Much at stake for Terps, Cavs
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 7, 2004

In a way, it couldn’t be much simpler.

Any path to the NCAA tournament, except for winning the automatic bid by capturing next week’s ACC tournament, will almost have to include a Virginia victory at Maryland today.

“A victory at Maryland is the absolute minimum for Virginia. If they win, they are very much alive for an at-large berth. If they lose, I think there is almost no chance,” said collegerpi.com’s Jerry Palm, whose Web site predicts seeding and selection for the NCAA tournament.

The Cavaliers (16-10, 6-9 ACC) lost earlier this season to Maryland (15-11, 6-9 ACC) at University Hall, 71-67, when they botched a final possession.

Today’s game in many ways is perhaps the most pivotal contest in the ACC and maybe even the nation to some extent.

The game is almost equally important to both teams as the winner will take a large step to gaining an invitation to the NCAA. It’s also crucial to seeding in the ACC tournament. With a win, Virginia could be seeded as high as sixth but a loss will put the Cavaliers in the ACC play-in game against Clemson on Thursday evening in Greensboro.

“They’re fighting to get into the tournament and so are we. We are going to have to play with a very big heart and with a lot of courage and determination,” UVa coach Pete Gillen said. “We certainly can win but it’s going to be a great challenge. We’ve played with a big heart lately and we’ll have to do that again.”

Virginia has won its past three games and four of the last five, three coming against top 15 sqauds. Maryland had lost five of the last six but notched a critical victory at N.C. State on Wednesday.

If Virginia is looking for any kind of edge, the Cavaliers did win at Maryland last season, 86-78, on Feb. 6 in their first visit to the Comcast Center.

“I think it will help. The fact that we also won our last ACC road game will also help. It’s going to be a real cauldron up there. The people are going to be going crazy,” Gillen said.

Four years ago when it was also on the NCAA bubble at this time of year, the Virginia players spoke openly about checking their RPI and bracket projections on the Internet.

These Cavaliers are not doing those things but Gillen said they are well aware of what is at stake today.

“We haven’t really talked that much about it. It’s a big game for us. It’s a big for Maryland. They know it. They hear it from their friends and read it in the newspapers. They know it’s a big game. They know we still have a chance,” Gillen said. “We’re a young team and we don’t want to put too much pressure on them like it’s the Alamo. … They know and there’s enough pressure on them.”
 

New additions will bolster UVa recruiting
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
March 7, 2004

When Al Groh met the sports media to preview the season last August, he talked about the new ACC and what it would require for Virginia to answer the challenge of the expanded league.
With Miami and Virginia Tech coming aboard beginning this season, the Cavaliers attempted to step up their recruiting this past campaign. The Wahoos sprawled out their efforts to Chicago and Los Angeles, went after big-timers in New Jersey and down South.
They were successful on some counts, close on others. You know what they say about being close.

Fuel to the Fire
Since then, Groh has taken some measures to turn up the heat. By adding John Jarrett and Mark D’Onofrio to UVa’s coaching staff, he has elevated the Cavaliers’ recruiting effort. The fact that Virginia will host a Nike combine here next month will only enhance Wahoo recruiting.
The Nike camp will be held here April 18, the day after UVa’s spring game/festival. The event should draw some fairly large numbers of prospects from Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland/D.C.
“While we are pretty well up on all the prospects from those areas, we anticipate finding out even more about the players who attend the Nike event,” Groh said this week. “It’s a great opportunity for our program.”
Any time a college can get prospects on its campus, it is a bonus.
Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has been to UVa twice in recent years to hold his eastern photo shoot for his magazine. Having Nike here is another recruiting coup.

New faces
Even bigger is adding coaches with extensive recruiting and player evaluation backgrounds.
Jarrett has performed extensive personnel work for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals formerly required their coaches to do most of their spring evaluating of college players, which was something Jarrett became very familiar with. Over the last 15 months, Jarrett worked hard in that evaluation process.
“His ability to evaluate will be a welcome addition to our staff and he can acquaint some of our coaches to the evaluation process,” Groh said of Jarrett.
D’Onofrio was a “big get” for the Wahoos. Not only was he an accomplished player for Penn State and Green Bay, but was the recruiting coordinator for Rutgers. That means D’Onofrio has valuable recruiting connections to one of the most fertile football recruiting areas in the East, the state of New Jersey.
“He has quite a background in that particular area of the country,” Groh said.
Virginia has designated New Jersey as one of its chief recruiting grounds outside the Old Dominion.
“It’s a high density population area where there is a strong emphasis on football,” Groh said. “And it’s an area
very well-grounded academically.”
D’Onofrio gained a strong recruiting reputation in the northeast corridor. While at Rutgers, he brought in big-time talent such as Nate Robinson and Dwayne Jones, the type of players that formerly would have only given the Scarlet Knights a courtesy look.
If Virginia is to run with the big dogs such as Florida State and Miami and vie for the ACC championship, then it has to be done on the recruiting trail. These are two giant steps toward that direction.
 

Syracuse squeezes Virginia
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 7, 2004

There was no Christmas or crispness for the Virginia men’s lacrosse team on Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.

Without attackman John Christmas, who missed the game because of injury, and with a plethora of dropped passes and lost opportunities offensively, the No. 15 Cavaliers fell to No. 3 Syracuse 18-12.

It was the third-straight loss for the defending national champion Cavaliers (1-3) and also marked the program’s second 1-3 start in three years. Virginia opened the 2001 season 1-3.

“We are going to be a good lacrosse team and it’s one step at a time. We were not ready to beat this team today. We showed some fight and we battled. In the end, we weren’t sharp enough and smart enough - as we needed to be,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia, whose team hadn’t surrendered this many goals since losing at Syracuse, 18-17, on Feb. 28, 1998.

Brian Crockett led Syracuse (2-0) with six goals while Michael Powell had three goals and two assists and Steve Vallone had three goals.

Matt Ward had three goals and four assists to pace the Cavaliers, while Joe Yevoli added three goals.

The Cavaliers led 4-3 after the first quarter, but the Orangemen outscored Virginia 4-2 in the second stanza to take a 7-6 halftime advantage.

The Orangemen seized control of the game after intermission as they scored seven goals in the third quarter compared to just three for the Cavaliers.

When Powell netted an unassisted tally with just nine seconds left in the third quarter, Syracuse had gained a 14-9 advantage.

That lead grew to 16-9 after back-to-back goals by Crockett. The Cavaliers would get no closer than five the rest of the way.

Christmas’ status was a game-time decision, according to Starsia. Starsia did not disclose the nature of the injury but Christmas was dressed and in uniform on the Virginia sideline.

“I shouldn’t talk about the nature of the injury. We didn’t want to jeopardize things by playing him today. It’s day-to-day and I’m hopeful he will return soon. We opted not to pursue a level of treatment and we made the decision just before the game,” Starsia said.

Whether it was Christmas’ absence or just a general funk offensively in the early season, the Cavaliers struggled just making passes, catching passes and making shots. The Cavaliers committed 28 turnovers, most resulting from unforced errors and not the Syracuse defense.

“It’s one of those things that it rains and pours. We can’t catch and throw and I know we can do those things. It plays with your confidence and all of sudden everything goes to pot. We looked inept at times. We have to get back to playing better,” Starsia said.

Added Ward: “I guess it’s carelessness. Hopefully we will step it up and play a little sharper.”

 

U.Va.'s turning point not hard to identify
Bannister moves to point guard, and Cavs respond
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
March 7, 2004

Three weeks ago, the only mention of the NCAA tournament in Charlottesville centered around the start of lacrosse season. Virginia's men's basketball team, along with coach Pete Gillen's future, seemed as finished as Wesley Clark's campaign.

Now, after winning four of their last five games, the Cavaliers have earned the distinction of being called "a bubble team."

And though Todd Billet and Devin Smith have provided late-game heroics, Virginia's resurrection can be traced to a simple personnel move.

Since freshman T.J. Bannister was inserted into the starting lineup at point guard, U.Va. has been able to play at a faster tempo and get better scoring opportunities. And going into tonight's game at Maryland, in what might be a make-or-break moment for both teams, the Cavs are playing their best basketball of the season.

"It's been a big difference," Gillen said. "He's taken a lot of pressure off our perimeter guys, and he's distributed the ball well. He's still a young player, and he's still learning the game. It's the toughest position, point guard. But he's done a nice job.

"He helps make other players better, and not a lot of people do that. He helps make them better by freeing them up for shots and getting them the ball when they're free."

The stakes for tonight's game are immense. With 16 victories and a No. 47 position in collegerpi.com's Rating Percentage Index, Virginia (16-10, 6-9) needs at least one more win to have a chance at an at-large bid. The same looks to be true for Maryland (15-11, 6-9), which helped itself Wednesday night by winning at N.C. State.

"We don't talk about it," Gillen said, "but they know it's a big game."

Bannister's numbers during Virginia's run have been fairly ordinary: 8.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 turnovers a game. But the Cavs' two highest-scoring ACC games (84 points vs. Wake Forest, 82 vs. Georgia Tech) came with him running the offense.

Having Bannister at the point has allowed Billet to play shooting guard, his natural position. And though he's still reluctant to shoot from the perimeter, Bannister relies on penetration to create a good shot for a teammate. Or, as in two cases against Wake, a layup for himself.

"I just want to come out and play a great game every chance I get," Bannister said. "Even if it isn't great, at least good enough to help my team win."

An unheralded freshman in a conference filled with quality point guards, Bannister needed an adjustment period. He played 16 minutes in the season's first four games when Billet handled the point. Bannister got most of his work in practice and afterward, when he worked on his shot and ball-handling.

"I've always been able to play, been able to pass and shoot," he said. "But the college game is a whole lot different. It's quicker, it's faster and I just had to get used to that. I just needed to keep playing hard and doing extra. It's starting to pay off now."

Bannister's game Tuesday was all Gillen could have asked. His 12 assists set a school record for a rookie, and though he had only nine points, he hit a huge 3-pointer in the second half. Going against Wake's Chris Paul, who leads the ACC in steals, Bannister had one turnover.

"They beat us badly if he doesn't have a good game like that," Gillen said.
 

Orangemen crush Cavs
Syracuse surge after halftime sends U.Va. to third straight loss
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 7, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Several members of the 2003 Virginia men's lacrosse team raised an NCAA championship banner before yesterday's game at Klockner Stadium. That was the afternoon's high point for the Cavaliers.

In a battle matching two of the sport's giants, Syracuse hammered U.Va. 18-12 before a crowd of 3,337 at Klockner. It was the Cavaliers' most one-sided loss since March 3, 2001, when they fell 13-7 to the Orangemen.

The defeat also was the third consecutive for defending NCAA champion U.Va. (1-3), which faces another perennial power, Princeton, next Saturday afternoon at Klockner.

"We're going to be a good lacrosse team," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "It's just one step at a time. We were not ready to beat this team today. I thought we showed some fight, I thought we battled throughout, but in the end, we weren't smart enough when we needed to be, we weren't sharp enough when we needed to be.

"I think we can get better in those things. We can't really create experience that's not there yet. You got to live through some of these things."

Virginia, which led 4-3 after one quarter, trailed 7-6 at intermission. Syracuse (2-0) humbled the Cavs in the second half. All-America attackman John Christmas, who scored the game-winning goal against the 'Cuse in the Carrier Dome last season, was scratched from yesterday's game with an undisclosed injury, and his absence made a difficult matchup worse for U.Va.

The expected shootout unfolded, and Virginia couldn't match Syracuse's vaunted firepower. Attackman Brian Crockett scored six goals and All-America attackman Michael Powell contributed five points (three goals, two assists) for the Orangemen.

Not since Feb. 28, 1998, when they lost 18-17 to Syracuse, had the Wahoos allowed so many goals in a game. In Virginia's losses in Colorado last weekend - 7-6 to Air Force and 9-7 to Denver - its defense generally had been sound. Neither of those teams, however, should be confused with Syracuse, which has more than enough talent to make a 22nd straight trip to the NCAA tournament's final four.

"This is first time we've played a really, really sound, solid offense who's all played together for awhile," said senior Brett Hughes, Virginia's All-America defenseman. "When you play guys like that, mental errors are taken advantage of."

Sophomore attackman Matt Ward had four assists and three goals to lead U.Va., and junior attackman Joe Yevoli added five points (three goals, two assists).

Three straight losses are "a first for probably everyone on the team," Ward said. "But we have a long, long season, and we're a young team, and we're going to get better as the season goes on."
 

No. 6 seed or play-in slot in store for U.Va.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Mar 7, 2004

If it wins tonight in College Park, Md., Virginia will be the No. 6 seed in the ACC men's basketball tournament at Greensboro, N.C. Lose tonight, and the Cavaliers will fall into the ACC tourney's play-in game.

U.Va. (6-9, 16-10) closes the regular season against Maryland (6-9, 15-11) at Comcast Center. The teams are tied for sixth in the nine-team ACC, ahead of Florida State (6-10, 18-12) and Clemson (3-13, 10-17).

As the sixth seed, Virginia would face the No. 3 seed - Wake Forest, Georgia Tech or North Carolina - Friday at 9:30 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

If the Cavs fall tonight, they'll finish tied for seventh with FSU. The Seminoles would win the tiebreaker and thus claim the No. 7 seed.


As the No. 8 seed, U.Va. would meet Clemson in the play-in game Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner would advance to play No. 1 seed Duke in Friday's first quarterfinal. - Jeff White
 

Billet never quits
After disappointing loss against Maryland, senior wants last shot
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 7, 2004

PETE GILLENVirginia Coach On Senior Todd Billet When they reflect on Todd Billet's career, ACC fans will remember the hundreds of 3-pointers he launched, especially the last-second treys that have lifted Virginia into contention for an NCAA tournament berth this season.

Coach Pete Gillen, however, believes the fifth-year guard from Middletown, N.J., has contributed to the Cavaliers' program in other, less noticeable ways. Billet's final regular-season game comes tonight when U.Va. (6-9, 16-10) plays ACC rival Maryland (6-9, 15-11) in College Park.

"I think the biggest [contribution] has been his character," Gillen said. "He's willing to sacrifice. He's got good talent, but he's got more character, and he's really a quality student-athlete."

Billet, 23, transferred to U.Va. in 2001 after two seasons at Rutgers, where his brother, Geoff, preceded him as a standout guard. After sitting out 2001-02, Billet led the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage and averaged 13.5 points last season.

He's averaging a career-low 10.2 points this season, but Billet's college career is ending in glorious fashion. This is a guy, after all, who gunned down Georgia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina in a span of 11 days, feats duly noted by SportsCenter.

Yet Billet also has dealt with disappointment. When U.Va. met Maryland last month at University Hall, he had the ball stolen with 8 seconds left, and John Gilchrist scored at the other end to seal the visitors' 71-67 victory.

When Virginia's starters were introduced three days later at N.C. State, Billet wasn't among them. But he soon rejoined the first team, and though an immediate boost in his production wasn't evident, Billet kept plugging.

The Maryland game, in which he had more turnovers (five) than points (three), might have been the low point of Billet's career. It also might have changed the direction of his - and Virginia's - season.

"I think that might have sparked the aggression that's been in me in the last games, of wanting to take the last shot," Billet said. "In that game I was more passive. I was looking to set the play up, and I should have stepped up and taken the last shot then."

Billet examined his performance against Maryland and decided, he said, "what I'd do differently in the games to come." He did not pout or despair.

"I can remember the day after that game," Billet said, "I was in the gym shooting. My hopes never went down. My work ethic never went down. I think that's one thing that I've learned in these years in college basketball: that you never give up, no matter what the situation is."

After hitting only one shot Feb. 14 against then-No. 15 Georgia Tech - his game-winning trey - Billet scored a modest eight points in a loss at Florida State. But with freshman T.J. Bannister growing increasingly comfortable as the Cavaliers' starting point guard - a lineup change that allowed Billet to move back to his natural position on the wing - the 5-10, 184-pound Billet got more open looks. He scored 21 points against Clemson, 12 against then-No. 12 North Carolina and 13 against No. 11 Wake Forest, all Virginia victories.

As a schoolboy star at Christian Brothers Academy, Billet had seriously considered U.Va., where Gillen was the new coach. When he decided to transfer to Virginia, Billet did so in part because Gillen's team seemed destined to become a fixture in the NCAA tournament.

That hasn't happened, but Billet hasn't lost hope. A victory tonight and then one in the ACC tournament would probably assure U.Va. of a trip to the NCAAs. Even if the Cavs fall short, though, Billet says he won't regret leaving Rutgers.

Billet, whose close friends include Huguenot High basketball coach John Siers, earned his bachelor's in economics at U.Va. last year. He's organized two blood drives and made numerous friends in Charlottesville. He's looked up into the stands at U-Hall, and other arenas, and seen his biggest fans, his father (Lewis) and mother (Noreen). He's battled through adversity and learned that winning isn't everything.

"It's not the decision that's right or wrong, that's good or bad," Billet said. "After you make a decision, it's the effort that you give to it . . . Because I think every decision - like if you decide to transfer - has the potential to be a good experience or a bad experience. It's all based upon the attitude that you have approaching it. This has been a great experience, because I put everything I have into it, and I'm going to put everything I have into it for the rest of the time I'm here."
 

Cavs Finally Get to the Point
Freshman Bannister Helps Virginia Make One Last Push
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, March 7, 2004; Page E16

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- One month ago, freshman T.J. Bannister became Virginia's starting point guard. Since then, the Cavaliers have resurrected their season and surged into contention for a berth in the NCAA tournament. Coincidence? Not at all.

Bannister, the team's smallest and quickest player, has provided a jolt at both ends of the court, especially on offense. The Cavs now can keep pace with the top offenses in the ACC, as proven by their 80-point average in recent home wins against top 20 teams Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

Some of the credit must go to the new point guard. Bannister has averaged 7.7 points and 4.7 assists since moving into the starting lineup six games ago. His ratio of 1.8 assists for every turnover this season is third among ACC rookies.

"He helps make other players better, and not a lot of people do that," Cavaliers Coach Pete Gillen said.

Virginia (16-10, 6-9) will need more of the same in Sunday's regular season finale at Maryland (15-11, 6-9), a game that carries as much importance as any in Gillen's six seasons as coach. A win could put the Cavaliers on the brink of the NCAA tournament; a loss would drop them into the ACC tournament's play-in game, likely send them to the National Invitation Tournament and leave uncertain Gillen's return next season, despite this late-season push.

The Cavs are desperate, but then, they have been desperate for weeks now after losing eight of their first 10 conference games. They stood at 2-7 when Gillen pushed Todd Billet from point guard to shooting guard and turned to Bannister, a 5-foot-10½ kid from Jacksonville, Fla., to start Feb. 11 at Duke, the nation's No. 1 team at the time.

The extra time Bannister had put in sharpening his skills paid off. He admits he "slacked off a little bit" when he arrived in Charlottesville, but around New Year's he finally took to heart the advice he'd been hearing from coaches and teammates: Stay in the gym and keep working at it.

"I got tired of just sitting there on the bench and knowing that I should be out there playing," Bannister said. "Nothing was happening."

So he worked on his shooting, which had been a foundation of his stardom at Arlington Country Day School but had slipped to the point that defenders were sagging off on the perimeter. He practiced bounce passes and focused on breaking his habit of jumping in the air to pass. Instead of playing at a frenetic pace all the time, he learned, as Virginia assistant Scott Shepherd put it, "to go in third [gear] and then [when] we need to go in fifth, go ahead and go."

"I feel more comfortable now," Bannister said. "I get to play my game without having to second-guess myself."

The Cavaliers have found that having a speedy point guard can do wonders for the rest of their offense. Bannister allows Virginia to get more fast-break points and make better use of athletic players such as Derrick Byars, Gary Forbes and Jason Clark. The half-court offense runs more smoothly because Bannister often can start the play without too much defensive harassment. Unlike Billet and fellow fifth-year senior Majestic Mapp, Bannister forces defenders to respect his first step or risk letting him get into the lane.

And now Billet, among the best three-point shooters in program history, is free to do what he does best. After averaging 6.9 field goal attempts in Virginia's first 11 conference games, he averaged 9.8 shots in the past four.

Bannister "has added a lot," Gillen said. "He's still a young player, he's still learning the game. It's the toughest position, point guard, but he's done a very good job."
 

Terps, Cavs Put Seasons On the Line
Tonight's Showdown Has Impact on NCAA Hopes
By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 7, 2004; Page E01

Perhaps it is something of an audition. Tonight, it's high time -- the final time in the regular season -- for Maryland and Virginia to wave at the NCAA tournament selection committee, to jump up and down, to say, "Look at us. Look what we can do. Look how good we are!"

By the time the Terrapins (15-11, 6-9 ACC) and Cavaliers (16-10, 6-9) tip off tonight at Comcast Center, college basketball's regular season essentially will be over. Yet the final two teams playing have as much to play for as any two teams in the nation this weekend: a seventh win in the ACC and -- oh, yeah -- perhaps a spot in the NCAA tournament.

"That's what we want," Maryland point guard John Gilchrist said. "That's what we play for all year, to get in the tournament."

This is, of course, a subjective argument, and the relative merits of the teams -- regardless of tonight's result -- will be debated in bars and living rooms from College Park to Charlottesville and beyond. More importantly, they will be debated by the NCAA tournament selection committee when it meets to determine the 65-team field this week in Indianapolis.

Yes, the consensus all season has been that an ACC team with seven conference victories would have to be strongly considered for a berth. But as Maryland Coach Gary Williams said, "There's no guarantees."

"The committee, they're the people that make the decision," Williams said. "It's not the Internet. It's not ESPN. It's those people.

"I haven't heard any comments from those people. I've heard it from everybody else. . . . They decide. They're influenced, sometimes. There's a lot of factors that go into that decision. But they're the people that pick."

History shows that in any year -- not just this season, in which the ACC has been the top-rated conference from start to finish -- a seventh ACC victory is crucial. Since the conference expanded to nine teams and a 16-game league schedule with the addition of Florida State in 1992, 11 teams have finished 7-9 in league play and four have been invited to the NCAAs.

Only one ACC team -- Florida State in 1998 -- has received an NCAA bid with a 6-10 league mark. That's exactly where the loser of tonight's game will be. So the importance of the matchup doesn't need to be discussed much internally. It's apparent.

"We haven't really talked a lot about it, other than to say, 'Hey, it's a big game for us. It's a big game for Maryland,' " Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. "They know. They hear it from their friends. They read it. . . .

"But we're a young team. I don't think we want to put too much pressure on them, too much stress on them, like it's the Alamo. We don't want to be going crazy."

Yet considering that these teams are in this spot is kind of crazy. The Cavaliers, seemingly fighting more for Gillen's job than an NCAA berth back in February, have won four of five, and three of those victories have been over teams ranked in the top 25 of the Ratings Percentage Index standings, an evaluation used by the NCAA committee that factors in strength of schedule. Maryland, after losing eight straight games to ranked opponents, broke through by winning at No. 16 North Carolina State on Wednesday and comes into tonight with renewed confidence.

The Terps think they have an argument to get in, even if they lose tonight. Their schedule is ranked as the third-toughest in the nation, which compares favorably with Virginia's (30). The Terps' RPI is 32 -- well ahead of Virginia's 47 -- and no team with an RPI that high has ever been left without a bid.

The 1998 Florida State team, the one that was invited with a 6-10 league record, had an RPI of 39 and a strength of schedule ranked 11th.

"I think we deserve to go," Maryland center Jamar Smith said. "We've got a lot of key wins. . . . I think we should be in after the N.C. State game. But who knows? We're not the ones that pick."

Seeding for the ACC tournament is nearly as messy and will be determined by tonight's game. If two teams finish tied, the first tiebreaker is the teams' head-to-head records. If the teams split during the regular season, the tie is broken by comparing each team's record against the league's top team -- in this case, Duke -- and then continuing down the standings until one team gains an advantage.

The winner of tonight's game finishes sixth in the league, well out of reach of the play-in game. The loser, though, falls into a tie with Florida State (18-12, 6-10) for seventh place in the conference.

Virginia would lose the tie-breaker to the Seminoles and fall into the play-in game, in which it would face Clemson on Thursday night, because FSU has a win over Maryland -- yes, you would have to work your way down to sixth in the standings to break the tie -- and the Cavs would not. Should the Cavaliers beat the Terps, Maryland -- by virtue of its victory over N.C. State -- would win the tiebreaker against FSU, and the Seminoles would face the Tigers in the play-in game.

"We're just trying to win as many games as possible," Smith said.