CAVS CLEAR HOKIE HURDLE
UVa takes sole possession of 1st place in ACC
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 1, 2007

As the final seconds ticked down on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena, the scene was raucous. A near-capacity crowd was going bonkers. Fans were screaming, chanting, jumping up and down.

The celebration of a win over an arch rival had definitely begun.
Amid the pandemonium, Virginia coach Dave Leitao substituted for J.R. Reynolds and Jason Cain.

When his two seniors got to the bench, Leitao - a coach not usually known for his warm human spirit in the heat of battle - hugged his players. Then he turned to the students seated behind him and pointed at Reynolds and Cain.

That incited an even louder ovation.

Playing on Senior Night, Reynolds and Cain came up big for Virginia. In a battle for first place in the ACC, the duo led one of the team’s most spirited efforts of the season, propelling UVa to a 69-56 victory over No. 21 Virginia Tech in front of a crowd of 14,931 at The Jack.

“I’m thankful that those two guys have grown and developed as people,” said Leitao, when asked what was going through his head as he embraced his seniors. “They’ve matured.

“I thought back to that first workout that we had two Augusts ago when I first got here and not knowing if either one of them was going to make it through a two-hour workout.”

Reynolds, the Roanoke native, finished with only 13 points. However, he had six assists. He also played key minutes at point guard in the second half when Sean Singletary, who was the team’s high scorer with 17 points, got into foul trouble. His ball-handling against Virginia Tech’s pressure was huge.

However, Reynolds said it was definitely a team effort.

“Our role players showed up,” Reynolds said. “[In Blacksburg], their role players showed up. Tonight we reversed the roles. Adrian [Joseph], Cain, Mamadi [Diane] and Tunji [Soroye] - everybody showed up and did a very good job.”

With nine minutes left in the game, Virginia Tech (20-9, 10-5) had cut the lead to eight when Cain executed one of the prettiest moves of his career. The 6-foot-10 forward from Philadelphia spun baseline around two Hokies for a layup.

“I drove and then I [got] cut off,” Cain said, “then instincts just cut in and I spun back as fast as I could to try and get the [ball] up and in.

“Most of the coaches were like, ‘I don’t know where that’s been, but bring it back out.’ "

In the first half, Virginia came out flying. In the early going, UVa could do no wrong.

The Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4) nailed their first four shots and stormed out to a 10-3 lead. One of the game’s most memorable plays was when Soroye rejected a Deron Washington layup on a fastbreak.

A Ryan Pettinella free throw gave Virginia a 17-5 advantage - its biggest of the half.

The game had all the makings of a blowout.

But suddenly UVa went ice cold. The Cavaliers went more than nine minutes without a field goal.

A Washington dunk tied the game at 19. Tech took its first lead on an inside hoop by Coleman Collins with 6:49 to play in the half.

Adrian Joseph finally ended the dry spell with a jumper to put Virginia up 23-22. The Cavaliers wound up hitting seven of their final nine shots to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room.

A Cain bucket inside started the second half. Less than two minutes later, Reynolds hit a 3 for a 43-31 lead. Tech never got closer than five the rest of the way.

Virginia finished 10 of 16 from 3-point range. Tech was just 2 of 15.

“Coach said this is one of the best shooting teams he’s ever been around and he coached some good teams at UConn,” Singletary said, “so that’s a credit for us. Our work ethic is great. We come into the [gym] early and stay late. We have a great work ethic and it shows up in games.”

Another key to the win was slowing down Washington, who had killed Virginia in the Feb. 10 loss in Blacksburg. He finished with just nine points and six rebounds.

“I thought the games flip-flopped,” Cain said. “Down there, their role players pretty much destroyed us. I felt today that everybody … came in and played well.”

Diane and Joseph hit several important jumpers in combining for 20 points.

“These guys are ACC players. You guys want to trash them all the time, like it’s a two-headed monster,” said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg, when asked a question about Virginia’s reliance on Reynolds and Singletary. “Those other guys contribute and put them in a position to win games.”

Heading into the game, Leitao had pooh-poohed questions about his players seeking revenge for the embarrassment in Blacksburg. However, after the game, he admitted there was something to it.

“Obviously it lived in their mindset and spirit,” he said.

Leitao, who doesn’t usually smile too much after games, was sporting a wide grin for much of his press conference.

“We’re the only team in this league to go undefeated at home,” he said, referring to his team’s 8-0 record at JPJ. “It speaks volumes about the guys that we have and the character that they possess.”

Said Reynolds: “It was very special. I was feeling great. It was a big win for us, especially on Senior Night. There’s no better way to go out than this.”

Dunks

Virginia won 20 games for the first time since the 2000-01 season. … UVa leads the all-time series, 78-47. … UVa leads Virginia Tech 10.5. to 5.5 in this year’s Commonwealth Challenge, a competition between the school in several sports. … Several Virginia alums were in attendance, including former Oakland Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks and former New England Patriots linebacker Chris Slade. … With the win, Virginia improved to 16-1 at JPJ, extending its school record for home wins. … The attendance of 14,931 was the third-largest of the season (behind the Arizona and Duke games).

 

Cavs send Reynolds out on top
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
March 2, 2007

A jillion things must have passed through J.R. Reynolds’ mind during the final 37 seconds of Thursday night’s victory over Virginia Tech.

The co-captain’s odyssey had come to this: a standing ovation in his last home game for both he and fellow senior Jason Cain. Coach Dave Leitao called a timeout so the crowd could acknowledge what the two have meant to Cavalier basketball.

Reynolds got a rare hug from the imposing Leitao, who is known more for showing his fiery side. But what meant most to him was watching the seconds tick off the John Paul Jones Arena clock, knowing that Virginia would finish the night no less than tied for first in the ACC.

The Cavaliers had avenged an embarrassing loss to their state rival only two weeks before and at least temporarily, if not permanently, knocked the Hokies out of a three-way tie for the conference lead.

By Reynolds’ standards, it wasn’t one of his more memorable nights statistically. His 3-of-15 shooting performance was less than satisfactory, except that he made half of the four 3-pointers he attempted.

“It wasn’t anything they did ... I was just missing shots,” said Reynolds, speaking like a true shooter.

He finished with 13 points (his 18th consecutive game in double figures) and six assists, but was credited with lockdown defense against a very explosive Virginia Tech team.

As far as this Roanoke native was concerned, it was statistics, shmatistics. All that mattered was the win.

The emotions of Senior Night are enough to make any player nervous, but Reynolds said he wasn’t pumped up at all in those regards.

“Instead, reality set in that this was my last game,” he said. “I was like, ‘Where did the time go?’”

His mind probably drifted back to his time at Roanoke Catholic High School when he started on the varsity as an eighth-grader (yes, he was that good) and how they used to have to run him out of the gym because he could never get enough.

Thoughts probably turned to devoted mother Laverne Alexander who used to work two jobs to give J.R. and his sister whatever they needed to make it in the world. Reynolds has often used his mom for inspiration, particularly on days when he had practiced so hard, he wondered if he would make it.

Then he would think of her, how she sacrificed to give him a chance. What was one more measly wind sprint?

He probably thought about former UVa coach Pete Gillen who brought him here before the program hit the skids and Gillen was fired after a dismal 14-15, 4-12 record in 2004-05. Reynolds must have wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Would Virginia ever win?

He must have thought about that first grueling practice in Leitao’s first year, and again, what he had gotten himself into.

Leitao surely wondered that day.

“I thought back to that first workout we had two Augusts ago when I first got here and not knowing if either one of them (Reynolds or Cain) were going to make it through a two-hour workout,” Leitao recalled after Thursday night’s 20th win of the season.

“It has been a long journey, but we stuck through it, and now the hard work is paying off for us,” said Reynolds, who said prior to the start of this season that his main goal was to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

Quite a dream considering the Cavaliers hadn’t even smelled the Big Dance during his first three years and this current batch of Wahoos were predicted to finish eighth in the league this season.

But when Reynolds’ head touched pillow last night, he slumbered with the assurance that Virginia was alone in first place in the ACC standings after North Carolina stubbed its toe at Georgia Tech.

If Virginia can finish it off Saturday at Wake Forest, it would be only the second time the Cavs would win the ACC regular season title outright.

“All the hard work we put in during the summer and preseason was worth it,” Reynolds said. “There’s no better way to go out than this.”

When he was introduced prior to the game and accompanied to center court by his mom and godparents, it was a heartfelt moment in his life. He looked over and spotted Curtis Staples, one of his heroes growing up, sitting courtside, a mentor that had kept him confident through the hard times.

Leitao presented Reynolds a framed No. 2 jersey commemorating his contribution, but more importantly, the senior sharpshooter got a little help from his friends. On this night, the Cavaliers’ role players followed the script perfectly with Cain, Tunji Soroye, Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane all making significant efforts.

“I know [my family has] been waiting for this day forever and it finally came,” Reynolds said. “It was extra special because we got the victory over a very good Virginia Tech team. My mom wished me congratulations before the game on my career, but what she really wanted me to do was go out there and get the win.”

Banged up with all sorts of nicks, Reynolds doesn’t practice as much as he did the past three years. Sometimes he doesn’t practice at all in order to remain healthy and fresh enough for the next game. Even on this night he played 37 minutes, rarely coming out for a breather.

Leitao knows he has asked a lot of the senior and from backcourt mate Sean Singletary, the heart and soul of this team. But he knows he doesn’t have any other option.

Reynolds knows it, too. That’s why he’s so appreciative of his teammates stepping up to help send him out a winner.

But, like any senior, he’s not taking anything for granted.

“We’ve got one more game,” Reynolds said. “And we have to win that one, too.”

 

UVa ready for Classic tilt
Inaugural event dominated by sense of urgency
By Sean McLernon / smclernon@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
March 2, 2007

It was designed to be a clash of the titans - the four schools that are alone together at the highest level of men’s college lacrosse.

So, has the inaugural Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic, the most hyped regular-season doubleheader in college lacrosse history, lost any luster now that three of its participants have suffered stunning early-season defeats?

Virginia coach Dom Starsia certainly doesn’t think so.

“There’s a sense of urgency in terms of the competitiveness of these games that might not have been there otherwise,” said Starsia, who is in his 15th season at UVa. “If we were all undefeated going in - everybody understands that two of the teams are going to lose. There’s certainly not a casualness to that, but there’s a certain luxury that you’re going to go on and maintain your playing goals.

“But right now, I think everybody is a little more desperate for a ‘W.’”

Princeton (1-0), Johns Hopkins (0-1), Syracuse (1-1) and Virginia (1-1) have accounted for all of the NCAA championships since 1991. The squads entered the 2007 season ranked in the top four spots in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. But defeats to the likes of Albany, Army and Drexel have left early-season blemishes and exposed the vulnerability of the 2007 versions of three of these traditional powerhouses.

What was once merely a showcase event that some had tabbed a Final Four preview has become a critical fight for survival. It will all be played out in front of thousands at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, with Princeton-Hopkins kicking things off at noon and Virginia-Syracuse following at 2:30.

“It raises the stakes a lot,” said Virginia goalie Kip Turner. “We all need wins. There’s no certainty for any team at this point.”

Turner and his fellow UVa seniors learned that the hard way during their freshman season in 2004. Just months after winning a national championship, the Cavs lost four of their first five and failed to earn a berth in the NCAA field.

Despite the season-opening loss to Drexel, Starsia sees little chance of another letdown this year.

“It’s all completely different,” said Starsia, who has won three titles in the last eight years, including last season’s undefeated championship. “I don’t see why they would even be compared other than we’re coming off a national championship.

“In 1999 we won a national championship and the next year we set the record for consecutive victories in the regular season. Just in terms of talking about it, I would say let’s call 2007 the tiebreaker.”

Turner said 2004 was the first thing he thought of after the Drexel game, but after “showering it off” he gained a little bit of perspective.

“In 2004 there may have been a little bit of cliqueness and a lot of people didn’t get along well,” the senior said. “In this group, everybody is friends and everyone is supporting each other. We have a work ethic that rivals last year’s team.”

A victory at Stony Brook last weekend certainly helped silence those thoughts as well. Starsia said he had been concerned about that game for months and was more than pleased with the 15-7 result.

“Our kids really stood up,” Starsia said. “It was a test of our mettle.”

An even tougher test awaits Virginia in the form of a Syracuse team led by preseason first-team All American attackman Mike Leveille. Although the potent Orange offense struggled in an 8-6 home loss to Army last weekend, historical trends point to a shootout this weekend.

In last year’s meeting, the squads combined for 35 goals in a 20-15 UVa victory. Current UVa starters Ben Rubeor and Drew Thompson each had three goals in that win.

Other memorable contests between the two teams, which began to meet annually in the regular season in 1995, include a 22-21 Syracuse victory at the Carrier Dome in 1997 and a 12-11 double overtime Orange triumph in the 2002 NCAA semifinals.

The Cavaliers, however, have won four of the last five since that meeting.

“I think it a unique rivalry,” said sophomore Danny Glading, who leads the Cavaliers with six goals. “The reason Virginia and Syracuse have become rivals has been because they play similar styles of lacrosse. It’s become about who can play it better - who can run and gun better, who plays with more flair. I think that makes the game a lot of fun to watch and a lot of fun to play in.”

Glading expects more of the same high-octane offense this weekend.

“Against them? It’s required.”

 

Guyer, Cavs ready to tackle Delaware
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 2, 2007

Brian O’Connor had yet to unpack a box in his new office when he stumbled upon a diamond in the rough.

At the 2003 Commonwealth Games in Salem, just days after his hiring, Virginia’s new baseball coach discovered one of the “toughest, hard-nosed kids” he had ever seen.

Essentially, O’Connor had spotted a football player named Brandon Guyer who just happened to be wearing a baseball uniform.

That’s something that Guyer takes as a compliment. In fact, without O’Connor’s pursuit and a successful summer that year, Guyer would likely be preparing for spring football at another in-state institution.

Instead, Guyer will join his Cavalier teammates, who are 11-1 overall, as they open a three-game set today at Davenport Field against Delaware (0-3).

“Going into my junior year of high school, football was all I thought about,” said Guyer, who was recruited to play linebacker at Maryland and Richmond among other schools.

His junior season at Herndon had helped solidify his decision. Guyer, who also played tailback, was a third-team all-state selection on the gridiron (he was second-team as a senior) as his struggles on the diamond took their toll.

“I batted .280 as a junior, so I wasn’t getting many looks for baseball,” Guyer said.

While the events were not linked, his future changed in the days following O’Connor’s hiring.

“That summer changed everything. If it wasn’t for that I would still be playing football,” Guyer admitted. “That summer I turned it around and focused only on baseball and I’m glad I did to tell you the truth.”

And so is O’Connor.

Guyer, now a junior, has been a mainstay for the Cavaliers in left field since his arrival, excelling with the glove and a powerful bat that has amassed 58 career extra-base hits.

With his increased output have come greater expectations from Virginia’s coaching staff.

Through the first few games this season, while Guyer appeared to be locked in at the plate, O’Connor respectfully disagreed.

“I didn’t think he was swinging the bat the first couple of weeks like he was capable of,” the skipper said.

The opinion has since changed. Guyer is batting .450 on the season - which is second only to Greg Miclat’s lofty average of .512 - and the right-handed swinging slugger has produced a team-high seven doubles.

“I’m happy to see him really swinging the bat well,” O’Connor said. “I was more concerned about him keeping the ball out of the air so much. If it’s in the air and he hits it out of the ballpark, well, that’s great, but I am concerned about the easy outs.”

Hitting fifth in the Cavaliers’ lineup, two spots behind defending ACC Player of the Year Sean Doolittle and one spot ahead of David Adams, makes Guyer pivotal to the team’s offensive success.

“He is going to have to carry the load for us,” O’Connor said. “You have Doolittle and Adams in front of him, so there is going to be lots of opportunities for Guyer to drive in runs.”

Guyer is comfortable with that role and the pressure it brings, but it has not dampened his love for football, which he reflects upon every time he goes to a game at Scott Stadium.

“When I am actually there and I see the field and all the holes opening up,” Guyer said, “I just think I could be doing that.”

Doolittle said Guyer’s vision is not that farfetched.

“He could definitely lace it up and play some pigskin,” Doolittle chuckled. “I know I wouldn’t want to try to tackle him or block him, but maybe I might hand it off to him.”

 

U.Va. exacts its revenge
Rousing win over Hokies has Cavs sitting alone atop ACC
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the University of Virginia men's basketball team, the final minute was the equivalent of a victory lap last night. Virginia Tech had conceded defeat, and point guard Sean Singletary dribbled unchallenged as the Cavaliers basked in the applause that rocked John Paul Jones Arena.

With 37 seconds left, the decibel level rose yet again. U.Va.'s two seniors, J.R. Reynolds and Jason Cain, walked off the court for the last time at the JPJ. Their smiles -- and the embraces Reynolds and Cain received from Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao -- told the story.

Virginia 69, No.21 Virginia Tech 56.

"It's just gratifying," Cain said of the standing ovation he and Reynolds received from the crowd of 14,931. "It makes you feel that you were part of something big here, but it's still not over."

Virginia (11-4, 20-8), picked to finish eighth in the league, is alone in first with one regular-season game to play. U.Va. can win the ACC regular-season title outright for only the second time with a victory tomorrow afternoon at Wake Forest. The Demon Dea- cons (4-11, 13-15) are tied for last in the league.

The Cavaliers are the only ACC team to finish unbeaten in conference home games. Overall, U.Va. went 16-1 at its new arena.

"It speaks volumes about the guys we have and the character they possess," Leitao said.

Like the Hokies (10-5, 20-9), who fell into a tie for second in the ACC, the Cavs are headed for the NCAA tournament. U.Va. was in command most of the way last night, trailing for only 2 minutes, 43 seconds. It went ahead to stay on a 3-pointer by junior forward Adrian Joseph at the 4:04 mark of the first half.

For the game, Virginia buried 10 of 16 shots from beyond the arc. Equally important, U.Va. held the Hokies to 36.2 percent accuracy from the floor and limited them to four fast-break points.

"It all comes down to the energy that we brought and the sense of urgency we played with," said Singletary, who had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds. "We definitely wanted to send Jason and J.R. out as champions, and if we can finish the deal [at Wake], we'll do just that."

Revenge was a motive last night, though not because of anything Leitao said leading up to the game. His players had been embarrassed by their performance Feb. 10 in an 84-57 loss to the Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. The desire to redeem themselves "lived in their mindset, and it lived in their spirit," Leitao said.

In the teams' first meeting, which quickly turned into a Tech dunk-a-thon, Hokies forwards A.D. Vassallo and Deron Washington combined for 44 points. Washington scored nine and Vassallo two -- on 1-for-8 shooting -- last night.

U.Va. stars Singletary and Reynolds, meanwhile, got tremendous support. Joseph and sophomore swingman Mamadi Diane, who managed only two points between them in Blacksburg, combined for 20 last night. Cain had eight points and nine rebounds, and junior center Tunji Soroye added five points.

Diane hit three treys and finished with 13 points -- his first double-figure effort in an ACC game in nearly a month. He also showed an impeccable sense of timing.

After Tech pulled to 48-42 on a dunk by senior guard Markus Sailes (Varina High) with 12:33 left, Diane answered with a 3-pointer. Singletary followed with five consecutive points. The Hokies rallied again, but a jumper by Diane pushed U.Va.'s lead back to nine with 4:13 left.

"When we get six, seven people scoring, we're tough to beat," Singletary said.

Washington and Vassallo weren't the only Hokies who struggled. Senior guard Jamon Gordon, plagued by foul trouble, had only six points and one assist. His backcourt partner and classmate, Zabian Dowdell, was more productive, scoring 17 points, but neither had his usual impact on defense.

Gordon and Dowdell came into the game ranked Nos.1 and 2, respectively, among ACC players in steals. They had one steal between them last night.

"We just didn't play well," said Tech coach Seth Greenberg, whose team closes the regular season at home Sunday against Clemson (6-9, 20-9).

"It's plain and simple. We didn't make the plays that we needed to make to win a big game on the road."

 

Supporting cast stars for Cavaliers
BOB LIPPER

CHARLOTTESVILLE This was one for the Other Guys.

The Mamadi Dianes.

The Jason Cains.

The Adrian Josephs.

The Tunji Soroyes.

The backup band.

Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds are Virginia's rock stars, its Mick and Keith, its glimmer twins. Scoring, assisting, rebounding, they twinkled and glittered off and on last night -- and the kicker is that everyone else glowed. This 69-56 conquest of Virginia Tech belonged to Diane's jump shots. And Cain's low-post tenacity. And Joseph's outside marksmanship. And Soroye's inside grit.


The other guys.

The other guys aren't always in tune with their front men. This explains why the Cavs lean so heavily -- too heavily too often -- on their two all-star guards. Singletary and Reynolds combined for 49 of U.Va.'s 75 points against Georgia Tech the other day, for example. They had 30 of 60 in the previous game, a setback at Miami. And 36 of 73 against Florida State. And 34 of 57 in a thunderous 27-point loss at Virginia Tech three weeks ago.

Last night -- jammed arena, first place in the ACC up for grabs, tough opponent -- U.Va. players not named Singletary and Reynolds accounted for 39 of 69 points. And 59-percent accuracy. And 24 of 38 rebounds. And sticky defense against Deron Washington (Cain, mostly) and A.D. Vassallo (Diane and Joseph shared the assignment), who'd torched the Cavs in Blacksburg but were defused in this rematch.

And that made all the difference. On an evening when Reynolds missed 12 of 15 shots and Singletary cooled after nailing a couple of 3-pointers out of the gate, the other guys weren't just along for the ride, weren't out there just to set screens and gobble a rebound here or there and take snapshots of Singletary and Reynolds doing something magical.

They were out there to do damage.

They were out there to matter.

"Everyone was locked in," said Reynolds. "Like coach [Dave Leitao] told us before the game, it was their role players, Washington and Vassallo, who stepped up the last time. Tonight, it was our guys who stepped up. We needed them to."

It wasn't just the raw numbers they poured onto the stat sheet, either. That was big, no question about it. But just as big -- bigger, maybe -- was when the Dianes and Cains etched their efforts onto the play-by-play.

They seized moments.

They stood tall when it counted most.

Examples? Pull up a chair. U.Va.'s first basket was registered by Soroye, who moved to the hoop and scored off Reynolds' dump-off pass. Then, on their next possession, the Cavs got a trey from Diane, who'd been 2 for 14 from that range in his past five ACC outings. That made it 5-0 on the scoreboard and two-for-two in omens.

Later, Joseph ended a stretch of 9½ minutes without a Cavs field goal by sinking a jumper and a trey for 25-23 and the lead for good. Cain and Diane scored back-to-back out of intermission for a 12-point advantage. Cain schooled Washington with an outrageous (and out-of-body) spin-move layup after Tech's 6-zip run made it 56-48. Diane, with not a hunt of hesitation, collected Reynolds' beat-the-press pass and drained another jumper for 61-52 and cruise control with 4:15 left.

And so on and so forth.

"I talked to our guys about the X-factors," said Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "These guys are ACC players. You guys want to trash them all the time, like it's a two-headed monster. It's not a two-headed monster. Those other guys contribute and put them in position to win games."

It doesn't always happen. It happened last night. And when the roars had subsided and the showers had been taken, Joseph sank back in a chair and said, "When everyone contributes, I think we're one of the most dangerous teams in the country. When we get it going, we're hard to stop."

He smiled in satisfaction. On this night, he wasn't just another guy.

 

Guards' play leave Hokies at a loss Gordon, Dowdell struggle as Virginia wins backcourt battle
BY JOHN O'CONNOR
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Too much hacking.

Jamon Gordon often fouled and Zabian Dowdell often coughed, when he wasn't bent at the waist and grabbing his shorts. In addition to Virginia's defense, those factors retarded Virginia Tech in last night's 69-56 loss. The Hokies are guard-centered around the senior backcourt of Dowdell and Gordon.

"We do a lot for each other and help each other score," Gordon said. "I take a lot of pressure off [Dowdell] sometimes, and he takes a lot of pressure off me."

Dowdell scored 17 but needed 19 shots to get that. Gordon went 2 for 6 in 21 minutes. He didn't even take a shot before intermission. Together, they had two assists and three turnovers. Coming in, their assist-to-turnover ratio was roughly 2 to 1.

"We just could never get in a rhythm," Gordon said.

Nine minutes in, Gordon picked up his second foul and went to the Hokies' bench for the remainder of the half. Virginia led 19-10. Dowdell then spurted, scoring 11 in a 7:30 stretch to put Tech ahead 23-20. The Hokies soon needed to take a 30-second timeout to give Dowdell, missing his pressure-relieving backcourt partner, a chance to recover physically.

"He was drained and couldn't catch his breath," said Keith Doolan, Virginia Tech's trainer.

With stomach problems, Dowdell had eaten next-to-nothing the last two days, he acknowledged after the game. He also has been fighting a lingering cold. "No need to make excuses," Dowdell said. "[The Cavaliers] came out, played well, and deserved to win the game."

Dowdell made 2 of 9 in the second half. Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg and forward Deron Washington also had been bugged by a stomach virus this week.


"It seemed like every time we made a run, we kind of hit the wall physically," said Greenberg. "We just didn't have the energy that we need to have for us to be a good team. And give [the Cavaliers] credit. They made shots."

In the first six minutes, the Cavaliers hit 4 of 5 3-point attempts to go ahead 16-5. Tech rallied, fell behind, rallied again. But there were too many missed Hokies opportunities to finish around the basket, too many failed 3-point attempts (missed 13 of 15), too much hacking by Gordon and Dowdell.

"It's a different ballgame with both of us out there together," Gordon said.


 

Who's No. 1? UVa
The Cavs take care of business against Virginia Tech and stand alone in first place in the ACC.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- J.R. Reynolds never knew that a 3-for-15 shooting night could be so sweet.

Reynolds and fellow Virginia senior Jason Cain celebrated their final home game in style Thursday night, claiming a 69-56 victory over archrival Virginia Tech in a battle of ACC front-runners.

Coupled with North Carolina's loss at Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers clinched at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship going into Saturday's game at Wake Forest.

"It means a lot," UVa coach Dave Leitao said. "We have a chance on Saturday to do something very special."

Thursday night was special for Reynolds and Cain, who came out of the game with 39 seconds left and Leitao choreographing the applause.

"I've been waiting for this day," said Reynolds, who was joined by his mother and grandparents in pregame ceremonies at midcourt. "When I got out there, I was like, 'Where did all the time go?' "

The Hokies had walloped Virginia only 19 days earlier in Blacksburg, 84-57, but they had to come to John Paul Jones Arena, where Virginia had lost only once all season.

Thursday's win gave the Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4 ACC) a 16-1 home record, including 8-0 in conference play. Virginia had not gone undefeated against ACC opposition at home since 1982, when the Cavaliers were 7-0.

The Hokies (20-9, 10-5) had won four of five ACC games, starting with their rout of the Cavaliers at Cassell Coliseum. But UVa was quick to gain the upper hand Thursday.

Virginia made four 3-pointers in taking a 17-5 lead with 13:59 left, but then the Cavaliers lost their shooting touch, going more than 9 minutes without a field goal.

"I think we were up [19-10] when I told them during a timeout, 'We've been here before and we've given up before; we're not going to do it today,'" said Leitao, whose Cavaliers blew a 16-point lead Saturday before rallying to beat Georgia Tech. "But lo and behold, they did come back."

Tech went on a 13-0 run to take the lead, which the Hokies stretched to 23-20, but back-to-back buckets by reserve Adrian Joseph, the second a 3-pointer, gave Virginia a lead it would not relinquish.

Junior point guard Sean Singletary had a team-high 17 points for the Cavaliers, who got 13 points from Reynolds, but the story of the game was the Cavaliers' complimentary players. That and a tenacious brand of defense that Tech had not seen in the first game.

As opposed to the teams' first meeting, when Tech shot 57.7 percent from the field, the Hokies shot 36.2 percent Thursday night, including 30.3 in the second half.

"We just didn't play well, plain and simple," said coach Seth Greenberg, whose Hokies will end the season Sunday at home against Clemson.

Greenberg was particularly unhappy that Virginia seized the momentum at the end of the first half, thanks to a 16-3 run that included seven points by Joseph.

In the previous Tech-UVa game, Joseph and fellow small forward Mamadi Diane had combined to go 1-for-11 from the field and score two points.

They had a combined 20 points Thursday night, including 13 by Diane, who was 5-of-7 from the field, including three treys. Diane had scored a total of 20 points in UVa's previous five ACC games.

"The law of averages was going to catch up to him at some point," Leitao said. "He's too good a person, he's too good a player, he's too hard a worker for it not to.

"We didn't practice real well [Wednesday] and I was challenging him and yelling at all those guys and asked them, 'When's the last time you contributed in a big way?' I think he and the other guys really responded to that."

After Tech had cut a 12-point second-half deficit to 43-38, Diane drained two 3-pointers in a 54-second span as UVa extended its lead to 51-42.

The margin got as high as 56-42 before Tech scored three straight buckets and prompted Leitao to call a timeout with 9:04 left.

Leitao laughed at the suggestion that UVa's next play came by design. Cain put on a spin move on two Hokies and converted a layup with 8:46 left that restored the Cavaliers' double-digit lead.

"He has a lot of that in him," Leitao said, "but it's been hard to get him to do that and utilize his talents. He's one of the reasons we've changed our offense and put him on the perimeter, because he can do so many things."

Cain finished with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who had a 38-35 edge on the boards. Virginia shot 43.6 percent, but the key statistic had to be the Cavaliers' 10-for-16 marksmanship on 3-pointers.

Tech was 2-for-15 from behind the arc, including 0-for-10 in the second half.

Senior guard Zabian Dowdell, with 17 points, was the only Tech player to score in double figures.

In the first game, Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, when foul trouble limited Dowdell to 15 minutes and five points.

"Their role players pretty much destroyed us when we played down there," Cain said. "I don't think our guys wanted us to go out on a sour note."

 

Hokies pay for flat performance
By Mark Berman
981-3125

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It was a rotten time for a rotten offensive performance.

Virginia knocked the Virginia Tech men's basketball team out of first place in the ACC with a 69-56 win Thursday.

The 56 points were the fewest Tech (20-9, 10-5) has scored all season. The Hokies shot 36.2 percent from the field, their third-worst percentage of the season.

"We didn't have enough attention to detail in terms of finishing possessions with rebounds," coach Seth Greenberg said. "I'm not sure if it was their defense or our ineffectiveness on offense in terms of our spacing and the way we played offensively. I thought we missed some guys [when passing]. I thought we didn't convert on some fast-break opportunities."

The Hokies shot 13.3 percent from 3-point range (2-of-15), their second-worst percentage this season. Tech was just 12-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo each had 22 points in Tech's 84-57 rout of UVa last month, but Washington was 3-of-8 from the field for nine points this time. Vassallo was 1-of-8 from the field for three points. They were a combined 0-of-6 from 3-point range.

Zabian Dowdell had 17 points but was 7-of-19 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Jamon Gordon, who got into foul trouble in both halves, was 2-of-6 from the field.

"It was the guys trying to help the team so much that we were taking bad shots," senior Markus Sailes said. "They're a team that thrives on fast breaks, so when we ... [were] taking bad shots, long rebounds came and then [Sean] Singletary and [J.R.] Reynolds get them pushing."

Coleman Collins was 2-of-7 from the field, including 1-of-6 in the first half.

"I missed all kinds of layups in the first half," Collins said.

With Tech up 23-20 with 5:35 left in the first half, UVa went on a 16-3 run to build a 36-26 cushion with 34 seconds left in the half. Tech was outrebounded 22-12 in the half.

Collins missed four shots during that UVa run. When Greenberg called timeout with UVa up 34-26, he promptly yelled at Collins.

"The last 5 minutes ... of the first half, I thought we had some guys that really just didn't get it done for us and didn't compete at the level you need to compete at to hold the lead," Greenberg said.

"A major part of that [run] was me blowing ... layups, ... which started fast breaks on the other end," Collins said. "Those are shots I normally hit."

Gordon, who played just 21 minutes, took the blame for his teammates' poor shooting.

"Me being out ... [played] a big role," Gordon said. "I usually find them in the break. I usually help Deron get a couple of dunks. ... I really let the team down, getting silly fouls."

Tech shot 57.7 percent from the field in the first meeting, but its fast break wasn't clicking this time.

"When they're hitting shots, we can't really get a fast break," Washington said.

"Every team that controls the tempo against us, they always win," Gordon said. "We don't get out and run like we usually do, and we always lose."

Tech's defense wasn't great, either. UVa was 10-of-16 from 3-point territory.

"We were backpedaling," Sailes said. "It's hard to find everybody backpedaling. They had open 3s."

"We always have trouble against teams shooting 3s," Gordon said. "That's just something we can't do."
 

Virginia stars get 20th victory with a little help from their friends.
Aaron McFarling

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The first sign that things would be different came on Virginia's second possession of the game. That's when J.R. Reynolds leaped to take a 3-point shot and instead served a bounce pass to a cutting Tunji Soroye, the junior center from Nigeria who averages a robust 1.9 points a game.

Not even one minute into the biggest matchup this rivalry has seen in years, Soroye bested that average with one flick of the wrists. His easy layup gave UVa a 2-0 lead, but it symbolized something much bigger.

Better watch out for everybody on this night.

Strange how this scheduled game of 5-on-2 evolved into something else. We've come to expect Reynolds and Sean Singletary, Virginia's veteran guards, to take on the world, to lift this program or lower it, to win it or lose it every time.

But a funny thing happened Thursday night, as the Cavaliers smothered Virginia Tech 69-56 to stay atop the ACC standings. Out of the shadows came Jason Cain and Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph and Ryan Pettinella and even Jamil Tucker.

Teammates.

Who knew?

OK, so that's a bit of an exaggeration to say we've never seen them before. We have. Just not often enough, and rarely so many of them all on the same night.

UVa coach Dave Leitao has made no secret about his desire to find a consistent third scorer for this team. On Thursday, he had five legitimate threats -- and that doesn't even include Soroye, who finished with five points.

"When we have a great team effort like that, I don't think there's anybody in the country that can beat us," said Singletary, who still led the Cavs with 17 points and his usual array of flashy moves.

"I'm sure a lot of other people feel that way, too. When you double- and triple-team J.R. and I, and guys step up and make big shots, there's not much you can do."

The best example of what he's talking about might have come in the final two minutes of the first half, after the Hokies had rallied from a slow start and trailed only 25-24. UVa surged back ahead using a variety of contributors.

The first basket came inside from Pettinella. Tucker followed with a 3-pointer from the left side. Then it was Singletary with an acrobatic bank shot, a Joseph tip-in of a Singletary miss, and finally, a fast-break layup from Reynolds that pushed the UVa lead to 36-26.

"We've got a lot of offensive players," said Joseph, who added seven points. "A lot of people can shoot. ... When we get it going, it's difficult to stop."

The one guy who really needed to get it going and did was Diane. The sophomore forward's performance had dropped off considerably over the past few weeks. After scoring in double figures in four of five games beginning Feb. 6 against Maryland, Diane had cracked double digits just once in UVa's past five games.

On Thursday, he went 5-for-7 from the field and scored 13 points. After hitting back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half, he nodded his head confidently as he headed back up the court.

"It's been a while since I've done that, hitting back-to-back 3s or back-to-back shots," Diane said. "So running down the court I just felt like, it's past due."

It was past due for a lot of people, although Tech coach Seth Greenberg bristled at the notion that he should have been surprised.

"Cain's had good games, Joseph's had good games, Diane's had good games," Greenberg said.

"I mean, those guys are ACC players. You guys want to trash them all the time like it's a two-headed monster. It's not a two-headed monster. Those other guys contribute and put them in position to win games."

Maybe so. But rarely do they contribute quite this much.

And if they can keep doing it, look out.
 

Westphal celebrates commitment with concert
Is he the first Cavalier gridder from Wisconsin?
By Doug Doughty

At the risk of losing a few readers with this comparison, an exchange Wednesday night with Virginia football recruit Tyler Westphal was reminiscent of the Seinfeld spin-off, “Curb Your Enthusian.”

In several episodes, neurotic Seinfeld co-creator and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Larry David makes reference to the “cutoff,” the time during the evening when it is no longer polite to call somebody on the phone.

After making several efforts to obtain Westphal’s cell number Wednesday, I called him shortly after 10 p.m. Eastern time and got a recording. I left a message and said I would be “up” for at least another hour in case he could call me back.

I’m frequently awake at midnight and sometimes as late as 2 or 3 a.m., when returning from late assignments in places like Raleigh and Chapel Hill, N.C., but I was in never-never land when the phone rang Thursday morning at 12:40 a.m.

Upon learning it was Westphal, I told him I would call him right back, then proceeded to switch to another phone, cue my tape recorder and call him back on his cellphone, where I got nothing but recordings.

Only after calling the tracer number, *69, did I determine that Westphal had called me from another number, presumably his home phone.

Not knowing whether Wisconsin was in the Central Time Zone or Eastern Time Zone, but realizing it was well past the “cutoff” in either locale, I called the second number at 12:55 a.m.

Westphal quickly picked up this time and shrugged off my concerns that I might have awakened other members of his family. As for what he was doing up at that hour, he said he just made a two-hour drive to his Menasha, Wis., home after going to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Milwaukee.

Of course, Milwaukee is known for its concerts. After all, didn’t Wayne and Garth travel from Aurora, Ill., to Milwaukee to see an Alice Cooper concert in the 1992 movie, “Wayne’s World?”

(True story: I once saw Alice Cooper in concert at University Hall, then, nearly 25 years later, got his autograph, Vincent Furnier, outside the souvenir tent at the U.S. Open Golf Championship at Congressional in 1997. It was a present for then co-worker Vince Shaw, now laying out stories by Jeff White and the rest of the Richmond gadflies).

It wasn’t too long ago that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were in Charlottesville, playing in the same John Paul Jones Arena where Westphal watched Virginia beat Georgia Tech in men’s basketball Saturday.

He came to Charlottesville with his father, Brad, who is the head football coach at Menasha. They were overwhelmed.

“We both walked away so impressed,” Brad Westphal said Thursday morning. “I’ve been coaching 25 years and I’m not easily impressed, but you couldn’t ask for a better visit. As far as I’m concerned, Virginia oozed class.”

Westphal (6 foot 5, 220 pounds) is mostly a blocker as the tight end in Menasha’s mid-line option, but he says that Virginia wants him as an outside linebacker. He recently was timed in 4.75 seconds for 40 yards and had 87 tackles this past season as a junior, when he had 11 ½ sacks.

“He’s got a defensive mentality,” said Brad Westphal, who played running back at Wisconsin-Oshkosh but says he was not blessed with his son’s height. “He likes contact.”

At the time of his commitment, Westphal also had offers from Minnesota and Western Michigan. He was to have visited Iowa this weekend, then gone to Minnesota and Wisconsin for upcoming junior days.

“He talked about committing on the way back from Virginia, then said, ‘Maybe I should take my time,’ “ said Brad Westphal, who seven years ago returned to his alma mater, Menasaha, after coaching at two other high schools.

“Yesterday morning, he woke up and said he wanted to commit to Virginia. I told him, ‘Come to my classroom and lunchtime and we’ll see if you feel the same way.’ If anything, he felt even more strongly.

“I was kind of shocked, but I couldn’t be more pleased with his decision as a head football coach and a father.”

It will be interesting to see how what kind of ranking Westphal receives nationally because players who commit early are often underrated because they don’t have as impressive an offer list.

Virginia has had some highly rated early commits, most notably Chris Long and Vic Hall, both of whom committed during the fall of their junior years.

In those cases, Long remained in the spotlight because he was the son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long and Hall because of his assault on the state records for passing and total offense.

If nothing else, Westphal seems destined to become the best Virginia football player ever from Wisconsin. In my foggy memory, I can’t remember another one.
 

Cavs pay back Hokies for blowout in Blacksburg with 69-56 victory
Virginia’s J.R. Reynolds scores two of his 13 points. STEPHEN M. KATZ/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Look who's all alone atop the ACC standings with one game left in the regular season.

In what could be called the revenge of the role players, Virginia defeated cross-state rival Virginia Tech 69-56 Thursday night.

The win, coupled with North Carolina's loss to Georgia Tech, left the Cavaliers with a one-game lead over the Tar Heels, the Hokies and Boston College.

Virginia needs only to beat Wake Forest on Saturday to claim the top seed for next weekend's ACC tournament. It would be its first regular-season title since 1995.

The Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4) were picked to finish eighth in the preseason.

"It means we've come a long way," guard Sean Singletary said. "If we can get this win Saturday, it will just be icing on the cake."

On a night when guards J.R. Reynolds and Singletary shot a combined 8 for 28, the Cavaliers' "complementary" players, as Jason Cain called them, bailed Virginia out.

In Tech's 84-57 win in Blacksburg last month, Cain, Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph combined for four points. The Hokies' Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo,

complements to guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon, went for 44.

"They destroyed us down there," Cain said.

On Thursday, the roles reversed.

Vassallo, crowded by Diane and Joseph, finished with three points on 1-for-8 shooting. Washington, a one-man transition game in Blacksburg, managed nine points, but had none of the energizing plays that propelled the Hokies in the first meeting.

Instead, it was Cain spinning and Diane dropping in 3-pointers.

"They made sure they were a big part of the game today," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

"Off the top of my head, they made 3-point shots, we didn't," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said.

The Cavaliers hit 10 of 16, the Hokies 2 of 15. Reynolds and Singletary did their part, combining for 30 points and five 3-pointers.

The Hokies (20-9, 10-5) had their chances, weathering an opening 17-5 burst by Virginia to grab a first-half lead. But Virginia pushed the lead back to eight at the half and responded to each Tech threat afterward.

The Cavaliers often shoot well at home, where they finished the season 16-1, 8-0 in ACC play.

On Thursday, they also played better transition defense than they did in Blacksburg, limiting the Hokies to four fast break points.

Tech, a team that scores in bunches, wasn't able to stretch its legs on the break. Dowdell led Tech with 17 points, but no one else scored in double figures. Gordon spent much of the game in foul trouble.

"Other guys have to step up," center Coleman Collins said.

Virginia's "other" guys did. Afterward, Joseph sat in one corner of the room, talking about how good the Cavaliers can be when everyone is clicking. Cain sat in another wearing a black AC/DC "Back in Black" thermal shirt that he boasted he got for $10.

A perfect senior night, he said, adding that his teammates didn't say much to him about a second-half spin move that helped squelch a Virginia Tech rally, but the coaching staff did.

"They were probably wondering," he said, with a grin. "Where has that been?"

 

Big-time reversal
Virginia's Mamadi Diane breaks out of his slump as the Cavaliers beat Virginia Tech.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
March 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Mamadi Diane backpedaled down the court midway through the second half Thursday night, shaking his head. He had just made his second consecutive 3-pointer, and it felt like a foreign, albeit uplifting, moment.

"It had been a while since I had done that, hit back-to-back 3s or hit back-to-back shots," he said later. "Running down the court, I just felt like it's past due and I've been waiting for this moment."

Diane - who opened John Paul Jones Arena four months ago with the best game of his career - helped the Virginia men's basketball team on Thursday polish off a 16-1 home record by scoring 13 points in the Cavaliers' 69-56 win over Virginia Tech.

Bigger picture, the victory helped the Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4 ACC) clinch at least a tie for their conference's regular-season championship, which they haven't won since 1995. With North Carolina's loss Thursday at Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers must only win Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Wake Forest to capture their first outright league title since 1981. Virginia finished the ACC season 8-0 at home and is the only team this season with an undefeated ACC home record. The Cavaliers hadn't finished unbeaten at home in the league since 1982.

Diane, a sophomore wing, scored a career-high 25 points Nov. 12 when the Cavaliers christened their new arena with a season-opening, 93-90 win over Arizona. But he struggled in his past five ACC games, scoring a combined 20 points and shooting 7-of-28.

"The law of averages was going to catch up to him at some point that he was going to play well," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

Diane wasn't the only player other than star guards Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds who boosted the Cavaliers on Thursday - an auspicious sign as they prepare to play in their first NCAA tournament since 2001.

Senior forward Jason Cain scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds on Senior Night. Wing Adrian Joseph scored all seven of his points when Virginia went on a 16-5 run over the final 5:14 of the first half to take a 36-28 halftime lead, which it never relinquished. The Hokies had gone on an 18-3 run just before that to go up 23-20, as the Cavaliers failed to score a field goal for 9:25.

"It's scary to see the type of team we are when everybody's clicking," said Reynolds, a senior who scored 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting. "It's scary for the other team, because we haven't seen the best out of this team yet."

Or, as Singletary more bluntly put it: "When we play the way we did today ... I don't think there's anybody in the country that can beat us."

The Cavaliers certainly reversed the way they played from their first game this season against Virginia Tech (20-9, 10-5). The Hokies on Feb. 10 beat Virginia 84-57, as Diane, Joseph and Cain - who rank third, fourth and fifth on the team in scoring behind Singletary and Reynolds - combined to score four points.

While aware that Singletary and Reynolds score 52.8 percent of Virginia's points in ACC play, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg advised his team before the game to watch out for the likes of Diane, Joseph and Cain.

"Those guys are ACC players," Greenberg scolded reporters afterward. "You guys want to trash 'em all the time, like it's a two-headed monster. It's not a two-headed monster. Those other guys contribute and put them in position to win games."

Virginia's coaching staff knows as much. In the days leading up to Thursday's game, assistant coach Rob Lanier told Diane that he was letting frustration about his shooting sour his performance.

"So today, I just wanted to make sure to do all the little things and let everything else come to me," Diane said.

"When everybody's clicking, we've been able to play with the best of them and beat the best of them."
 

Cavs' supporting cast shines
Virginia's role players outperform the Hokies' non-marquee players.
BY NORM WOOD
247-4642
March 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- All week, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg wanted his team to concentrate on Virginia's overlooked secondary cast of characters. In other words, the guys not named J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary.

It was sound strategy, and a concept he made sure his team wouldn't forget.

"I talked to my guys about the 'X-factors,'" Greenberg said. "That was the focal point of what I talked to them about before the game. It was the focal point of what I talked to them about in our film session and pregame meal."

As it turned out, Greenberg's bigger concern should've been his own role players.

In contrast to the Feb. 10 meeting of the teams, Tech's role players were nowhere to be found Thursday night in U.Va.'s 69-56 win. Tech (20-9, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost for the ninth consecutive time in Charlottesville, dating back to 1970, and fell out of a first-place tie.

Of course, it should be noted most of the Tech-U.Va. games from 1977-2000 were played on neutral sites in Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke.

There was no mystery who the marquee players were heading into the game. Reynolds and Singletary were expected to be the stars for U.Va. (20-8, 11-4), while guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon were supposed to be Tech's leaders.

Dowdell struggled to contribute 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting, and Gordon got into early foul trouble and finished with six points. That's where guys like A.D. Vassallo, Deron Washington and Coleman Collins had to step up.

In Tech's 84-57 win against U.Va. on Feb. 10, Vassallo and Washington each had 22 points. On Thursday night, they combined for just 12 points. Washington fouled out with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.

"We got shots we wanted," Gordon said. "We took good shots. We just didn't make them. Sometimes it isn't your night. I don't think anything they did on defense stopped us. We just missed shots.

"I had no edge to score. I need to get into the flow of the game. I wasn't ever in the flow of the game."

Vassallo's troubles were most evident. He finished 0-for-4 from 3-point range. His struggles to find an open shot were a big reason Tech finished 2-of-15 (13 percent) on 3-point shots.

It was Tech's worst perimeter shooting effort since going a season-worst 1-for-14 on Dec. 30 in a 59-58 loss to Marshall. Tech was 21-of-58 (36 percent) overall from the floor - its third-worst shooting percentage of the season - against U.Va.

Even Greenberg's emphasis on U.Va.'s secondary players didn't sink in with his team. Mamadi Diane, Jason Cain and Adrian Joseph combined for 28 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. In a 16-5 run at the end of the first half that put U.Va. ahead 36-28, Joseph scored seven points.

"I think that was a factor," Collins said regarding the run. "A major, major part of that was me blowing five layups in a row down there."

"They're more than just two players. ... It's obvious they were a lot more confident shooting the ball. When they're at home, they don't hesitate to shoot the ball. They were taking quick shots and they were knocking them down."
 

40-point turnaround? Are you kidding me?
David Teel
March 2 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Most 40-point turnarounds are more baffling than Britney's hairstyle. The teams are the same, the ball's still round, the baskets are still 10 feet high.

OK, so the venue can change. But no gym, no matter the crowd noise, amenities or price tag, is worth 40 points.

How, then, to explain Virginia and Virginia Tech?

Thursday night the Cavaliers completed a perfect home ACC season in their new playpen with a 69-56 beatdown of the Hokies. This less than a month after an embarrassing 84-57 defeat at Tech.

For the most insightful analysis of the reversal, we turn to Dave Leitao, about to become Virginia's first ACC basketball coach of the year since Terry Holland in 1982.

"We sprinted back (on defense) a lot," Leitao said.

I feel your pain. Here we've just christened Leitao the season's top coach in a league that includes Roy and Gary Williams, and Mike Krzyzewski, and all he offers is sprinting back on defense.

But it's true. In Blacksburg the Hokies ran the Cavaliers ragged. Humiliated them with a highlight reel of dunks and layups. Shot a season-best 57.7 percent and recorded their most lopsided victory in the series in 45 years.

Thursday, with first place in the ACC at stake, Virginia smothered Tech's transition offense. The Hokies shot 36.2 percent, their second-lowest against a conference rival this season, and the official box score credited them with a paltry four fast-break points.

"It all came down to the energy we brought and sense of urgency," guard Sean Singletary said.

Taking care of the ball helped, too. Tech averages 8.6 steals per game and had seven in the first Virginia game. Thursday the Hokies had one.

The result leaves the Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4) one victory away from a milestone. Win at Wake Forest in Saturday's regular-season finale, and Virginia captures the ACC regular-season title outright for only the second time - the first was 1981.

Such accomplishments are routine at Meccas such as Duke and North Carolina. But when you haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2001, when you haven't finished atop the standings since 1995 (four-way tie), it's a big darn deal.

"It's just gratifying," forward Jason Cain said. "It makes you feel like you're part of something big."

Cain and guard J.R. Reynolds were playing their final home game, and while Reynolds has received more than his share of adulation, Cain has heard more than a few unkind words - from coaches, fans and media alike. How cool for him, then, to play such a pivotal role in such a meaningful game.

Cain contributed eight points and nine rebounds, his best effort in weeks. In Blacksburg last month he was a non-factor with two and two.

Moreover, Cain may have scored the night's biggest hoop. The Hokies (20-9, 10-5) had cut a 14-point deficit to eight midway through the second half when Cain scored on a spin move inside.

No offense, but where did that come from?

"I guess instinct," Cain said sheepishly.

Tech never threatened again, leaving coach Seth Greenberg a mite testy. And why not? His club was also playing for first place, and but for a brief flurry midway through the first half showed little grit.

"I thought we had some guys who just didn't get it done for us," Greenberg said of the first half's final five minutes. "We didn't compete at the level you need to compete at to hold the lead."

Greenberg declined to name names, but if you guessed Coleman Collins and A.D. Vassallo, you'd be spot on. Guard Jamon Gordon's foul trouble didn't help, either.

Think of it this way: When Virginia reserve forward Ryan Pettinella has three points at halftime, his most since a four-point epic Dec. 21 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, you know you have issues.

It was that kind of night for the Cavaliers, a night in which they completed an unbeaten home season against the ACC for the first time since 1981-82, Ralph Sampson's junior season. Ralph led Virginia to one outright and two shared regular-season titles.

Another is in reach.

"We have a chance on Saturday to do something very special," Leitao said.

 

UVa turns tables on Tech to seize ACC lead
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
March 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For as much as Virginia and Virginia Tech are ballyhooed for their guard play, the teams' role players are certainly an X-factor in any game.
The Hokies' secondary players took UVa to task in early February. The Cavaliers' also-rans returned the favor on Thursday.

Virginia got a little help from everybody in a 69-56 win over No. 21 Virginia Tech in its home finale.

When Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph weren't making defensive stops, they were draining 3s. Jason Cain nearly pulled off a double-double in his final home game. Heck, Tunji Soroye even got in on the act, swatting a Deron Washington layup in the first half, a stunning role reversal from the Hokies' 27-point rout of the Cavaliers in Blacksburg just three weeks ago.

Oh, and Sean Singletary (17 points, six assists, five rebounds) and J.R. Reynolds (13 points, six assists, four rebounds) gave their usual all-around effort.

"I thought the game flip-flopped," said Cain, who had eight points and nine rebounds. "Their role players pretty much destroyed us down there and I feel like today everybody besides J.R. and Sean, who gave their usual output, ? had the energy to help us come out with the victory."

The Cavaliers (20-8, 11-4 ACC) travel to last-place Wake Forest for their ACC regular season finale on Saturday. If the win, they'll be outright ACC champions for just the second time in school history and the first time since the 1980-81 season.

"I was joking that a lot of people will remember the first game here (at the JPJ)," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "Well, even more people will talk about and remember (it) if we can take care of our business and call ourselves ACC champs."

Virginia went 10-for-16 from 3-point range and held Virginia Tech to 30 percent shooting in the second half to finish 16-1 at home in the inaugural season of the John Paul Jones Arena.

Diane and Joseph, Virginia's scoring options 3A and 3B, rebounded from a 1-for-11 afternoon in Blacksburg three weeks ago. The duo combined for 20 points, with Joseph providing an offensive spark off the bench late in the first half and Diane picking things up in the second, sinking two big 3s as UVa pushed an eight-point halftime lead to 56-42 with 11:01 to go.

Virginia Tech (20-9, 10-5 ACC) answered with six straight points before UVa called a timeout. On the ensuing possession, Cain got the ball on the wing and drove with his right hand to the lane before spinning toward the baseline and scooping it in to put Virginia ahead by 10 with 8:43 left.

"You guys wanted to say Singletary, Reynolds, Singletary, Reynolds," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said to reporters afterward. "They've won 11 games in the ACC. Cain's had good games. Joseph's had good games. Diane's had good games. Those guys are ACC players.

"You guys want to trash them all the time and say it's a two-headed monster. It's not a two-headed monster. Those (other) guys contribute and put them in a position to win games."

The Hokies didn't get closer than seven after that. A.D. Vassallo and Washington, who torched UVa in Blacksburg for 44 points, never found a rhythm Thursday, combining for 12 points.

Vassallo scored Tech's first points on a three-point play but was 0-for-7 from the field after that. Washington had a pair of dunks that helped the Hokies dig out of a 12-point first-half deficit and actually take the lead briefly, but he didn't overwhelm the Cavaliers like he did in the first game.

Zabian Dowdell (17 points) was the only Tech player to reach double figures. Jamon Gordon got in foul trouble early on and was never a factor, finishing with six points on 2 of 6 shooting in 21 minutes.

The Hokies also couldn't duplicate the kind of transition offense that ran roughshod over the Cavaliers in Blacksburg. The ACC's best team at creating turnovers had one steal in the game - a mid-court snag by Gordon when the game's outcome was all but decided - and scored just four fast break points.

"We're mad of course because we wanted to win the first ACC championship for the school, but we can't get down too much," Virginia Tech guard Markus Sailes said. "We've got the ACC tournament. We've got the NCAA tournament. ? We can't go into that and let this be a downfall and let the losses add up."
 

Tech struggles from 3-point range at UVa
By Nathan Warters
Lynchburg News & Advance
March 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The No. 21 Virginia Tech men's basketball team survived Virginia's best shot, or so it thought.
The Hokies, once down 12 to start Thursday's game at John Paul Jones Arena, stormed back to take a three-point lead with 5:30 left in the first half.

But one shot, Adrian Joseph's 3-pointer from the left wing, swung the momentum back in the Cavaliers' favor.

It was a recurring theme throughout Virginia's 69-56 win, which kept the Cavaliers alive for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and handed the Hokies' championship hopes a serious blow.

Every time Virginia Tech made some kind of move, Virginia shut the door with a flurry of long-range shots.

"Every time they made a shot, the crowd got into it and they just fed off that energy, and it started another run," senior guard Markus Sailes said.

The Cavaliers made 10 of their 16 3-point attempts (62.5 percent), and the Hokies were two for 15 from long range (zero for 10 in the second half).

Tech head coach Seth Greenberg didn't need to think hard afterward to figure out why his team lost.

"Off my head, they made 3-point shots and we didn't," he said. "The easiest way to put it was we were two for 15 from the 3-point line and they were 11 for 16. So I'd say they shot it better (Thursday night)."

Virginia made six 3-pointers in the first half and hit four very important treys in the second.

Senior guard J.R. Reynolds hit a 3 three minutes into the second half to put the Cavaliers up 43-31, and when the Hokies made a run to close UVa's lead to five two minutes later, the Cavs' bombers struck again.

Tech got to within 43-38 on a Zabian Dowdell layup, but Virginia answered with a 13-4 run that featured three 3-pointers.

Forward Mamadi Diane pushed the Cavs' lead back up to 48-38 on a wide-open 3 from the right wing, and he and Sean Singletary hit back-to-back treys a minute later to stretch their advantage to 12.

"Guys were wide open, and anytime you leave a team that shoots the ball as well as they do wide open, they're going to knock down shots, and that's what they did," said Dowdell, who led the Hokies with 17 points.

Greenberg said Virginia's shooting success probably had something to do with a hot shooting hand by the Cavs and a subpar defensive effort by the Hokies.

Tech's players agreed it wasn't their best effort.

"At times, our defense was not good," Sailes said.

The Hokies' shooting might have been worse. Their starting five went one for 13 from behind the arc, and 3-point specialist A.D. Vassallo was held to only three points (zero for four from 3-point range).

Tech missed its last 11 3-point attempts.

"We got shots we wanted," said starting guard Jamon Gordon, who played only 21 minutes because of foul trouble. "We took good shots. We just didn't make them. Sometimes it's not your night. I don't think nothing they did on defense kind of stopped us. We just missed shots."