Cavs to host Colonials in NIT
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 14, 2004

Virginia, a school founded by one president, will play a school named for another in a first round NIT contest.

The Cavaliers (17-12) will host George Washington (18-11) on Wednesday at University Hall at 7 p.m. It is the third straight NIT invitation for the Cavaliers.

Last season, Virginia defeated Brown in its initial NIT game and then lost at St. John’s.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for youth age 18 and under and UVa students. Seating is general admission.

Virginia has won five of its last eight games, including three against top 15 opponents. The Cavaliers had a legitimate shot at being selected to the NCAA tournament but a quarterfinal loss to Duke in the ACC tournament likely ended such aspirations.

“We’re very excited to be playing in the NIT. Our goal was certainly to make the NCAA tournament which is our goal every year. We came up a little short but we are thrilled to be still playing,” said UVa coach Pete Gillen. “I know the players were disappointed not to make the NCAA tournament but they knew deep in our hearts that we weren’t quite there. We didn’t do enough damage at the ACC tournament.”

George Washington of the Atlantic 10 conference was also an NCAA “bubble” team entering the week. A loss to eventual A-10 champion Xavier ended those hopes.

George Washingon, which is coached by former UConn assistant Karl Hobbs, is led by 5-foot-10 guard T.J. Thompson (13.6 ppg).

The Colonials’ marquee wins on the season were victories over Charlotte and Xavier, both NCAA tournament teams.

“George Washington is a good team and the Atlantic 10 is a great league. They put four teams in the NCAA tournament. We have our hands full. Karl Hobbs was a great player at UConn. He played with great tenacity and that’s how his teams play,” Gillen said.

Virginia holds a 24-23 advantage in its series with George Washington but the two schools haven’t played since a 51-42 UVa victory on Feb. 4, 1985.

The invitation is the 11th for UVa to the NIT and marks the third consecutive season Virginia has played in the tournament. The Cavaliers have compiled an overall record of 14-8 in the NIT and won the tournament championship in 1980 and 1992.

Another state school, George Mason received an invite to the NIT, the Patriots will host Tennessee on Wednesday. Virginia Tech, which finished with a 15-14 record was left out of the tournament.

Ticket sales will begin at the Virginia athletics ticket office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium today at 9:00 a.m. Tickets can also be ordered by telephone by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 or 434/924-8821.
 

Tech out of NIT; UVa invited
By Mark Berman

An NIT snub put an end to the Virginia Tech men's basketball season.

The Hokies (15-14), who have not received a postseason bid since 1996, were not one of the 40 teams chosen for the NIT on Sunday night.

"It would have been a reward for the season. I'm disappointed for the players," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said.

Virginia (17-12) made the field for the third straight year and will host George Washington (18-11) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. If UVa wins, it will face the Drexel-Villanova winner in the second round.

Every team chosen had a better RPI than No.108 Tech, including No.107 Purdue. Tech is the first Big East team eligible for the NIT to be snubbed since Miami in 1996.

"When you think about competing in the third-best conference in America and winning eight conference games and winning seven of your last 11 and advancing in the tournament, you think that enhances your position," Greenberg said. "You can build a case for us to be in the tournament and you can build a case if you wanted to for us not to be in the tournament. ... If you want to build a case against us you can say our RPI wasn't as good."

Four Big East teams made the field - Notre Dame (17-12, 49th in the RPI); Rutgers (16-12, 56th); Villanova (16-16, 67th); and West Virginia (15-13, 97th). Tech tied Rutgers and West Virginia for eighth place in the Big East at 7-9. The Hokies won two of their three meetings with Rutgers, including a win in the first round of the Big East tournament, and swept their two meetings with WVU.

Villanova finished in 11th place in the Big East but won two games in the Big East tournament to attain the .500-or-better record needed for NIT consideration. Tech's chances could have been damaged when Villanova qualified for consideration and when Notre Dame was left out of the NCAA field.

Ten teams in the NIT field came from conferences ranked 13th or worse in the RPI's league ratings. The Big East is ranked third.

NIT executive director Jack Powers could not be reached for comment.

 

Virginia Sweeps ACC Series Against #17 Georgia Tech After 8-5 Victory
Cavaliers win first ever three-game series against Yellow Jackets

ATLANTA, Ga. - The University of Virginia baseball team recorded an 8-5 victory over the #17 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the final contest of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at GT's Russ Chandler Stadium. Virginia's victory marked the first time ever that UVa swept Georgia Tech in a three-game ACC series in baseball. The Cavaliers also improved to a perfect 8-0 on the road this year.

As it did in the previous two games of the series, Virginia scored the first run of the ball game and took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. After Matt Dunn and Josh Darby each singled, Scott Headd connected on a RBI-single to left field with two outs that aided in both baserunners scoring a run. Dunn scored his run on Headd's hit and Darby also scored a run on the play thanks in part to a Yellow Jacket fielding error in left field.
Georgia Tech came right back in the bottom half of the fourth inning and knotted the score at 2-2 when Tyler Green placed a two-run, RBI-single into right-center field to drive in Mike Nickeas (single) and Andy Hawranick (double).

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the series and made the score 3-2 when Brandon Boggs connected on a RBI-single down the left field line to drive in Jake Hall from third base.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Cavaliers regained the lead at 4-3. Dunn tied the game at 3-3 when he tripled to right field to drive in Ryan Zimmerman, who singled, stole second base and then made his way to third base when Koshansky advanced him there with a fly ball to center field. In UVa's next at-bat, Darby drove in Dunn to give Virginia a 4-3 lead on a RBI-double to left-center field.

But in the bottom of the ninth inning, GT's Eric Patterson walked, stole second base and then advanced to third base on a UVa throwing error to lead off the side, before he scored the game-tying run on a RBI-groundout by Brandon Boggs to tie the game at 4-4, sending the contest into extra innings.

However, in the top of the tenth inning, the Cavaliers regained the lead after four consecutive RBI by Darby, Headd, Kyle Werman and Mike Mitchell to stretch the lead to 8-4. GT tacked on a run in the bottom of the tenth inning on a solo home run to right field by Tyler Green to make the score 8-5, but that would be as close as the Yellow Jackets would get as the Cavaliers came away with a three-run victory.

The Cavaliers' Canon Hickman (3-1) picked up the win on the mound for Virginia. Hickman tossed 1.2 innings and allowed one run on one hit and struck out one batter. UVa starting pitcher Joe Koshansky went 6.0 innings and allowed three runs on eight hit and struck out seven batters.

The Yellow Jackets' Blake Wood (0-1) was shouldered with the loss. Wood allowed four runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of action. GT starting pitcher Andrew Kown lasted 7.0 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out five batters.

With the victory, Virginia's record improves to 17-2 overall, 3-0 in the ACC. The loss drops Georgia Tech's record to 9-9 overall, 0-3 in the conference. UVa won the weekend series three games to none.

The Cavaliers will return to action on Wednesday, March 17th when UVa travels to Norfolk, Va. to face the Old Dominion Monarchs. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
 

U.Va. gets NIT bid; Hokies snubbed
Cavaliers return for third year in row
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published March 15, 2004

Virginia's faint hopes of an NCAA bid quickly evaporated Sunday night, so the Cavaliers will make a return trip to college basketball's version of a parting gift - the National Invitation Tournament.

For the third consecutive year, the Cavaliers accepted an NIT bid. They will host George Washington at 7 p.m. Wednesday in University Hall. Virginia has an all-time record of 14-8 in the nation's oldest tournament and won championships in 1980 and '92.

Only one other state university was invited to participate in the NIT. George Mason (21-9) will host Tennessee (15-13) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Virginia Tech (15-14) and Old Dominion (17-12) were not extended invitations to play in the tournament.

Virginia (17-12) has now gone three consecutive years without an NCAA appearance for only the second time since 1980. The Cavs have had little success in the NIT lately, losing first-round games to Georgetown and South Carolina in 2000 and '02 and falling in the second round last year at eventual champion St. John's.

Virginia's only win in its last three trips came at home last year against Brown, an Ivy League school that does not award athletic scholarships.

The Cavaliers were 12-9 on Feb. 14 but have won five of eight games since. Had Virginia upset Duke in the ACC quarterfinals - the Blue Devils won 84-74 - it probably would have had a good shot at an NCAA at-large bid.

"We've had more talented teams with Roger Mason and Travis Watson three years ago when we won 20 games and went to the tournament," coach Pete Gillen said. "But I think this team has improved a lot. I think they accepted their roles. They have a great attitude and great togetherness. And they don't give up."

GW (18-11) lost to Xavier 70-47 in the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinals March 12. The Colonials' top players are junior guard T.J. Thompson and a pair of sophomore post players in 6-foot-9 Pops Mensah-Bonsu and 6-8 Mike Hall.

Virginia leads the all-time series 24-23, and the two teams last met in 1985.

Should Gillen go? Now may not be the time for change
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW: Mar 13, 2004

GREENSBORO, N.C. Idon't pretend to know what the future holds for Pete Gillen. A contract extension probably isn't in the cards. Flowery testimonials proclaiming him the next John Wooden aren't likely, either. He's a basketball coach on the hot seat. He could be back on Virginia's sideline next season or he could be a goner. It's a close call. It could go either way.

If it's my call, I think I keep the guy. Not because I suspect he's going to vault the Krzyzewskis and Williamses and Hewitts and place U.Va. among the ruling class of the ACC. Not because the roster is so brimming with young talent that you can close your eyes and see greatness just around the bend. Not because his tenure has been problem-free.

I keep him because it's tough to justify zapping a coach who steers you to four straight postseason bids, even if most of them wear an NIT label. I keep him because his squad finally showed some gumption over the past month. I keep him because it'd be grotesquely expensive not to.

Can Gillen transform Virginia into a national power? Unless Ralph Sampson adorned the lineup, who has? Will his presence prompt a flood of greenbacks for the Taj Mahal of an arena that's probably too grand for U.Va.'s needs? Tell the fat cats they're writing checks to a university, not a personal hope chest.

Do I maybe inform him he needs to shape up the product and that 2004-05 is a must-win campaign? Sure. Sooner or later, a cold-eyed decision might have to be made about Pete Gillen. I'm just not convinced now is the time.

He strengthened his case for employment yesterday during an 84-74 loss to Duke in the ACC quarterfinals. The Cavs gave a frayed performance Thursday against Clemson. They were far more committed and cohesive against the Blue Devils. They trailed for the concluding 37:56 but never went away. They got practically zip from Todd Billet and not tons more from Devin Smith and still had a chance. More than that against Duke, you cannot ask.

The Cavs lost twice previously to the Dookies by an average margin of three touchdowns. They were within five points with 1½ minutes to go this time, but J.J. Redick swished two free throws, Luol Deng swatted away an ill-advised drive by Billet, Shelden Williams buried a couple of more foul shots, and that was all she wrote. Still, Mike Krzyzewski had seen enough to cast his ballot on the referendum that'd call for Gillen to be pink-slipped.

"I would find that hard to believe," Krzyzewski said. "If anybody's thinking that, they're idiots."

Catchy sound bite. Misplaced emphasis. Look, coaches go to the mat for each other in the face of every charge this side of armed robbery. Krzyzewski stood by that code yesterday. He's done it before for others in the biz.

Bottom line: U.Va. Athletic Director and Craig Littlepage and President John Casteen aren't idiots. Where they did stray to the lunatic fringe was in giving Gillen a 10-year deal based on flimsy evidence three seasons ago. That contract - weighed against modest accomplishments - is as much an issue for Gillen as flabby defense. But that's U.Va.'s fault, not his.

Yeah, his program has worn - like him after 40 minutes of sweaty work - a disheveled look. Too many wasted timeouts, too many breakdowns on defense, players transferring in and players transferring out. But the evidence isn't overwhelming, not yet. Granted, if Billet doesn't nail three enormous 3-pointers in February, we're not even having this discussion. But he did, and that gave this team and its coach a new lease on the season.

"I'd like to be here a long time, but, hey, the school can say we don't like you," Gillen said. "That's their choice. They can get rid of me at any time."

The time - and grumbling will intensify if the Cavs flop in the NIT - might eventually come. I'm just not totally convinced it's at hand.