The drought is over. Virginia defeated Brown 89-73 on Wednesday night in a first-round NIT contest that ended the program’s 13-game postseason losing streak before a University Hall crowd of 4,842. Virginia’s last postseason win was against top-seeded Kansas on March 24, 1995, in the NCAA Midwest regionals — a span of 2,917 days. In those eight years, Virginia had lost eight ACC tournament games, three NCAA contests and two NIT games. While five of those losses occurred before Pete Gillen’s hiring in March 1998, he did express an overall relief for the program. “It’s good to get it over with. The best thing is that it extends our season. … There are a lot of positives. People like to focus on the streak and the negatives but that’s life,” Gillen said. Virginia (16-15) will advance — a word not used for eight years when referring to postseason play — to travel to play St. John’s in the second round in Alumni Hall on Monday. The Red Storm (17-13) defeated Boston University 62-57 in their first-round contest Wednesday. Travis Watson tied a career high with 29 points and also collected 12 rebounds. Devin Smith added 14 for the Cavaliers while Nick Vander Laan, exposing Brown’s lack of height on the interior, had 13 points and nine rebounds. Watson was just one of a handful of walking wounded for the Cavaliers. He suffered from a stomach virus that had the 6-foot-8 senior forward vomiting at halftime. In addition, senior center Jason Rogers (mononucleosis) and freshman Byars (sprained left ankle) were in street clothes and did not play at all. Junior guard Todd Billet was struggling from a bruised hip suffered in the ACC quarterfinal loss to Duke last Friday, but did play 35 minutes and finished with nine points. Sophomore forward Elton Brown jammed his knee in practice and played just eight minutes and had four points. “I thought this was a real character win for us. We are a beat up team. Travis was sick as a dog and was throwing up at halftime. We didn’t think Elton could play with his knee. Derrick Byars and Jason Rogers didn’t play and Todd was getting treated for his hip,” said Gillen, sounding more like a doctor than a basketball coach. “We’re thrilled with the win with all those guys sick and hurt.” Watson, however, didn’t really consider leaving the game. “As long as I could see, I was going to stay out there,” Watson said. Patrick Powers led Brown (17-12) with 18 points and Jason Forte added 14. Earl Hunt, who entered the game averaging 19.4 points and is the school’s all-time leading scorer, had just 11. “In this game against their size, skill and athleticism, we didn’t have much margin for error. We had to capitalize on each possession, both offensively and defensively, and we didn’t do that tonight,” said Brown coach Glen Miller. Virginia led 18-6 with 15:53 remaining in the first half after Smith connected on a 3-pointer. That would, however, be its largest lead of the opening half. Brown would cut the advantage to 20-16 but Virginia was able to assert its superior size on the interior. Playing against a team whose tallest regular player was 6-7, Watson and Vander Laan were able to gain advantages inside as they scored six of their team’s next 10 points en route to a 30-19 lead. “I just wanted to come out and do what I do every night and give 110 percent. I knew if we attacked the glass, we’d get opportunities,” said Vander Laan, who hit double figures for the first time since scoring 15 at Ohio on Feb. 26. With Virginia winning the size game, the Bears combated that with quickness. The Bears ultimately cut Virginia’s advantage to three, 41-38, but a 3-pointer by Billet with 41 seconds left in the half pushed away the Brown surge. UVa went to the locker room with a 44-40 lead. Watson showed few ill effects — no pun intended — after intermission. A Watson dunk and then 3-point play pushed Virginia to a 57-46 lead with 15:57 left. Watson then connected on a 3-pointer, right in front of the UVa bench, that gave the Cavaliers a 73-61 lead with 8:50 left. Prior to the game, Watson was just six of 26 from behind the 3-point arc but Gillen said he didn’t criticize the shot-selection — too much. “That’s not the favored shot in our arsenal. I’m not going to say no to him. He’s one of the better players in Virginia’s history. If he wants to shoot a 3, he can shoot a 3,” Gillen said. Brown would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way as finished pushed the lead to as many as 18 after reserve guard Billy Campbell hit a trey with 38.9 seconds left that made it 89-71. Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. at Bryant Hall.
After fighting off an assortment of injuries in order to keep playing throughout his career, Virginia senior Travis Watson wasn’t going to let the stomach flu keep him from his appointed rounds Wednesday night. Playing a little dizzy toward the end of the first half and having some stomach problems at halftime, Watson managed to score a career-high 29 points and grab a dozen rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to an 89-73 victory over Brown in the first round of the 66th annual NIT. While the season didn’t work out the way Watson and his teammates expected, the way he looks at it, the NIT is better than nothing. He wants to make the most of the experience. “The NCAA [tournament] gets all the hype and it should, but after four years of college ball, you’ve got to go with what you can get,” said Watson. “This is a fresh start for us, a third season. The regular season and the ACC Tournament didn’t go the way we wanted. But now we have an opportunity to do something special and it started with Brown.” Sized to succeed It was apparent to UVa coach Pete Gillen and to visiting Brown coach Glenn Miller that the Cavaliers had the size advantage with Watson, Elton Brown, Nick Vander Laan and Jason Rogers inside. But Brown banged up his knee in practice and Rogers was contracted mononucleosis, leaving the bulk of dirty work down in the post to Watson and Vander Laan. They came through with style, combining to shoot 16 of 24 from the field and 9 of 13 from the line as a result of their inside labors. They also had 21 of UVa’s 35 rebounds, 42 points and five blocked shots. The inside game is normally a strength for Brown’s Bears. But when they clicked their heels on Wednesday night, they learned they weren’t in the Ivy League any more. “We got the ball inside but we couldn’t finish,” said Miller. “We were shooting from point-blank range and getting blocked. In our league, those are scores.” Classic Watson On the other end of the floor, Brown didn’t have any answer for Watson’s bullish behavior. This was classic Watson: two jumps off the floor before his stunned opponents could get up once; ripping rebounds off the glass; fierce slam dunks that awakened the 4,842 paying customers who came to see the other tournament. During one stretch of the second half, when the Bears were trying to claw their way back into it, Watson took over. He made both ends of a one-and-one, went up for a monster slam, pulled up and hit the open 3-pointer, then scored on a traditional follow with a rebound for a nine-point scoring flurry that safely tucked away UVa’s 16th win of the season. “That’s not the first choice we’d draw up in the play book,” said Gillen of Watson’s 3-pointer. “But after all he’s been through here for four years, all the elbows and the like, if he wants to shoot a 3, he can shoot a 3. He’s one of the best players in Virginia history. If they [the fans] want to make me drive a truck for him shooting a 3, then I’ll drive one.” Watson said he was open, he felt good, so, why not? “My free throws were going down, so I figured my jumper would be OK, too,” said Watson. While it appeared Virginia had the size advantage, it’s always tough convincing Watson that he has such an advantage on anyone. “I ain’t exactly tall,” said Watson when asked about the smaller Bears, whose front line went 6-7, 6-7, 6-7 when they weren’t playing a four guard lineup. “They’re about my height. I guess I might have had a little more beef than their inside guys but they looked bigger on tape than they did on the court.” Watson, who has felt all season that he hasn’t been given a fair break by game officials, said it was nice that this time the refs let ‘em play. With a new season, a fresh approach to basketball squarely in front of them and the postseason losing streak monkey off their backs, maybe Virginia can take advantage of this NIT the way the 1992 Cavaliers did. They looked at is as a chance to build for the future and to win a national tournament, which is exactly what they did. This columnist will never forget the sheer joy and celebration by Virginia’s players that season as they beat Notre Dame in Madison Square Garden for the NIT title. You couldn’t tell by gazing into their eyes that they had won a less-important tournament. They played and celebrated as if they had won the big one. Maybe Watson can put this team on his back and ride into the Big Apple a couple of weeks from now with the same intentions. “I’m playing like every game is my last one because it is,” said Watson. “I’m blessed that I can play another game. This is a good opportunity, not to really salvage our season but to kind of turn it around.” After beating Maryland in the regular-season finale and playing hard against Duke in a losing cause at the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers are playing good basketball right now. The longer they can extend that play, the better things could be for next season’s team.
Virginia Announces Two-Year Partnership With Hermie Sadler Racing Team
Charlottesville, Virginia - The University of Virginia Department of Athletics announced today it will begin a two-year partnership with the Hermie Sadler Racing Team. The new Virginia Cavaliers race car was unveiled at the State Capitol at 11:00 am. In attendance for the unveiling was Virginia Governor, Mark Warner, UVa former-basketball great Bryant Stith and Executive Director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, Dirk Katstra. Hermie Sadler will be driving the Virginia car in the Sharpie 500 race in Bristol, Tenn., on August 23.
Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, and Virginia Tech have also entered into partnerships to be represented at select races this coming year. Virginia fans will have an opportunity to see the Cavaliers' car in person at a variety of Virginia athletic events throughout 2003.
In conjunction with the partnership, fans can also participate in a Fantasy Motor Sports League for a chance to win weekly prizes and the grand prize of $1000 that will be awarded to each school's winner at the end of the season. Interested fans can sign-up at goteamva.com to participate. Memberships cost just $75 for the year.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities with the Virginia race car and Virginia Athletics, contact Amy Potter, sales and marketing director for Cavalier Sports Marketing, at (434) 982-4987. For additional information about the partnership, please contact Andrew Rader, associate athletic director for promotions and licensing, at (434) 982-5600.
Cavs' drought is over
U.Va. gets a rare postseason win
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published March 20, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the first time in 2,917 days, Virginia won a postseason
basketball game Wednesday night.
With two players on the bench in street clothes and another three either hurt or
under the weather, the Cavaliers held off Brown 89-73 in the opening round of
the NIT in University Hall. Travis Watson matched his career high of 29 points
and Nick Vander Laan played one of his best games of the season before a crowd
of 4,842.
With its first postseason victory since March 24, 1995, Virginia (16-15)
advanced to the second round and will visit St. John's (17-13), a 62-57 winner
over Boston University on Wednesday night.
According to the St. John's athletics web site, the game will be played at 7:30
p.m. Monday in Queens, N.Y.
"Tonight was a real character win for us," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "We
were really beat up."
Jason Rogers, who had given Virginia a boost the past couple of games, was out
with mononucleosis. Freshman Derrick Byars turned an ankle in practice this week
and didn't play. Guard Todd Billet went 35 minutes despite a hip pointer he took
in Friday's ACC tournament loss to Duke. Elton Brown was hampered by a sprained
knee and Watson was battling a stomach flu.
"We knew we'd be short-handed," Vander Laan said. "We just wanted to leave
everything on the floor."
Watson did - literally. He vomited in the locker room at halftime and Gillen was
concerned that his top scorer and rebounder wouldn't return. But Watson had 19
of his points and half of his 12 boards in the second half.
"I knew I was going to come back in," he said. "As long as I was able to see,
I'd be OK."
Watson got some much-needed help. After not scoring in five of his previous
seven games, Vander Laan finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Devin Smith
scored 14 points and helped limit Brown's Earl Hunt, the fourth-leading scorer
in Ivy League history, to 5-of-13 shooting.
The Cavaliers shot 58.2 percent from the floor, their second-highest figure of
the season.
"They shot 58 percent in both halves," Brown coach Glen Miller said. "That's the
story of the game."
Though the Bears (17-12) had no answer for Virginia's size, they never gave up.
The Cavs led by 12 points 51/2 minutes into the game but took only a 44-40
advantage to the locker room. Hunt's transition layup with 17:35 remaining made
it a one-point game. But Virginia answered with a 10-0 run and kept the lead in
double digits for the final 8:48.
Virginia had lost 12 consecutive games, including two NIT openers, since the end
of the 1995-96 season, the longest stretch in school history. The victory was
Gillen's first in the postseason since his Providence team advanced to the Elite
Eight in 1997.
"It's good to get it over with," Gillen said. "But the best thing about it is we
extended our season. We'll get to practice a couple more times and play at least
one more game."
Watson's 29 help U.Va. bag Brown
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 20, 2003
NIT
U.VA. 89 BROWN 73
MONDAY:
Virginia vs. St. John's, 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Hall in Jamaica, N.Y.
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia finally met a postseason opponent it could beat.
In a National Invitation Tournament first-round game, the Cavaliers pounded
Brown 89-73 last night before an enthusiastic crowd of 4,842 at University Hall.
Travis Watson threw up at halftime, but the 6-8, 255-pound senior played through
his upset stomach and finished with 29 points, which matched his career high,
and added 12 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists.
The victory was the Wahoos' first in postseason since March 24, 1995, when they
upset Kansas in the NCAA tournament's third round. U.Va. had dropped 13 straight
postseason games - the first four under Jeff Jones - before last night: eight in
the ACC tourney, three in the NCAAs and two in the NIT.
"It's good to get it over with," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said, "and the best
thing about it is, it extends our season."
Virginia (16-15) will meet St. John's (17-13) in the second round Monday at 7:30
p.m. at Alumni Hall in Jamaica, N.Y. The Red Storm beat Boston University 62-57
last night in New York.
Brown, which closed at 17-12, got only 11 points from senior guard Earl Hunt,
who ranks No.4 on the Ivy League's all-time scoring list. The smaller Bears also
struggled against Watson and 6-10, 255-pound junior Nick Vander Laan, who had 13
points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes.
"We're just not a strong team inside," Brown coach Glen Miller said.
Junior forward Patrick Powers paced the Bears with 18 points and six rebounds,
and sophomore point guard Jason Forte added 14 points and six assists. The
Cavaliers couldn't keep up with the quick Forte, brother of former North
Carolina star Joseph Forte, but he only made 6 of 15 field goal attempts.
Brown shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the first half but only 40 percent in
the second half. U.Va. shot 58.2 percent for the game, not bad for a shorthanded
squad. Two of the players who started Friday night against Duke in the ACC
tournament - senior center Jason Rogers (mono) and freshman swingman Derrick
Byars (sprained ankle) - were in street clothes last night.
Moreover, 6-9 sophomore Elton Brown, who scored 15 points against Duke, had a
jammed right knee and played only eight minutes last night. Watson was ailing,
and guard Todd Billet was recovering from a hip pointer suffered against the
Blue Devils.
"It was a win that was hard-fought," Billet said. "There were a lot of guys
gutting it out and just willing our way to the win."
Brown, which trailed 44-40 at the break, pulled to 47-46 on a Hunt field goal
with 17:37 remaining, and the crowd groaned. But the Cavaliers answered with a
10-0 run - Billet started the spree with a 3-pointer - to take control.
Gillen said he hopes Byars will be able to play against the Red Storm. In their
last meeting, Dec. 4, 1999, St. John's hammered U.Va. 85-63 at Madison Square
Garden.
Commentary: NIT Gives UVa A Good Opportunity
By Chris Wallace
www.orangeandblueillustrated.com
Date: Mar 19, 2003
For the third time in the last four years, Virginia will be a part of the
National Invitational Tournament, an event more often referred to by college
basketball fans around the nation as the Not Invited Tournament. But a trip to
the NIT can prove to be a valuable experience. Hopefully this year, Gillen will
be able to get that point across to his players.
The NIT trips under Gillen have all come under very different circumstances. In
Gillen's second year, the Cavaliers posted a 9-7 league record and 19 wins.
Despite an unimpressive RPI ranking (73 if memory serves), most so-called
experts felt Virginia would be a part of the NCAA field. It didn't happen,
leaving the Cavs with an NIT home date with Georgetown. Everybody remembers that
the Hoyas won a 115-111 thriller in triple overtime led by 40 points from guard
Jerry Braswell. But what's generally been forgotten about that contest was that
Virginia actually played pretty well for most of the night only to blow a
16-point second-half lead.
Fast forward to last season, a 9-0 start and a spot at No. 4 in the polls was
followed by a complete meltdown. UVa loses nine of 12 and then lays an egg
against South Carolina in the NIT. In fact, the uninspired Cavaliers may have
been blown out if not for the efforts of Travis Watson. But, there was reason
for encouragement as Pete Gillen grabbed the microphone and told those in
attendance that Virginia would be better next year.
Hmmm. It's next year -- actually it's been next year for quite some time -- and
this team is not better. But, a deep run in this year's NIT would give this team
a lot to hang its hat on heading into next season. It would also mean the first
success in the postseason under Gillen. And truth be told, right now, Virginia
fans are looking for any reason to get excited about the hoops program.
It would seem that Gillen's first postseason win at Virginia may have been
gift-wrapped by the NIT selection committee with a home game with Brown. Hell,
you could even argue that there's no way UVa should be in the field ahead of the
Clemson Tigers, who beat the Cavaliers twice. But Virginia's in and a win is a
win. And by now I'm sure most of you have researched the Brown Bears. They're
pretty good and they've got good guards, something that's plagued Virginia all
year. Pete Gillen has said on numerous occasions that his team can beat anyone
in the country and lose to anyone in the country. Anyone out there doubting that
right now?
The fact is Virginia should beat the Bears. But hopefully the Cavaliers will
understand that this opportunity is a valuable one. I have no doubts that Gillen
and his staff know that, but can they sell it to the players. For most of the
season it has appeared that the coaches can't sell or that the players just
won't buy. If that's the case in this tournament, Virginia's stay will be a
short one. But if they can get motivated every night and come ready to play, the
Cavaliers are capable of winning the title. Only time will tell.
You hear announcers say all the time that a good showing in the NIT usually
serves as a springboard for the following season. Virginia is a perfect example.
After winning the event for the first time in 1980, Ralph Sampson's freshman
year, the Cavaliers advanced to the Final Four the following year. After winning
the tournament for the second time in school history in 1992, the Cavs reached
the Sweet 16 in 1993, falling to Cincinnati for the right to go to the Elite 8.
It has been a disappointing season to say the least. But a few wins in the NIT
would leave everybody feeling better about the program. It would also help
Virginia's recruiting this spring and into the summer and fall. I have to admit
that at this point I remain skeptical. I expect the Cavs to win tonight, but
unless they play with some passion and intensity, there's not really much to get
excited about. Let's hope that's not how the team is feeling about Brown.
Cavs Get It Right in NIT
Earn Rare Postseason Win : U-Va. 89, Brown 73
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 20, 2003; Page D08
CHARLOTTESVILLE, March 19 -- It was a historic moment, but in truth, the look on
Virginia Coach Pete Gillen's face was one of relief instead of exuberance. For
the first time in nearly eight years and the first time in his five seasons in
Charlottesville, the Cavaliers won a postseason game.
The unlucky opponent was Brown, which finished second in the Ivy League this
season but trailed the entire game en route to a 89-73 loss in the first round
of the National Invitation Tournament.
After letting the Bears (17-12) cut into two double-digit leads in the first
half, Virginia (16-15) took control with a nine-point run that put the Cavaliers
up, 68-55, midway through the second half.
"It's good to get [the losing streak] over with," said Gillen, who had been a
combined 0-8 at Virginia in the NIT and the ACC and NCAA tournaments. "The best
thing about it is it extends our season. We can practice a couple more times
with our young team. We've got another game at least. We got win number 16."
Virginia, which advanced to play at St. John's (17-13) Monday at 7:30 p.m. in
the NIT second round, had lost 12 consecutive postseason games since reaching
the NCAA round of eight in 1995.
Senior Travis Watson prolonged his college career and led the Cavaliers to
58-percent shooting and their third-highest point total of the season. He tied
his career high with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added 12 rebounds and
three blocks. Nick Vander Laan, Virginia's 6-foot-10 center, also took advantage
of Brown's lack of size, scoring 13 points for his fifth double-digit game of
this season.
"A big part of our offensive scheme is to get the ball inside," said Brown Coach
Glen Miller, who did not play anyone taller than 6-7. "We got the ball down
there on occasion, but we couldn't finish [at] point-blank range. They blocked
shots, they kind of intimidated us a little bit on the inside. In our league,
those are scores."
Watson persevered through an illness that had him throwing up in the locker room
at halftime. Guard Todd Billet (nine points, five assists) played 35 minutes
despite a painful hip pointer suffered in Friday's ACC tournament loss to Duke.
Power forward Elton Brown nearly missed the game because of a jammed right knee.
Swingman Derrick Byars (sprained left ankle) and center Jason Rogers
(mononucleosis) were in street clothes.
"I'm playing like it's my last [game]," said Watson, who hit all six of his free
throw attempts and a second-half three-pointer that pushed Virginia's lead to
double digits for good. "I'm blessed to be able to play another game."
Playing against a Brown squad that tied a program record with 17 wins and earned
the third postseason berth in program history, Virginia took a pair of
double-digit leads in the first half before the Bears regrouped and cut the
margin to 47-46 on a jumper by Good Counsel graduate Earl Hunt (5 of 13 for 11
points). But the Cavaliers answered with a 10-0 run and led by at least six
points the rest of the way.
Billet, a junior transfer from Rutgers, did not have to endure most of
Virginia's postseason losing streak, but he nevertheless called tonight's win "a
big step for the program and for the team."
"You always want to finish on a positive note," he said. "That's what you
remember most: the end of the season. If you can get a lot of confidence going
at the end of the year, that serves as a springboard into next season."
Taller Cavs nix lowly skid
UVa ends 13-game postseason losing streak
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
CHARLOTTESVILLE - After learning shortly before halftime that center Travis
Watson had become ill, Pete Gillen must have wondered what else could go wrong
for his Virginia basketball team.
In the five-day interval since their previous game, the Cavaliers had lost Jason
Rogers to mononucleosis and Derrick Byars to a sprained ankle and had seen Elton
Brown hobbled by a jammed knee.
There were so many other concerns that Virginia might have overlooked the fact
that it had lost 13 straight games in the postseason.
That included two home losses in the National Invitation Tournament, just one of
the streaks that ended Wednesday night with an 89-73 victory over Brown.
"It's good to get it over with," said Gillen, who had gone 0-8 in the postseason
in his five seasons as UVa coach. "The best thing about it is, it extends our
season. We can practice a couple more times. We've got another game at least."
The Cavaliers (16-15) will face a St. John's team that improved its record to
17-13 with a 62-57 victory over Boston University. A conference call was planned
for late Wednesday to discuss a site.
A crowd of 4,842 did not approach the University Hall capacity of 8,392,
although the announced attendance for all other UVa games includes season
tickets that may or may not be used. There is general admission only for NIT
games.
Spectators included Donte Minter, a 6-foot-8 post player from Mt. Ulla, N.C.,
who made an oral commitment to the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, said Fletcher
Arritt, his coach at Fork Union Military Academy.
Brown (17-12) came to Charlottesville with 14 victories in its previous 16
games, but the Bears, without a starter taller than 6-7, were overmatched
against a UVa front line that included 6-10, 255-pound Nick Vander Laan and
Watson (6-8, 255).
"Hey, I'm not that tall," Watson said. "Nobody looks short to me."
Vander Laan, inserted into the starting lineup with Brown's mobility limited,
finished with 13 points and nine points in 20 minutes. Watson matched a career
high with 29 points and added 12 rebounds for his 54th career double-double.
Watson was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, including a one-and-one with 10:44
left that he followed with a dunk and a 3-pointer on the next two possessions.
Brown had cut a 13-point deficit to 70-61 prior to the 3-pointer.
"That's not the favorite shot in our arsenal," Gillen said. "I'm not going to
say 'no' to him after all the elbows. He's played hurt, sick, beat up. [He's]
one of the greatest players in Virginia history. If he wants to shoot a 3, he
can shoot a 3.
"I'll take the bullet. If they make me drive a truck 'cause he shot a 3, I can
live with that. We got to postseason four seasons in a row and a good part of
that is Travis Watson. That's not the first shot we draw up in our gameplan, but
if he feels he can make it, shoot the ball."
The Cavaliers shot 58.2 percent for the game, but that improved their record to
4-4 when they shoot 50 percent or better. They were able to build on a 44-40
halftime lead because they held Brown to 40-percent shooting in the second half
after the Bears had hit 52.9 in the first half.
Patrick Powers, who left Providence on a 6 a.m. flight after the death of his
grandmother, had 18 points to lead the Bears. Jason Forte, brother of ex-North
Carolina star Joseph Forte, had 14 points and six assists, but Forte and
2,000-point scorer Earl Hunt were a combined 8-for-28.
| Cavalier Daily Gameday
Editor
|
Despite battling dizziness and vomiting at halftime, the second-team All-ACC forward willed Virginia to its first postseason win since 1995, tying a career-high with 29 points and adding 12 rebounds.
With the 89-73 win over Brown University, the Cavaliers (16-15, 6-11 ACC) move to the second round of the NIT tournament, where they will face St. John's Monday night at 7:30 on the road.
Virginia never trailed in the game and opened an early 12-point lead. Brown battled back to chisel the lead down to four at halftime and cut it to one, 47-46, with just over two minutes elapsed in the second half.
But Virginia responded with a 10-0 burst, capped by a breakaway dunk by Watson. This was the last time that the Bears would get within six, as the Cavaliers led by double-digits for the game's last nine minutes to snap the 13-game postseason skid.
"It's been a while since the program has gotten a postseason win and that's a big step for the program," Virginia junior guard Todd Billet said. "We just want to keep it going. The NIT could become a lot of fun."
Watson went 11-of-16 from the field and made all six free-throws. At one point during the second half Watson reeled off nine straight points.
Travis "has played through tons of injuries his whole career," Billet said. "He comes to play every night whether he's hurting or feeling 100 percent."
Watson was certainly not the only Cavalier who was banged up. Freshman forward Derrick Byars missed the game with a sprained left ankle and senior center Jason Rogers was out with mononucleosis. Billet also missed practice this week with a bruised hip and sophomore forward Elton Brown jammed his knee in practice.
"It was a character win because guys were sick and hurt," Gillen said. "I thought Travis was going to throw up on the bench. We're very happy with the victory and can extend our season with a young team."
Virginia junior center Nick Vander Laan also had 13 points and nine rebounds, coming up one rebound short of his first double-double of the season.
"I knew that if we won tonight, it would feel like the monkey's off of everyone's back," Vander Laan said. "I just wanted to get out there and play as hard as I could to get a win for this program."
The Cavalier starting frontline combined for 48 points, with all three starters having a height advantage on the Bears' 6-foot-7 center.
"We knew they'd go inside offensively but we're just not a strong team inside," Brown coach Glen Miller said. "We're overmatched in size, strength and athleticism. There wasn't much margin for error for us. Defensively, we couldn't stop them."
The Cavaliers held three-time All-Ivy guard Earl Hunt to just 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
"Jason Clark did a good job on him early," Gillen said. "We set the tone on him early. He did a great job."
Brown got a number of inside looks and lay-ups, but could not convert. Junior guard Patrick Powers led Brown with 18 points, despite having to cope with a death in his family.
"We couldn't finish point blank range," Miller said. "They blocked shots and intimidated us on the inside. In our league, those are scores but against big, rugged guys who body you, it changes our shots a little bit."
| Cavalier Daily
Associate Editor
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Watson, who has been banged up the entire season, scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in only 32 minutes of action Wednesday night. While he has played in a post season tournament in every year of his career, this is the first victory for what Pete Gillen calls "one of Virginia's best players ever."
"It's great to get this win, man," Watson said. "Every game I go and play in now could be my last, so I want to play as hard as I can. I try not to think about it too much, but I know that I don't have very many games left. I just want to go out and win as many as I can before I go out."
Watson wasn't the only member of the Virginia team that could breathe a small sigh of relief. Head coach Pete Gillen has spent the past few off-seasons trying to explain why he couldn't win a postseason game. After nine tries, Gillen has finally gotten that monkey off of his back. Now he can stop worrying about the reports constant barrage of questions, and worry about starting a post season winning streak.
"We are very glad to get this win," Gillen said. "We weren't really sure who was even going to be ready to play. We've been in the postseason for the last four years and we had a triple overtime loss to Georgetown and a one-point loss to Gonzaga. It is nice to go out and get a postseason win against a very good team."
March 25, 1995 was the last time the Virginia Cavaliers were able to celebrate a postseason victory, so it was not surprising to see fans yelling after the game, "We finally got one." Not only does the win mean more postseason games for the Cavaliers, but more importantly, Virginia is now able to practice for another week, and with Gillen looking to field a young team next season, every minute of practice is key.
With the streak finally behind Gillen, he can now afford to worry less about the fans and the media, and more about getting to the finals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. Gillen will need similar play from Watson for the next two games if the Cavaliers hope to make it to New York, but as for now, Gillen and his team can bask in the glory of this one, because it certainly was significant.
"We are happy with the win," Gillen said. "But we are more excited to have the opportunity to practice a little bit more, especially with a young team. I am excited for our guys, because they all fought hard out there."