Cavs-Pack game should provide drama
By ANDREW JOYNER
Daily Progress staff writer
Some of the intrigue surrounding the 49th ACC tournament, which begins today in
Charlotte, N.C., is if No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 Duke will meet in the final for
the season’s rubber match. That potential championship game would certainly
produce much fanfare, and ESPN would surely enjoy the ratings.
But as for drama, there would be little associated with it. At that point, both
Duke and Maryland would likely have guaranteed top seeds in next week’s NCAA
tournament. Perhaps the only thing that contest would really produce, aside from
a great game, would be Maryland’s first ACC title since 1984.
No, the real drama will be Friday in the quarterfinals, and it will be tied to
one game in particular. When fifth-seeded Virginia meets fourth-seeded N.C.
State at 2:30 p.m., it will be the one tournament game that may matter in terms
of NCAA tournament implications.
By virtue of its season sweep of the Cavaliers, N.C. State (20-9) could afford
to lose the game and still make the field. A win for the Wolfpack would not
hurt, however, if coach Herb Sendek and his team want to avoid a tense weekend
of waiting.
“The cliche about beating a team three times has an even greater depth and
truth when the team is really good like Virginia is. ... Virginia is a really
good team,” said Sendek, whose teams currently holds a No. 42 RPI. “I think
the wonderful thing about the postseason is that everyone who goes in is 0-0,
and I think you have a renewed feeling and a fresh start. Obviously, our
first-round opponent, Virginia, is going to be challenging for us.”
Virginia (17-10) is not in the same position as the Wolfpack, but it’s close.
Virginia has a No. 45 RPI but likely will need at least a victory over the
Wolfpack to beef up its NCAA tournament resume.
Virginia might be the most enigmatic team in the ACC this season as it was once
9-0 and the No. 4 team country. Now, the Cavaliers have lost eight of their past
11 games and enter this weekend as perhaps the bubble team in the country.
Virginia coach Pete Gillen prefers to keep his team away from the endless bubble
talk and speculation that is surrounding his team this week.
“The media, a lot of times, causes problem for the kids because they’ll
either pump them up too much or tear them down too much. It’s better if the
players just practice and concentrate on playing well,” Gillen said. “The
less they read or hear, the better. I can’t speak for other teams, but for our
team, we don’t handle media real well. Either praise or criticism.”
Of course, Gillen has a suggestion to really prevent his players from having to
listen to all the will they or won’t they talk.
“I really don’t know [what it will take to get into the NCAA tournament]. We
just have to go down to Charlotte and play the best we can and win the ACC
tournament. That’s our goal,” Gillen said. “Right now, we have to
concentrate on beating N.C. State.”
If Gillen backs off slightly from making his team’s case to the NCAA committee
himself, Maryland coach Gary Williams served as the ACC spokesman during
Tuesday’s teleconference.
“I hear these other leagues talking about the number of teams they should get
in, well, we have very good teams in our league. Since we have two teams in the
league that didn’t lose many games, it’s tough for those [other teams] to
have a real good record,” Williams said. “At the same time, I feel they have
proven they are very good teams. Hopefully, we’ll get our share of teams that
we deserve [to get] into the NCAA tournament.”
Staying power
CHARLOTTESVILLE Roger Mason Jr., wise beyond his 21 years, chooses his words carefully. Asked about the possibility of his leaving early for the NBA, the 6-5 junior makes it clear he's likely to return for his final season at Virginia. Still, he stops short of answering unequivocally.
"Right now, I'm coming back," Mason said last Thursday after the Cavaliers stunned third-ranked Duke at University Hall.
"It's moments like this that make me so proud to be at the University of Virginia."
In an interview yesterday at U.Va.'s Old Cabell Hall, where a TV crew from Richmond shot him playing the piano, Mason again addressed the NBA question.
"My decision is, right now I'm staying, and that's where I stand," he said a few hours before the Cavaliers departed for the ACC tournament at Charlotte, N.C.
His friends Rodney White and Joseph Forte have played little as NBA rookies after bolting college early.
Another friend from his high school days in the D.C. area, Keith Bogans, has seen his pro stock plummet after returning for his junior season at Kentucky.
"To each his own. Everybody's got to make their own specific decision," said Mason, 21, who's studying architecture. "I came here to get my degree, so that's what I plan on doing."
In basketball parlance, point guard is the "1," shooting guard is the "2," small forward is the "3," and so on. Mason, a natural shooting guard, has had to play the point, too, in the absence of classmate Majestic Mapp. The projected starter at point guard, Mapp underwent season-ending knee surgery in October.
Mason has started 14 games at point guard and 13 at shooting guard for Virginia (17-10), which meets N.C. State (20-9) in tomorrow's first round at the Charlotte Coliseum. The Cavs expect to have three point guards next season in Mapp, Keith Jenifer and Todd Billet, a transfer from Rutgers. That would allow Mason to return to his natural position.
"It's been cool, but at times it's tough shifting back and forth," Mason said. "It's been different from last year, when I could just really concentrate on being a '2' and then back up at the '1.' . . . I don't get the ball in the same spot every game."
Mason's scoring average (18.7 ppg) is up three points from a season ago, but he's shooting only 41 percent from the floor after hitting 47.6 percent as a sophomore. His 37.2-percent accuracy from 3-point range is also well below his 44.2-percent effort in 2000-01. Still, on a team lacking offensive weapons, particularly when Adam Hall was sidelined with a foot injury, Mason often has had little choice but to force shots.
"When I'm playing the point, a lot of times the shot clock's running down and I have to put up a shot that I wouldn't want to put up," Mason said. "It's a lot easier when you're off the ball, because you catch it and your scoring opportunities seem better, at least for me."
After averaging a modest 7.6 points as a freshman, Mason emerged as one of the ACC's bright young talents in 2000-01, making the all-conference third team and closing the season with a 30-point effort in a first-round loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament. A second-team all-ACC pick this season, he's the conference's No. 3 scorer, behind All-Americans Jason Williams and Juan Dixon, and ranks second in free-throw shooting, behind Dixon. He's seventh in assists.
Chris Monter, an NBA draft analyst who publishes the Monter Draft News, said Mason probably would be picked late in the first round if he came out this year. "If he continues to work on areas of his game, I think he'd definitely have a chance to go much higher next year," Monter said.
Three guards made the all-ACC first team - Williams, Dixon and N.C. State's Anthony Grundy - and none will be back next season. So Mason would be the league's top returning scorer as well as a candidate for the ACC's player-of-the-year award and All-America honors.
"Accolades are always nice," he said, "but that's not what I would be coming back for. The main thing for me would be getting my degree and trying to get far in the [NCAA] tournament. Just making the tournament isn't what I want to do."
Mason Applies the Mortar
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 7, 2002; Page D08
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Jason Rogers wasn't exactly clowning around in his urban planning class, but he was certainly enjoying himself, grinning as he signaled to a classmate that their group presentation was coming up in a few minutes. Roger Mason Jr., Rogers's classmate and teammate on the Virginia basketball team, was not impervious to the amusement his friend was creating in the corner. Mason looked back at Rogers and cracked a smile, but then his gaze returned to the presentation taking place at the front of the room.
The smile is important; Mason is one of the most engaging players on Virginia's team. But the focus is perhaps even more indicative of his personality. While some players might act like a star if they had his place among the best players in the ACC, Mason is unusually mature and level-headed for a 21-year-old with NBA potential.
Growing up in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg as the oldest of four children, he was always that way, particularly after his father, Roger Sr., passed away in 1991.
"He's just a very caring person, very sensitive to the needs of other people," said his mother, Marsha Mason-Wonsley.
Mason was the big brother who made sure his brother and two sisters got up for school on time, made sure they each had book bag and lunch before heading out the door in the morning. These days he calls home to check with 16-year-old Lauren about her grades and to talk to 17-year-old Frank about his high school basketball season.
Leading Virginia with 18.7 points per game, Mason has taken on a similar leadership role in the last year and a half, emerging this season as the most vocal of the team's three captains. When the Cavaliers' late-season swoon was nearing its nadir in late February, he posted signs in the locker room reminding his teammates that their NCAA tournament goals were still attainable. Two weeks later, Virginia (17-10) might be able to seal an NCAA bid by beating N.C. State in the ACC tournament on Friday.
"Roger's really a class young man," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. "He just took up the leadership of the team. He's the main guy that the kids listen to and they respect and they follow. . . . He's done a very good job trying to pull the team together and keep our confidence up."
Rogers, a 6-11 backup center, came into the program with Mason 2 1/2 years ago. The Cavaliers are a noticeably close-knit team, but he and Mason in particular, along with senior swingman Adam Hall, spend a lot of academic time together in the architecture school.
"To me, he's like a brother that's my age," Rogers said. "He's more like a family member in my eyes than anything else. He looks out for everyone."
Mason transferred into the architecture school over the summer after spending his freshman and sophomore years as an economics major. He plans to go into real estate when he finishes with basketball, though he admits he still has plenty to learn about the intricacies of urban planning after studying it for less than a year.
"I want to build houses," said Mason, who has a 3.0 grade-point average and is taking 16 credits this semester. "I'd like to one day build my own house. I want to own property, own apartment buildings."
Mason probably won't have to worry about using his degree any time soon. He is an NBA prospect, a 6-foot-5 guard who can shoot from the outside and penetrate defenses off the dribble.
"He's improved every year," said Maryland Coach Gary Williams, who recruited Mason out of Good Counsel. "I always look at that for a player, [because it] means he's worked hard. . . . He's become a very complete player."
When Virginia played at Duke on Jan. 27, Blue Devils Coach Mike Krzyzewski geared his defense to slow Mason, holding him to 15 points.
"We gave so much attention to him," Krzyzewski said. "He's so good that he helps his teammates even if he doesn't score. . . . Mason is truly one of the top players in the country."
Mason can still improve his game. And at this point, he has been too busy trying to figure out Virginia's 3-8 record in the past six weeks to worry much about turning pro.
"If I made a decision, I'd be coming back to school. That's it," Mason said. "I couldn't think about the NBA at a time like this. It's been one of the most frustrating periods of time ever for me. I might go crazy if I had to think about the NBA."
Sports agents call Mason's mother in Silver Spring, telling her he would be drafted in the first round, but Mason knows they might just be saying that to get hired.
Mason also has close ties to athletes who have first-hand experience in pro sports. One of those is Detroit Pistons rookie Rodney White, a friend who left college early and is, in Mason's words, "not happy" sitting on the bench in the NBA.
Mason also has a valuable resource in his stepfather, Otis Wonsley, who moved on to a career as a computer consultant for the District after playing five years with the Washington Redskins in the early 1980s.
"I've tried to paint a picture for Roger of the things I've gone through and had to deal with," Wonsley said, "getting him to stay focused on the long-term goals and aspirations of being a productive citizen after the basketball thing is over with."
Right now Mason is thinking more about the ACC tournament and the fourth-seeded Wolfpack.
The NBA "is the farthest thing from my mind right now," he said. "I'm not worrying about that. All that stuff takes care of itself."
Eleven months and 158 charges later, the Honor Committee has finished all the investigations for the Bloomfield plagiarism cases.
So far, 38 students who took the Physics 105 and 106 courses, How Things Work, have been dismissed from the University, including those who admitted guilt before and after their investigation panels.
Of 59 cases referred to trial, twenty still are pending, and Committee Chairman Thomas Hall estimates they will not be completed until the end of the semester.
"We obviously are glad to have the investigation stage completed, and the process has been quite smooth," Hall said.
Hall said he expected the trials to be finished last semester but now is confident they will finish by the end of the semester.
"The cases may have moved slower than anticipated, but the truth has been found in every case," he said. "I don't think there is anyone out there who would want to sacrifice truth for speed."
Physics Prof. Louis Bloomfield filed charges against students last April, when the plagiarizing-detecting computer program he developed found similar words or consecutive phrases in students' papers.
More than half of the Bloomfield cases - 88 in all - have been dropped at or before the investigative panel stage.
Hall said the number of cheating students in Bloomfield's Physics 105 and 106 courses and in the University is extremely low.
"It's important to realize that out of the 2,500 students who have taken How Things Work over the past five semesters, only one and a half percent, 38, are being dismissed as a result of cheating."
Bloomfield has declined to comment until the remaining trials are completed.
"I have to stay quiet, and let due process take place," Bloomfield said in a press release. "Students are innocent until proven guilty, and I want the process to run quietly and responsibly until it's done."
Of the two appeals that have been requested so far, one currently is pending and one was denied. No grievances have been filed.
Hall said he is pleased with the outcome thus far.
"If any message should come out of this, it's that a very, very slim percentage of students at the University are choosing to cheat, and those that are choosing to cheat are being punished," he said.
Hall said he hopes the Bloomfield cases will generate a deeper appreciation of the honor system.
"There's certainly a greater awareness of the honor system in the wake of the Bloomfield cases," he added. "I hope the faculty will see that the Honor Committee can do cases consistently and fairly."
For College Honor Rep. Michelle Jones, the Bloomfield cases have brought honor closer to home.
"Even if students weren't one of the 158 brought up, a lot of people had friends who were," Jones said. "It made the honor system much more real for us."
While the rest of us bake in the warm beachfront sun, enjoy European vacations and relax in familiar household surroundings, the men's basketball team will be fighting to extend their season deep into March, well after our Spring Break has ended. Although the Cavaliers pulled a stunning upset over No. 3 Duke on Feb. 28, Virginia still is perched precariously on the NCAA tournament bubble. Virginia will need a solid showing in this weekend's ACC tournament to solidify its status as a championship contender rather than a first-round pretender.
First of all, the Cavaliers cannot lose to N.C. State on Friday. If Virginia is serious about dancing in mid-March, it cannot allow any ACC team outside of Maryland to win all three meetings this season.
Not even the most casual Virginia fans will be surprised that the key to the Cavaliers' tournament success will be their defense. "Defense wins championships," is one of the principal tenants in any sports bible. Just look at the New England Patriots, the New York Yankees and the New Jersey Devils.
Unfortunately, ever since its loss to Maryland on Jan. 31, Virginia has played without the inspiration and intensity that became such a Gillen era trademark.
Against Florida State, the Cavaliers' defense could not even stop Nigel "Big Jelly" Dixon from blubbering his way into double figures. Another poor performance by Virginia made N.C. State point guard Anthony Grundy look like Jason Williams, allowing the senior to drop 44 points in the last two meetings. Sure, senior night brought out the best for one night against Duke, but the rest reared its ugly 112-point head against Maryland on Sunday.
Sure, the hometown crowd will favor the Wolfpack. N.C. State may be riding high after securing its first NCAA bid in 11 years. The Cavaliers may have enough talent to beat any team in the nation.
But winners don't make excuses.
Friday night, Virginia must D up or shut up.
Adam Hall must play his heart out like he did against the Blue Devils. Travis Watson, Elton Brown and Jason Clark need to clog up the middle and deny the Wolfpack an effective inside game. Keith Jenifer has to show that he is more than just a passer.
Grundy must not get off the ground. Julius Hodge cannot be a factor. Scooter Sherrill should not have another career night.
It's the first game of the rest of Virginia's season. Hopefully, the Cavalier team that started the year 9-0 will be there to play it.
If the Cavaliers do manage to win their first postseason game under Gillen, they undoubtedly will face a well-rested Maryland squad looking to turn its ACC regular season title into a tournament championship. Virginia cannot just lie down and wait for Maryland to win, however. Beating N.C. State guarantees the Cavaliers a 50-50 shot at making the NCAAs. But the Cavaliers still must compete with Maryland. They do not have to win two games, just make the second game a contest until at least late into the second half.
So be prepared for a Juan Dixon or Steve Blake shot to win the game. Expect Lonny Baxter to dominate underneath the basket. Just hope that it doesn't happen until well past the seven-minute mark of the second half.
A hard fought game against the ACC's No. 1 squad should be enough to avoid the NIT. The Cavaliers may not have the consistency to upset the Terrapins, but they will have to prove that they have the talent to contend with any team in the NCAA tournament.
Who knows? If the Cavaliers catch a break here and there, they may be playing for an automatic bid on Sunday.
What a way to kick off Spring Break.
When the Virginia men's basketball team travels to Charlotte, N.C., this weekend, they will attempt to achieve a feat that has not been accomplished by a Cavalier squad in nearly seven years: win a post-season game. The last time the Cavaliers won a post-season contest, names like Harold Deane and Junior Burrough reigned, with Virginia beating No. 1 seed Kansas to reach the Elite Eight. That victory came seven years ago this March.
Today, things are quite different, but the Cavaliers would love another trip deep in the NCAA tournament. In order for that to happen, however, Virginia needs to win its ACC tournament opener Friday against N.C. State, a team that swept the Cavaliers in the regular season.
Virginia had its fair share of problems against the Wolfpack this season. The Cavaliers suffered a close 81-74 loss on Jan. 5 and an 85-68 drubbing in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 6. The Wolfpack had great success against Virginia's defense in both matchups, shooting high percentages while playing tenacious defense.
The Cavaliers' defense remains a big question mark as they enter the conference tournament. Teams like Maryland and Duke have dropped big numbers on Virginia in the last few games. In the season finale against Maryland on Sunday, the Terrapins scored at will, piling up 112 points.
With their backs against the wall, however, Virginia will hope to play with a sense of urgency.
"Our players know the situation," coach Pete Gillen said. "We have to play better defense if we hope to win some of these games. We can't keep trying to simply outscore these other teams."
Virginia will have to keep an eye on the Wolfpack's first-team all-ACC member Anthony Grundy if it hopes to come up with the win. Grundy scored 17.4 points a game during the regular season, and totaled 64 steals. One of his biggest steals came in the first N.C. State-Virginia matchup of the year, when he picked Keith Jenifer's pocket with the Cavaliers down only one after a Virginia run. N.C. State grabbed the momentum, held onto the lead, and Virginia could never close in on the Wolfpack.
Grundy's point guard will be Archie Miller, a well-known three-point Wolfpack threat. Miller only has 38 turnovers in 811 minutes of action this season, which is a good ratio for a starting ACC point guard.
N.C. State's frontcourt has provided the biggest problem for the Cavaliers this season, as Marcus Melvin, Josh Powell and Illian Evtimov all have had huge games against the Cavaliers. Melvin has come on strong as a smart defender inside, and he is a tall post player that can step outside and hit a three.
Evtimov came up with a couple huge threes both in Charlottesville and Raleigh, while Collins neutralized Travis Watson down low.
But the player that hurt the Cavaliers the most in N.C. State's upset at Virginia in January was freshman Julius Hodge. Hodge scored a game high 21 points in his first ACC road contest. Hodge has proved himself to be a strong perimeter player that can take opposing players off the dribble and into the paint.
The Cavaliers understand that they have to stop penetration in Friday's game, as opposing clubs have been able to get in the paint for easy buckets in the past few weeks.
"We have to play better defense," junior Roger Mason Jr. said. "If we don't play harder on the defensive end, we can't compete. We can score on offense, but that doesn't matter if you don't play hard on the defensive end."
The Cavaliers must come out with an edge, understanding that Friday is in all probability a "must-win" if they hope to make the NCAA tournament. Make no mistake about it, the current Cavalier squad certainly wants to make the tournament.
"We know where we stand," senior Chris Williams said. "We still have a lot of ball to play, and we want to go out with some wins."
If the Cavaliers come out ahead of the Wolfpack on Friday, they will face No. 1 Maryland in the third round of the tournament Saturday, increasing their chances of being slected for an NCAA bid.
Lone Wolf
Sometimes, the nights can be a little glum for Ilian Evtimov when his friends at N.C. State head to a movie or a late dinner and he stays behind.
He'd like to tag along, but this is an important time of the year for him. He needs rest. A sharp mind and strong legs are essential. He's a freshman basketball player, and the N.C. State program and his part in it must come first.
"It's tough, but I have to be focused," Evtimov said. "This is one of the main reasons why I came to the U.S. I know what I have to do. Sometimes you can go out if you have the next day off, but in general basketball is No. 1."
The distractions always get shelved. Evtimov, a 6-7 forward, was the last addition to N.C. State's highly regarded recruiting class a year ago - after finishing at Bishop McGuinness and after having helped Reynolds win the first of two Class 4-A state championships.
Evtimov locked up a starting position on the Wolfpack in the middle of January.
His basketball education continues every game, every practice. He says he learns something every day. He is a substantial reason, Coach Herb Sendek said, that the Wolfpack won 20 games in the regular season for the first time since 1989, why it could fight its way to the ACC Tournament title this week, and why it is probably headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.
"Ilian has almost immeasurable value to our team," Sendek said. "He's been absolutely terrific in every way. He is a winner, and he is a great competitor on both ends of the floor. I can't say enough positive good things about that young man."
Evtimov, a Bulgarian by birth, left France, where his family resides and the third of four countries in which he has lived, and struck out on his own. He sought an education and the means to become a better player.
At every stop he has made in the United States, the teams that he has joined have always gotten better, won a lot of games and chased titles. He has benefited also by learning from teammates and absorbing the ideas of coaches.
"I was just waiting for an opportunity this year," he said, "and when it came around I seized it.
"I know I had a couple of good games. I try to learn from the bad ones, but I haven't had time to sit down and enjoy anything yet. The season is not over, and they always keep us busy. Maybe I surprised some people who didn't think I could do this."
Evtimov's first weeks in Sendek's program in October were shaky. He said he felt lost sometimes despite all the international experience he had in Europe and his two years of American high-school basketball.
Defense - fighting around screens and denying his man the ball - proved overwhelming some days. He didn't feel comfortable with his teammates or his role in the first month of the season. The jump to college basketball was as tough as friends and an older brother, Vasco, who played at North Carolina in the late 1990s, said it would be.
"My first couple of days of practice I just felt horrible," he said. "I didn't know what I had to do. I felt like a real freshman. I just tried to listen and learn.
"It just takes time. You've got to look in the mirror and say, 'I've got to get better. I've got to do this, and I've got to do that.' I've got to listen to the coach because he makes the decisions."
A turning point came when the team returned from a win at Houston on Dec. 23. The next game wasn't for another week because of Christmas, so the Wolfpack had a full week of uninterrupted practices.
Evtimov remembers practicing well that week, grasping principles that had been eluding him and getting a break, unfortunately, at the expense of a teammate. Levi Watkins, another freshman forward, injured a knee against Maryland and was lost for the season, creating additional playing time for some lucky soul.
Evtimov came off the bench in the next game at Virginia. In 25 minutes, he made 4 of 9 shots, all 3-pointers, made all three of his free throws, grabbed three rebounds, didn't have a turnover and scored 15 points. He was a perfect complement to Anthony Grundy and Julius Hodge and a ballpeen hammer to Virginia's head in an 81-74 upset.
Sendek made him a starter three games later, and he had something to tell his family. He talks to his father, Ilia, a player-coach in France, about twice a week, and to his brother. He talks to his brother about once a week, when Vasco can find a phone.
Vasco left North Carolina to play professionally in Greece. He later played in Italy and now plays in Russia, which prompted his younger brother to say with a laugh that he wants to see the world by playing basketball. Ilian sent his brother tapes of several N.C. State games; his brother and father coordinated their schedules so that they could meet to watch the tapes and critique his play.
His parents attended the game Wolfpack's game against the Tar Heels in Raleigh, and his brother keeps track of N.C. State with the Internet.
"My brother calls me; sometimes he calls me after one of his games because they have a lot of road games in other countries," Evtimov said. "We don't talk by e-mail. We like to talk by phone because it's more personal."
Despite a 226-pound body and enough strength to play inside, Evtimov has a soft shooting touch. When he was about 10, he would go to his father's practices and shoot on side baskets while the men worked out. His father would stay after practices and shoot with him.
"It was always about shooting," Evtimov said. "As I grew up, almost every drill I did was a shooting drill."
Hodge said that Evtimov is the best shooter among the freshmen. Hodge and Evtimov regularly stay late into the night at Reynolds Coliseum engaged in shooting contests. And according to Hodge, he always wins. Most of the time, Hodge said, it's not even close.
"That's not true; he wishes," Evtimov said with a laugh. "After I read that in the newspapers I said to him, 'Let's go in the gym.' I was right that day."
Evtimov holds a slight advantage over Hodge shooting 3-pointers. Evtimov has made 32 of 89, 36 percent. Hodge has made 30 of 87 for 34.4 percent. Hodge is a better shooter from the field overall than Evtimov and is a slightly better free-throw shooter.
The ACC's all-rookie team didn't have a space for Evtimov. Hodge and Josh Powell made the team and Evtimov said he was happy for them. Evtimov thought he had made a case for himself in the past six weeks and was disappointed that he fell short.
He has more incentive now for the ACC Tournament to prove that he belonged among the conference's top newcomers.
"When I committed to N.C. State, my goal was to be a major part of the team," he said. "I knew I would have an opportunity to be a player on the team, but I didn't expect to get the coach's trust the way I did."
NEW SEASON
Ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation in early January, Virginia dropped out of the polls as March began in what might have been the most monumental collapse of a top-five team in college basketball history.
The consensus is that Coach Pete Gillen's Cavaliers are on the far side of the bubble and need at least one win in the ACC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament field.
Therein lies the rub.
Virginia has not won a game in the ACC Tournament since 1995, and the Cavaliers were swept by N.C. State in the regular season two-game series. All that leaves Virginia in a precarious position with a 17-10 record, 7-9 in league play.
"Our game with N.C. State is a gigantic one for us," said Gillen, who has yet to scratch in any postseason tournament as Virginia's coach. The Cavaliers have lost all three ACC opening-round games under Gillen, one NIT first-rounder and last year's opening game of the NCAA Tournament to underdog Gonzaga.
For Virginia to break the slump, Gillen must overcome a few obstacles that have caused his team to nosedive late in the season. The Cavaliers have not played well on defense down the stretch and have found it difficult to shoot their way out of trouble against opposing zone defenses.
If those problems aren't enough to make the already-nervous Gillen a little more jumpy, then the fact that his team hasn't shown the unification he emphasizes has added to its woes.
Gillen criticized the Cavaliers the final two weeks of the season, barking that too many of his players were more interested in their playing time and their personal statistics than in winning, a disturbing note for a coach trying to prepare his team for a late-season run.
Still, the much-maligned Wahoos managed to get their act together and play a hair-chested stretch of basketball in their final home appearance by stunning third-ranked Duke 87-84 on the last day of February.
One of the keys to keeping Virginia alive in the postseason is one of only two scholarship seniors on the roster, Texan Adam Hall. When Hall went down with a foot injury at North Carolina on Jan. 12 and missed the next 11 games, the Cavaliers were not the same basketball team, a point Gillen hopes the NCAA Tournament selection committee takes into consideration.
With Hall, who scored 21 points in the shocker over Duke, the Cavaliers were 11-5. Without him, they were a mere 6-5.
Hall is one of the keys to the Cavaliers' chuck-and-duck, run-and-press style of play. If the Cavs' can't force turnovers with their pressing defense, convert them into easy baskets and cause utter chaos on the floor, then their chances of winning are greatly reduced.
Thus, most teams have tried to strip Virginia of its athleticism by playing zone defense. The fact that Gillen's guys feature only a couple of players with enough accuracy to gun down a zone from the outer reaches only tempts opponents more to stick with the safe defense.
The bright spots for the Cavaliers have been Roger Mason Jr. and Travis Watson. Mason, a junior combination guard, leads the team in scoring, has scored in double figures in 38 consecutive games and is No. 2 in ACChistory in free-throw shooting. Watson, a junior center, is among the conference leaders in scoring and rebounding.
"We are the underdog going into the ACC Tournament, but I'm glad," Mason said. "Nobody thought we had a chance to beat Duke, and nobody thinks that we have a chance in the ACC Tournament. But I'm happy that we play N.C. State because that gives us a chance to avenge them sweeping us in the regular season."
Cavs, 'Cuse on bubble after scorching starts
Back in January, nobody would have thought Virginia and Syracuse would be thinking about the bubble entering their respective conference tournaments. Now both teams are under some pressure.
On Jan. 27, the Cavaliers were 14-2 entering the Duke game. Many people were thinking the NCAA Tournament was a lock and probably wondered about a top-four seed. Since then, they have gone 3-8.
Entering the Tennessee game on Jan. 19, Jim Boeheim's Orangemen were 16-2 and highly ranked.
Among those 16 wins was a Preseason NIT championship, with victories over Michigan State and Wake Forest. Syracuse also seemed like a lock for an NCAA berth and a high seed. The Orangemen have gone 4-8 in their last 12 games, including a three-game losing skid to close the regular season.
I have read many comments from NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Lee Fowler that the way a team finishes the season will be strongly taken into consideration to see how a team is progressing. Given that statement, Virginia and Syracuse have big-time trouble.
Both teams have their fate in their own hands. They'd better get a win or two in their respective conference tournaments, or it could be party over and a run to the NIT, baby! Some may even argue that these teams need two wins in their conference tournaments to get into the Big Dance. I say that with one win each, they will deserve to make it as one of the top 65 teams in America.
Fowler has said the committee is trying to get the best at-large teams, regardless of conference, after the 31 automatic bids are earned. Syracuse and Virginia can make pretty strong arguments that they belong in that group. But their NCAA fates could be decided by tough first-round games in their conference tournaments.
The Orangemen open against Villanova in the Big East tournament; the Wildcats knocked off Syracuse last week. The Cavaliers face N.C. State, which swept Virginia during the regular season. But it isn't easy to beat a team three times. The Cavs will play with a state of urgency, a frenzy, since the Wolfpack is basically in the Big Dance.
It looked like Lock City early, but now these two schools may have to wait until Selection Sunday to find out the real story. Now Boeheim and Gillen must endure Maalox time, especially if their teams are bounced in the first round of their respective tournaments.
Stay tuned -- this could get interesting. These clubs are fighting for NCAA Tournament survival.