lot for which to play. The Cavaliers will not just be attempting to close out the season strongly and gain momentum for the ACC Tournament, but they also will be trying to ruin some teams’ ideal NCAA Tournament plans — or prevent one from even joining the party.

The last time Virginia failed to win 10 games in the regular season was 1969-70. Playing spoiler to one of the three teams remaining on the schedule would avoid such a misstep from happening again. Just remember to get your best player on the team the ball in crunch time.



 

Virginia hopes to avoid another near miss
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 27, 2009

Several Virginia shots clanged off the post during last spring’s double-overtime loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in Foxborough, Mass.

A few millimeters to the left or the right and UVa may have won its fifth national title.

Instead, the Orange won the game and went on to beat Johns Hopkins for its 10th championship.

Tonight at the Carrier Dome, roughly eight months later, Syracuse and Virginia — the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country — square off again.

“There is still some sting from last year,” admitted Virginia senior Danny Glading, “but it’s a new group of guys and a new season.”

Virginia (4-0) looked impressive in its first three games of the season, but is coming off a lackluster performance versus Mt. St. Mary’s on Tuesday in which it could muster only 10 goals on 60 shots.

Syracuse (2-0), meanwhile, is coming off a 17-6 win over Army last week.

Both teams have changed a lot since they last met. Virginia graduated leading goal scorer Ben Rubeor, fifth-year goalie Bud Petit, defensive middie Will Barrow and starting middie Peter Lamade. The Orange lost Tewaarton Trophy recipient Mike Leveille — the team’s offensive leader who finished with 49 goals and 34 assists — midfielder of the year Steven Brooks and All-American faceoff specialist Danny Brennan, among others.

Virginia coach Dom Starsia wasn’t buying the notion that his team’s subpar effort on Tuesday would force his team to tighten things up for tonight’s clash.

“If my not sleeping somehow improves our chances against Syracuse, then it accomplished what we needed it to,” Starsia quipped, “but I would rather that we played our best every night.”

Virginia had won five straight games in the series before last spring’s loss to the Orange.

“I think this game is always meaningful,” Starsia said, “but I think both programs are mature enough to know that it’s still only February.

“But I think our kids remember that we didn’t win the last game against them. That sticks in our craw a little bit.”

The game, as usual, figures to be a high-scoring one. Both teams like to push the ball as much as possible. “The team that actually generates a little greater discipline usually carries the day,” Starsia said.

That’s not always the easiest thing to do when you factor in the emotions that have always gone hand-in-hand with the rivalry.

“It’s going to be a great experience and a great game,” said Glading of Virginia’s first trip to the Dome in four years. “It’s always something that you dream about when you’re a little kid — playing in a rivalry like that.”

Ground balls

WINA AM 1070 is broadcasting the game in the Charlottesville area. John Freeman, Doug Tarring and Jamie Leachman call the action.

 

Cavs seek to vanquish Orange
No. 2 Virginia travels to Syracuse for showdown between country’s top two teams; Starsia’s squad looks to avenge late-game collapse against Orange in last year’s semis
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Friday, February 27 2009

Junior midfielder Max Pomper saw time in the Cavaliers’ 10-2 win against Mount St. Mary’s Tuesday.
“It was a typical Virginia-Syracuse game,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said about the Cavaliers’ sudden-death overtime loss in last season’s NCAA semifinal match. “I don’t think any lead is safe in the game until it ends.”

The Cavaliers learned this lesson the hard way last year, as they saw their four-goal lead in the fourth quarter evaporate at the hands of one of the most high-caliber offenses in the history of the game. The Orange also lost a similar lead to Virginia — down five goals in the fourth quarter — in the 1994 NCAA semifinals, but given that Virginia’s loss only was a year ago, last year’s game continues to have more of an impact on the current crop of Cavalier players.

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we lost and walked off the field Memorial Day,” senior midfielder Max Pomoper said, adding that the team has been waiting for tonight’s rematch. “It’s circled on our calendar.”

With the storied history between the two programs, little more is needed to make the game an exciting affair. But the outcome of last year’s match, combined with the teams’ No. 1 and No. 2 rankings this season, makes tonight one of the most hyped games of the season.

“I think this game is always really meaningful,” Starsia said. “I think both programs are mature enough to know that it’s still only February. But we understand that we didn’t win the last game last year — that we lost to Syracuse — and I think that sticks in our craw a little bit.”

Because the teams only have played four games apiece thus far, the No. 1 and No. 2 national rankings are not as meaningful as they could be later in the season. Each team marks the first challenging opponent for the other. Historically speaking, a close game is a very distinct possibility — one for which the Cavaliers are preparing.

“Coach Starsia has us do a section in a practice called ‘win the close game,’” Pomper said. “We go over ‘the games tied with a minute left,’ ‘we’re up by one with a minute left’ and all those types of situations. We pride ourselves on winning those close games. Last year was a great example — we won maybe five or six close one-goal games probably because of that.”

Against Syracuse, Virginia will have to contend with a very fast-paced offense similar to its own, adding to the challenge. Both teams use transition situations to capitalize on their athletic abilities and good field sense.

“Its really hard to slow this game down,” Starsia said. “The first one — if we happen to think about it in terms of playing them twice [because we might] play them later in the year — the first one tends to be more of a players’ game. We don’t know them a great deal yet. We don’t even know our own team yet.”

Virginia is coming off a 10-2 win against Mount Saint Mary’s — a solid performance, but one during which Starsia thought his Cavaliers made many small mistakes that the unforgiving Orange could exploit.

“[Tonight’s game is] the kind of game where every little thing gets magnified,” Starsia said. “Mistakes we might have made on this field we will get burned for [tonight]. At the same time, there are lots of plays to be made. If you can just keep playing no matter what, if you can be resilient and a little bit adaptable as the game is going on — the team that demonstrates a little greater discipline usually carries the day.”

It may only be the beginning of the season, but tonight’s game could preview another late postseason matchup.

“These games are 60 minutes long, and especially against Syracuse, there is a lot of ebb and flow in the game,” Starsia said. “Against Syracuse, especially, the game is absolutely 60 minutes long. No matter who’s ahead with five minutes gone in the third quarter, that’s not going to be the determining factor of who’s ahead at the final whistle.”

 

Syracuse and Virginia prepare to battle it out for early top spot in lacrosse world
February 25th, 2009 by Tyler Dunne
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Dan Hardy and the Orange are No. 1 in the USILA Coaches Poll...(Greg Wall)The ringing of Ben Ruebor’s missile off the pipe rippled through Gillette Stadium, pulling Stephen Keogh off the bench. Ruebor’s point-blank shot in double overtime of the NCAA semifinals was mere centimeters away from ending SU’s season.

The buzz of the ball clanking off steel remains fresh in Keogh’s head.

“My heart dropped when they hit the post,” Keogh said. “We got the ball back and Mike Leveille did it all for us. It was an unbelievable feeling seeing that ball go into the back of the net.”

On Friday, Virginia gets it shot at revenge. No. 2 Syracuse (2-0) will host the No. 1 Cavaliers (4-0) at 7 p.m. Friday inside the Carrier Dome. The last time these lacrosse powerhouses clashed, Mike Leveille scored in double-overtime to lift SU to the title game – one possession after Ruebor’s near miss.

The Orange – whose opponents routinely try to take the air out of the ball – will finally get a chance to fight fire with fire. Like SU, Virginia prefers an up-tempo game…when shots ricochet off posts, fast breaks are the norm and the unexpected is expected.

“This is a game that most lacrosse fans throughout the country have been waiting for – two teams that will really run up and down the field,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said Wednesday. “Nobody’s afraid of one another, they want to go after one another.”

This time around, the winner will be the undisputed No. 1 team in the country. In Inside Lacrosse’s Media Poll, Virginia has 335 votes and Syracuse has 328. In the coaches’ poll, Syracuse is ranked first overall. Friday will finally declare a front runner. It’s a matchup, Keogh said, has been on the Orange’s mind since the schedule was released.

“Our players know that in one poll we’re number one and in another poll they’re number one,” Desko said. “So you have a 1-2 matchup fighting for first place in this point in the season. The way the game is played and the history of the Syracuse-Virginia game, I these guys understand that.

“You’d have to be dead not to be excited for this one.”

Slowing down Virginia begins in the midfield where Brian Carroll, Steve Giannone and Shamel Bratton turn the key on the Cavaliers’ offense. The trio has combined for 17 goals and five assists through the first three games, with Rhamel Bratton kicking in four and two despite his shift to a more defensive role in the midfield.

In Syracuse and Virginia’s two meetings last year, long-stick midfielder Joel White drew the assignment of tracking each player at some point. Carroll scored the game-winner in overtime of the Faceoff Classic last March, but White got the last laugh. The then-freshman helped hold the trio to one goal apiece in SU’s Final Four win.

Cutting the cord on Virginia’s combustible offense may begin with White.

“The two Bratton brothers are real tough and really good athletes,” White said. “They take a lot of shots, so maybe one of those guys. Brian Carroll is back. …They have such a good midfield inside, it’s just a matter of who gets going.”

Added Desko, “The Brattons are extremely athletic. They could have gone onto college in three different sports – basketball, football and lacrosse, and maybe another one. They’re very talented and athletically they’re tough to stop.”

But enough individual matchups. Intricacies and chalk talk may mean little.

Desko knows vengeance will be the theme on the other side of the field Friday. After all, it was Cavaliers head coach Dom Starsia who requested the rematch be played in the Dome. On Desko’s turf.

“You can’t disregard that,” said Desko in reference to the chip on Virginia’s shoulder. “They were overtime games in both our games last year and we won the one that mattered the most. I’m sure it was a disappointing loss for them and that they remember it.”

White has been talking back and forth with some of his friends on the Virginia team, including the Cavs’ faceoff man Brian McDermott. Both hail from Cortland, N.Y. White said McDermott hasn’t talked smack, rather a simple message to “be ready.”

“I feel like they took that semifinal loss pretty hard,” White said. “To come into the Dome for the first time in a while, you know they’re going to come hard. I talked to a couple guys I know on the team and they said they’re really excited.”

Keogh, who leads the Orange with eight goals, remembers the somber sense of dejection from some teammates when Virginia built a 10-6 lead in the fourth quarter at Foxboro last year. Syracuse’s season was ticking away. But as Keogh said, “we always come back.” SU chipped away at the deficit and found a way to win – albeit with a little help from the post.

Syracuse’s sophomore sniper knows those divine deflections might not happen Friday. And he knows the attitude Virginia is bringing into the Carrier Dome.

“I think they have revenge on their mind,” Keogh said. “We’re just going to go out and play.”
 

U.Va. set for showdown with Syracuse
By Jeff White
Published: February 27, 2009

In 1999, the University of Virginia men's lacrosse team opened with a loss to Syracuse. The Cavaliers ended that season by beating the Orangemen for the NCAA title.

In 2008, Syracuse dropped an early-season game to U.Va. The Orange avenged that defeat in the NCAA tournament semifinals, beating the Wahoos in double overtime, and then won the national championship two days later.

Don't attach too much significance, then, to tonight's highly anticipated game at the Carrier Dome, where top-ranked Syracuse (2-0) hosts No.2 Virginia (4-0).

"I think you go into a game like this somewhat with the luxury of knowing, whatever the result is, it doesn't really change the goals of the teams," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said.

Still, Syracuse-Virginia games generally are the most entertaining in college lacrosse, and tonight's showdown should be no exception. Both teams like to run, and it's not uncommon for them to combine for 25 or more goals when they meet.

"This game tends to be a little more free-spirited," Starsia said.

In its most recent game, U.Va. kept the tempo high, launching 60 shots against Mount St. Mary's at Klockner Stadium. Only 10, however, resulted in goals. Virginia was never threatened its 10-2 victory Tuesday night, but that his players had been looking ahead to Syracuse irked Starsia.

By the next morning, he'd cooled off.

"I wanted our performance to be a little sharper, so I was a little disappointed," Starsia said. "But I understand how difficult it is for these guys not to be excited about going to the Dome."

 

Top rivals run 'n' gun again Friday in Dome
Thursday, February 26, 2009
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

There are arguably better Division I college lacrosse rivalries out there, but none is more evenly matched or fun to be part of than Syracuse-Virginia.

"For the participants, it is the game circled on the schedule above all others," said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose Cavaliers (4-0) will face the Orange (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Carrier Dome.

"Sure, you want to beat (Johns) Hopkins and stick it to the crowd at Homewood, and you have to take care of your conference rivalries," Starsia continued. "But for real lacrosse people, this is the game they want to be part of, whether they're in the stands watching or on the field participating. It is a special moment in our sport."

It is a moment that is defined by more than parity, although there is plenty of that - the last 21 games between the two have produced a combined score of 292-292, an average score of roughly 14-all, with SU holding an 11-10 edge. It is two teams playing the game the way it was designed to be played - fast and furious.

"I think Dom said years ago that the Syracuse-Virginia game takes on a life of its own," SU coach John Desko said. "And it has, because I think both teams have somewhat of a green light to play lacrosse, you know? From a spectators' standpoint, I think this has always been the game of the year for fans to watch."

"I tell people all the time that everything is larger than life in this game," Starsia said. "The mistakes you made in the last couple of games, you pay dearly for in this one. At the same time there are so many plays to be made that you never stop playing."

That was never more evident than in last season's NCAA semifinals, when Syracuse trailed 8-3 in the third quarter before staging a dramatic rally and winning 12-11 in double-overtime.

"A reporter down here wrote recently about how we blew the lead in that game," Starsia said. "I honestly never for one moment felt we blew the lead. These are teams that make runs during a game. Every one of these games has ebbs and flows.

"We had our runin the second quarter of that game, they had their run in the fourth. We had plenty of opportunities to win it in overtime, but the shots didn't fall. Did we blow the lead? Heck, I thought we played our best lacrosse of the year."

Syracuse went on to win the national championship, and with several key members of that team back, the Orange is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the coaches poll, No. 2 in the media poll. The team the media likes better than SU? Virginia, naturally.

The rankings provide a touch of intrigue, but just a touch. These teams don't need rankings to get excited about playing each other, especially in February when the rankings are meaningless.

"It's exciting to play a team like this," SU goalie John Galloway said. "This is what makes the season fun. Friday night's going to be one of the better experiences of your career. Playing in the Dome against Virginia. You know, a lot of people talk about this matchup, and to be able to play on a Friday night in the Dome so early in the season, it's going to be exciting for everybody."

"They don't hesitate to come at us and play our style," SU attackman Kenny Nims said. "They don't care. They'll run up and down the field with us all day. That's what makes it so much fun to play in this game."

The early date,Starsia said, will give the two even more freedom to play the way they love to play at tremendous tempo all over the field, creating scoring opportunities galore.

"If we play each other down the road (in the NCAA Tournament) it becomes more of a 'OK, how do we beat them?' kind of game," Starsia said. "This first game tends to be a little bit more freewheeling, as we're still in the process of getting to know our teams."

Freewheeling is an understatement. What other Division I lacrosse rivalry features scores like 18-17, 16-15, 20-15? The most outlandish was a 22-21 Syracuse victory in 1997 in the Dome.

"I actually hurt my voice yelling in that game," Starsia said. "I can still remember calling a timeout and looking into my players' eyes and saying, 'It's OK to slow down a little but out there,' but their eyes were looking back telling me 'Coach, no freaking way.' Somebody was asking me recently whether it would be in our best interest to slow the game some against them, but it's just not going to happen."

The rivalry is so entertaining that Insidelacrosse asked the two teams to be part of an early season doubleheader at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to showcase the sport in an NFL arena (Johns Hopkins and Princeton were the other teams in the Faceoff Classic).

Starsia and Deskoagreed but made certain to limit the contract to two years. Now, for the first time since 2005, the teams are set to square off in the Dome.

"It was a great event," Starsia said, "but I wanted my seniors to have a last opportunity to play in the Dome. I like playing in front of the Syracuse community. It is a very educated crowd. Sure, they'll boo us, but the sense I get from them is, 'Coach, I love the way you play.' "

What's not to love. It's the same brand of lacrosse Syracuse has been playing forever.

"This is a game most lacrosse fans in the country are waiting for," Desko said. "Two teams that will really run up and down the field. Nobody's afraid of anybody. They want to go after one another . . . so it should be a great lacrosse game to watch and a great lacrosse game to play in."

Bring it on.

 

Cavs’ Courtney doesn’t miss a beat
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 27, 2009

As a high school player, Drew Courtney was about as dominating as you can possibly be. The Clifton native was a three-time state singles champion, four-time doubles champ, and led Robinson High School to three team state championships.

At the college level, Courtney has picked right up where he left off.

So far this season, the Virginia freshman has posted an 11-1 record, playing mainly at No. 6 singles for coach Brian Boland’s bunch.

“He’s taken advantage of every opportunity that has been in front of him — in terms of the coaching and working with his teammates, and making not only himself but everyone else around him better,” Boland said. “He’s such a tremendous competitor. He comes out every day with a mission to improve and become a better tennis player.”

Tonight, Courtney looks to continue his impressive first season when top-ranked Virginia (14-0) hosts No. 31 Virginia Tech (6-1) at Boar’s Head Sports Club (admission is free).

Courtney, a sinewy 6-foot-5 player who grew up playing basketball before switching to tennis around the eighth grade, has shown a surprising ability to perform in the clutch for someone so young.

At the recent ITA National Indoor Championships in Chicago, it was Courtney who clinched Virginia’s second straight title. Courtney lost the first set of his match to Georgia, 6-0, before coming back to win in the next two.

“The third set was just a fight,” said the 19-year-old. “It was just a battle. Luckily, I came out on top, and it was probably one of the most special experiences of my life.”

Courtney called the feeling he had on match point versus the Bulldogs “unreal.”

“When I hit the first serve, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to get it back,” Courtney recalled. “I immediately dropped my racket and everyone just rushed the court. It was the coolest feeling ever — especially to do it against a team like Georgia who we’ve had some tough losses to.”

Boland, who calls Courtney an “all-court player” — he doesn’t have to rely on any one particular facet of his game — feels the freshman certainly has the ability to play at the top of his lineup someday.

“I’ve seen every aspect of Drew’s game develop over the course of the last six months,” Boland said, “and I think the best is in front of him. His potential is enormous.”

Courtney is certainly glad he wound up at Virginia.

“It couldn’t be going any better,” Courtney said. “It’s just been amazing. It’s an amazing group of kids. The hard work we’ve been putting in has really been showing. I couldn’t ask for more.”

 

Weekend round-robin poses tough home test
Blue Hens, Rams pay visit to Davenport to challenge Cavs during difficult three-day slate
Abbey Lou Hendricks, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Friday, February 27 2009

Sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt went 1-2 with two walks in the squad’s Tuesday win against William and Mary. Grovatt is currently batting .438 in five games. The Virginia baseball team gears up for a full weekend of games starting today. The Cavaliers also will need to save energy for a double-header Saturday against Delaware and Fordham.

Virginia (5-0, 0-0 ACC) comes off a dominant 11-1 Tuesday victory against William & Mary. Freshman pitcher Will Roberts earned his first career win after notching eight strikeouts, allowing only three hits in five innings pitched.

“It feels good,” Roberts said. “I guess it’s a relief that it happened in my first [start].”

Starting off the season averaging 12.4 hits per game, the Cavaliers’ offense has improved since last season. Since Virginia coach Brian O’Connor joined the squad in 2004, Virginia has averaged only 29.8 homeruns per season. With six homeruns in five games and plenty of games left to play, the Cavaliers are well on their way to surpassing their previous statistics.

Freshman infielder Steven Proscia and junior catcher Franco Valdes have contributed four of the six homeruns. The other two homeruns — and a combined four triples — are split between sophomore outfielder Jarrett Parker and sophomore utility player Dan Grovatt.

One goal for the Cavaliers, and O’Connor especially, is to create a versatile attack for each game. Even though it is earning respect as a powerful offensive team, Virginia has not strayed from its typical small ball style.

“That’s going to be important when you play close ball games,” O’Connor said. “Hopefully, we’re a kind of offense that does a lot of different things depending on [what] the game dictates us to do.”

One area in which the Cavaliers could improve their small ball play is in reducing the number of double-plays turned against them. Ten double-plays this season have limited Virginia’s ability to advance runners into scoring position.

The Cavaliers’ offensive flexibility could prove beneficial against Delaware and Fordham. Fordham (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) counts brawny sophomore Max Krakowiak among its pitching staff. Krakowiak fanned four in his sole start this year, which ended in a no decision for the right-handeder. Senior infielder Bobby DiNardo, meanwhile, provides the bulk of the team’s offense, hitting .455 with six runs batted in.

Those players aside, however, Fordham has struggled, with an overall team ERA of 8.28 and a less than .300 team batting average.

Virginia’s hitters seldom strikeout — the team averages only two per game — but Delaware will counter with a staff averaging 6.25 strikeouts per game. One of Delaware’s pitchers also is one of the team’s strongest batters: senior right-handeder Jared Olson. Olson has seven runs batted in this season and three home runs.

In their last long weekend before conference play begins, the Cavaliers hope to continue their powerful offensive production, while maintaining the team’s characteristic hitting and base-running fundamentals. Following the games against Fordham and Delaware, the Cavaliers will remain in Charlottesville to play VMI and George Washington. ACC play begins March 6, when Virginia will travel to Wake Forest.

 

No. 21 Cavaliers look to take sting out of Jackets
Published: Friday, February 27 2009

After a nail-biting five-point win against Florida State on the road, the No. 19 Virginia women’s basketball team (22-7, 8-5) gears up to take on Georgia Tech in its last regular season contest. The game will take place Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga.

Though it will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, both will be playing for more than just a notch in the win column.
The Yellow Jackets sit just below the Cavaliers in the ACC standings at 6-6. The game will not only determine if the squad breaks .500 in conference play but also will mark Georgia Tech’s last home game. Although only two seniors are saying goodbye, one of them — guard Jacqua Williams — leads the team in steals and assists, and is second in scoring.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, counter with their own statistic-dominating seniors. Forward Lyndra Littles leads the team in scoring average and rebounds per game, and center Aisha Mohammed is averaging a double-double — 13 points and 10 rebounds — per game this season.

Even more impressive, though, is the play of Virginia junior guard Monica Wright. In addition to leading the team in scoring and making a run at the conference scoring crown, Wright is first on the team in assists and second in rebounds. She also has overwhelmingly dominated the steals category, tallying almost three times as many as the next player.

The game is a chance for the Cavaliers to follow up their win against Florida State and gain momentum heading into the postseason. Throughout the season, Wahoo fans have waited to see players besides Littles, Mohammed and Wright show depth on the court, and Virginia will need its lesser-known competitors to make an impact Sunday if the team wishes to beat an excited Georgia Tech squad.

 

UVa Insider, The Column
UVA INSIDER FOR FEB. 26

It will be interesting to see which Mike Scott shows up as 3 ½-point underdog Virginia entertains Miami at 8 tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.

Scott, a 6-foot-8 junior, leads the Cavaliers in rebounding (7.3) and joins Sylven Landesberg as one of UVa’s two double-figure scorers (10.6), but his numbers have fluctuated more than he or head coach Dave Leitao would like.

Scott had 18 points and 10 rebounds Feb. 15 in an 85-81 upset of then-No. 12 Clemson, then came back six days later and had six points and one rebound in a 72-67 loss at North Carolina State..

Some of that had to do with playing time. Scott has been coming off the bench in recent games, but he logged 40 minutes against Clemson. Presumably, if he had been playing better, he would have played more than 23 minutes at State.

Scott has had 10 or more rebounds in eight games, including seven double-doubles (he had nine points and 10 rebounds in one game). However, he had zero rebounds in 17 minutes against Boston College and two rebounds in 23 minutes at North Carolina. That was followed by an eight-point, nine-rebound outing at Florida State.

“You can also equate it to how he gets up and down the court or how he aggressively posts up or plays post defense,” coach Dave Leitao said earlier this week. “There are those times, mentally, when he’s not as locked in.

:”When you’re looking at a game [on tape], you can see a correlation between all those things not happening and not rebounding, too. What we’re trying to do is concentrate on [the mental] part of it. It’s obviously concerning.”

Another interesting statistic for Scott is his high percentage of offensive rebounds. He has had more defensive rebounds than offensive rebounds in only nine of 23 games, topped by a Jan. 15 game with North Carolina when he had seven offensive rebounds and no defensive rebound.

WHILE SEARCHING for information about UVa’s first football recruit for 2010, running back Kevin Parks, I came across the Salisbury Post game story from the North Carolina Class 3A championship game between Parks’ team, West Rowan, and West Craven.

For those unfamiliar with the geography, Rowan County is located between Greensboro and Charlotte on I-85. Salisbury is the county seat and West Rowan is located in Mount Ulla. New Bern is the county seat of Craven County, located closer to the shore.

West Craven entered the game with a 15-0 record but was a 35-7 victim of West Rowan, which finished 15-1. Parks rushed for 219 yards and scored three touchdowns in the championship game, including an 81-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game. It was the longest run of his career.

"What makes Parks so tough is his low center of gravity," West Craven coach Clay Jordan said after the game.. "You don't think of 5-8 kids being power backs, but he's a power back. Strong legs. Breaks tackles. The best we've seen — by far."

Parks, who goes by “K.P.,” will enter his senior year at West Rowan with 7,121 rushing yards and 99 touchdowns. Only four players in state history have scored 100 touchdowns in their career. He would need 3,121 yards as a senior to break Toney Baker’s state record but second place (T.A. McLendon, 9,038) is well within reach.

Parks, whose father is a West Rowan assistant, was the leading rusher in North Carolina this year with 2,864 yards and he scored 43 touchdowns.