There's Some Fight Left in This Team
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/11/2010
By Jeff White

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- "Looks like Virginia left their toughness at the hotel."

The TV crew that worked the March 3 men's basketball game at Boston College's Conte Forum made that observation during the broadcast, and, however much it might have hurt the Cavaliers' pride, it aptly summed up their halfhearted effort that night.

The Eagles flexed their muscles in a 68-55 victory that wasn't that close, and Tony Bennett and his coaching staff made sure Virginia's players heard the announcer's remark -- more than once -- as they prepared for the ACC tournament.

"We used that as motivation," junior guard Jeff Jones said. "We're better than that. We're tough. We could bang down low. We could match their physicality. So we came out here with a chip on our shoulder and said, 'We're going to fight, and we're going to fight hard.'"

And battle they did Thursday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Wahoos never led in their regular-season loss at Boston College. In the opening game of the 57th annual ACC tournament, the ninth-seeded 'Hoos led for the final 24 minutes and 6 seconds and toppled No. 8 seed BC 68-62.

"We all just came in with a mindset to be aggressive and not to back down," sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "Last time we played them, I think they were mentally tougher than us, and we kind of took that personal, and we wanted to come in and be more physical and not yield to their big bodies inside."

The Cavaliers struggled to contain 6-5, 228-pound guard Rakim Sanders -- "He's a beast down there," said Jones -- but they held BC's leading scorer, forward Joe Trapani, without a field goal.

The 6-8 junior was 0 for 7 from the floor and scored a season-low 2 points.

"I thought we adjusted well from the first time we played Boston College, and our guys really battled," Bennett said after his first ACC tourney game as Virginia's coach.

UVa (15-15) will meet top-seeded Duke (26-5) in the noon quarterfinal Friday. The Blue Devils, like the Eagles, handled the 'Hoos during the regular season, winning 67-49 at John Paul Jones Arena.

"We just gotta play poised and play together and play hard-nosed defense like we played today," junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan said of the rematch with Duke.

"We lost pretty handily to Boston College the first time [too]. As long as we rally together and stay unified and just play for one another, we'll be fine."

The 'Hoos entered the ACC tournament on a nine-game losing streak. No other team in the conference closed the regular season with more than three straight losses. Throw in the fact that, in a span of three days, UVa had lost leading scorer Sylven Landesberg (academics) and reserve guard Calvin Baker (personal reasons), and there was little reason to believe Bennett's team would make a stand in Greensboro.

Yet the Cavaliers exuded confidence in their practices ahead of the ACC tourney. They were loose and upbeat as they prepared for BC, and that carried over to Thursday's game.

"We're just really playing for one another," Farrakhan said. "It's obviously a tough loss without Sylven here in the lineup, but we're just trying to step up and do the best we can and play as a team."

It showed Thursday. Virginia scored the first five points. The Eagles (15-16) pushed back, but this time the 'Hoos didn't retreat. After falling behind 23-17, UVa ran off seven straight points, the last three coming on a Zeglinski bomb from the left wing.

BC scored to regain the lead, but Jones answered at the 4:06 mark with a long 3-pointer from the left wing. That made it 27-25, Virginia, and the Eagles had to play catch-up the rest of the way.

UVa didn't make it easy for them. The 'Hoos committed only 5 turnovers, their fewest in a game since Dec. 31, 2003.

"We've had struggles, we've had some setbacks, but leading up to this game, we've had three really spirited practices," Bennett said. "They've come together and they've worked hard. There's been a good attitude. And you have to do that when your tank isn't full, and I was really proud of the way they handled it. I'm happy for all these guys."

The victory was the first for the 'Hoos in the ACC tournament since March 9, 2006, when they beat Virginia Tech in a first-round game.

"It was a huge win," senior center Jerome Meyinsse said with a huge smile in UVa's locker room. "It was actually my first ACC tournament win, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to come back the next day."

Meyinsse's late-career surge has become of the more compelling stories in ACC hoops this season. He scored 12 points Thurday, his fifth straight game in double figures. This from a player who scored more than 9 points only twice in Virginia's first 25 games.

"My confidence has grown over the course of the season," Meyinsse said, "so I feel confident about the shots that I'm taking, and they're going in."

The crowd at the Greensboro Coliseum included his parents, Patricia and Joseph Meyinsse of Baton Rouge, La., and they watched proudly as their son was honored in a pregame presentation.

Meyinsse, who has a double major (economics and math), received the Skip Prosser Award, which goes annually to the ACC's top student-athlete in men's basketball.

"It was a surprise to me, and it was very nice," Meyinsse said. "My parents were here to see it, so that was great, because they've helped me along this road, they've taught me how to carry myself. Just to have them see it as well really meant a lot."

Junior forward Will Sherrill played six minutes and sophomore center Assane Sene four. Essentially, though, Bennett went with six players against BC: guards Zeglinski, Farrakhan, Jones and Jontel Evans and big men Meyinsse and Mike Scott.

All distinguished themselves. Evans didn't score, but the 5-11 freshman played the tenacious defense that has become his trademark. Each of the other five scored in double figures, only the third time this season Virginia has had such balance.

Zeglinski showed that his awakening in the regular-season finale was no aberration. He spent the final month of the regular season mired in an awful shooting slump before burying four 3-pointers in a 74-68 loss to Maryland last weekend at JPJ.

He rang up 16 points in the first half against BC, with 12 coming on shots from beyond the arc. Zeglinski finished with a season-high 21 points and also contributed 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 35 minutes.

"I felt good out there," Zeglinski said. "My shot felt good, and I didn't want to settle for any shots. I wanted to take the ball to the basket as well and try to get the ball in the paint and make the extra pass for shooters."

Bennett said: "Sammy was real complete today."

So were Farrakhan and Jones. Farrakhan had 4 assists, 1 steal and no turnovers, and his three-point play with 1:19 left pushed UVa's lead to 61-52.

"I could see that Boston College was getting a little bit of momentum," Farrakhan said. "I saw Jeff coming off a screen, and the lane was kind of open. So I just made an aggressive play to the basket."

Jones (14 points) hit five three throws in the final 54 seconds to keep BC at bay.

"I thought Sammy and Jeff and Mu had a nice feel as far as their shot selection, when to be aggressive," Bennett said.

Several times in the final minute, Jones raised his arms, exhorting the UVa supporters at one end of the arena. They responded with cheers.

"I just wanted to tell the crowd and the fans that we're here, man," Jones said. "We're still fighting. Regardless of all the adversity we've gone through, we're still fighting. We love being the underdogs. Nobody believed in us today, and nobody'll probably believe in us tomorrow."

Jones' third 3-pointer was nearly as memorable as his second, which came after he caught a pass from Zeglinski and barely beat the shot clock late in the first half.

BC had pulled to 45-38 when Jones launched a shot from the deep left corner. It bounced off the rim, high into the air and then dropped through the net to make it a 10-point game with 13:03 left.

"I thought I got fouled," Jones said. "Actually, when the ball was going up, I was looking at the ref. I didn't even look at the play, and then I saw it went in. So I said, 'Hey, I'll take it, if that's how the game is going.' I think it was just meant to be."

The late-season struggles of Scott have been well-chronicled, but he delivered when his team needed him Thursday. The 6-8, 239-pound junior played 36 minutes, the most of any 'Hoo, and totaled 11 points and 13 boards.

That matched his ACC high for rebounds. Scott didn't start Thursday -- Bennett went with Sherrill, who'd played well against Maryland -- but he never pouted about his demotion.

"I just wanted to be aggressive in anything I did," Scott said.

A Meyinsse free throw with 11:57 left gave Virginia an 11-point lead, but BC answered with eight straight points. Back-to-back baskets by Scott allowed the 'Hoos to exhale.

More important than Scott's offense, perhaps, was his effort at the other end of the court. No. 32 is not known as a great defensive player, but with Sanders overpowering the Cavs around the basket, Bennett turned to Scott with about 8:30 left.

"He really worked defensively," Bennett said.

Sanders finished with a game-high 22 points, but only three came in the final nine minutes.

"He's quick, strong, but I just wasn't allowing him to get comfortable," Scott said. "I tried to lock in and just tried to make him uncomfortable."

Scott succeeded, and the Cavaliers bounded off the court winners for the first time since Feb. 3, when they beat N.C. State at JPJ.

"It's been awhile since we got one," Bennett said, "but certainly it's a nice time to get it."

 

Postgame Quotes
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 03/11/2010

Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett
Opening Statement:
"I was proud of our guys, the way they fought. I thought the first half, defensively, that was real nice. I thought we adjusted well from the first time we played Boston College. Our guys really battled. Certainly there were some shots falling down. But what I really liked is when, in the second half we got a little shaky - I think they cut it to, maybe it was three. And the kids battled back, they showed some resolve. And they didn't fall through.
"We've had some struggles, we've had some setbacks, but leading up to this game, we had three really spirited practices. They have come together, and they've worked hard and there's been a good attitude. You have to do that when your tank isn't full. And I was really proud of the way they handled it and I'm happy for all these guys.
"For what Jerome received before the game - that's significant, that award. To be the student-athlete scholar of the conference (for men's basketball), that's impressive.
"Again, thankful, it's been a while since we got one, but certainly it's a nice time to get it."

Virginia Sophomore Guard Sammy Zeglinski
On what has changed for him in the past two weeks:
"Nothing really new. I just try to stay aggressive, don't get discouraged. It really starts with our defense, because when we get stops, we're able to get out and run and get some easy looks. So it definitely starts on the defensive end and we made some shots too."

On how the Cavaliers will prepare for Duke:
"Defensive transitions just getting better, stopping the ball and making a play in the halfcourt offense, and just staying with our principles of defense. No easy drives and really focusing in on the defensive end."

Virginia Senior Forward/Center Jerome Meyinsse
On receiving the ACC's Skip Prosser Award:
"It means a lot to me. I didn't know I was going to receive the award, it was a surprise to me. It was very nice, and my parents were here to see it, so that was great. They've helped me along this road and taught me how to carry myself. Just to have them see it as well, it really meant a lot."


 

Landesberg: Hot Topic at ACC Tourney
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/12/2010
March 12, 2010
8:21 a.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- During the press conference that followed the opening game of the ACC tournament Thursday, Tony Bennett fielded several questions about Sylven Landesberg.

No surprise there. Landesberg has been one of the league's better players for two seasons. The ACC rookie of the year in 2008-09, Landesberg was second-team all-conference as a sophomore this season. But the 6-6 swingman from Queens, N.Y., is not, as UVa fans know, with his team in Greensboro.

Bennett suspended Landesberg last weekend for what the Cavaliers' first-year coach called "failure to live up to his academic obligations."

"We have some standards with our guys," Bennett told reporters Thursday after UVa's first-round win over Boston College. "No matter who you are, if those standards aren't met, there's going to be consequences."

Bennett called Landesberg a "good kid" and said, as he had in Charlottesville, that the decision to suspend his leading scorer wasn't easy.

"A lot of us are parents are in here, and you know, sometimes you have to do those things, because you care for your kids," Bennett said. "It's about the big picture here. It's about establishing the way that we want to do things.

"Look, I've been forgiven many times and made a lot of mistakes. And all of us have. My hope, as I've said before, is that Sylven learns from it and the rest of our players do and it establishes what will matter for our program, for the University of Virginia, and I don't want to make too big of a deal out of this ... You guys know what happened. It's done with, it's over, he's forgiven, he's paying the price for it, and hopefully it'll work out."

Landesberg has yet to publicly address the suspension or say if he hopes to return to UVa in 2010-11.

-- Jeff White

 

Play another day: UVa storms to victory in first round of ACC tourney
Virginia snaps a nine-game skid to set up at meeting with Duke today.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- There was no mad rush for the record books after a Virginia-Boston College match-up Thursday in the ACC Tournament.

For the Cavaliers, that was a good thing.

The Cavaliers, who had never ended a season with more than five consecutive losses, lived to play another day when a nine-game UVa slide came to an end at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Junior guard Sammy Zeglinski scored 21 points to lead five Virginia scorers in double figures as the Cavaliers held off the Eagles 68-62.

UVa (15-15) meets top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke (26-5) at noon today in the quarterfinals.

"Nobody wants to go into the summer with a 10-game losing streak," said Jeff Jones, who converted five of six free throws in the final 54 seconds Thursday. "It was great getting that weight off our shoulders."

The Cavaliers played without leading scorer Sylven Landesberg for the second game in a row and did not have a player who averaged double figures in scoring in their starting lineup.

Landesberg was suspended for the remainder of the season for missing class prior to Virginia's final regular-season game Saturday against Maryland. The Cavaliers announced Monday that fifth-year senior Calvin Baker would not play again for personal reasons.

Virginia seemingly benefitted from a tighter rotation. Coach Tony Bennett used only eight players Thursday and two of them -- Will Sherrill and Assane Sene -- played six and four minutes, respectively.

Twice in a recent three-game span, Jones failed to score from the field and was quickly hooked. It seems the increased minutes give him the opportunity to play through his mistakes.

"I've always thought that," Jones said. "If you look, whenever I've played 20-plus minutes or 25 minutes, I've been able to put up some good stats. But whatever is best for the team, that's what I want."

Jones is 7-for-11 on 3-pointers in the last two games, including 3-for-5 against the Eagles, but Zeglinski provided the spark Thursday with 16 first-half points.

Shortly after Boston College built a 23-17 lead, Zeglinski hit a 3-pointer to give UVa a 24-23 advantage. Corey Raji responded with a bucket, but the Cavaliers scored the next 10 points to complete a 17-2 run.

The teams played only eight days earlier, when the Eagles won 68-55 in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

"We used that as motivation," Jones said. "The coaches told us that one of the announcers [ex-Providence coach Tim Welsh] said during the last game, 'Virginia left their toughness at the hotel.'

"We're better than that. We can bang down low. We can match up with Boston College. We came out here with a chip on our shoulders."

After Virginia built an 11-point lead early in the second half, the Eagles (15-16) trimmed the deficit to 49-46 on a Dallas Elmore layup with 8:44 left. However, 6-foot-8 junior Mike Scott hit a short jumper on UVa's next possession and then converted a stickback that pushed the Cavaliers' lead to 53-46.

Scott, the Cavaliers' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the season, did not start but finished with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

He took offense at Welsh's comment about UVa's lack of toughness, saying "it was definitely a slap in the face."

UVa hadn't won an ACC Tournament game since 2006, former coach Dave Leitao's first year.

Boston College junior Rakim Sanders had 22 points and the Eagles got 18 from sophomore Reggie Jackson, but second-team All-ACC selection Joe Trapani missed all seven of his shots from the floor and finished with a season-low two points in 22 minutes.

Boston College committed just seven turnovers, but Virginia had a season-low five turnovers, one on an offensive foul.

"Certainly it helps when some shots are going down," Bennett said, "but what I really like is, when things got a little shaky in the second half, our kids battled back and showed some resolve. They didn't falter.

"You have to do that when your tank isn't full."

UVa's Scott sends a message
By Aaron McFarling

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- "[A] guy goes on a shooting slump, n u kill him?" -- Mike Scott, via Twitter, March 4.

That's the last tweet I'm going to quote today. Promise. I don't have a Twitter-to-English dictionary, so that precludes me from understanding much of what Scott unloaded out of frustration on the social networking site last week.

But you needed to see one. And that one -- one of many unleashed in a tweet-tastic flurry a day after Virginia lost at Boston College -- was pretty straightforward and tells the story well.

Scott, UVa's junior forward, had several games recently where he couldn't shoot. Couldn't rebound. Couldn't do much of anything right, really.

In that sense, he was a lot like his team.

So some fans called him out on the message boards. Scott thought some of the posts got too personal. Scott took offense. Scott struck back.

"onnlllyyy at uvvaaa" he tweeted, after quoting some of the disparaging posts.

OK. I broke my promise -- that's two tweets I've cited. But he's mistaken on that one. Online criticism of athletes happens everywhere. And now, thanks to Web sites such as Twitter and Facebook, we get an unfiltered look at how players really feel about it.

Why is any of this important? Because Scott was fantastic Thursday, the best he's been in weeks.

In UVa's 68-62 victory over Boston College in the first round of the ACC tournament, he scored, rebounded, defended and hit perhaps the most important basket of the game -- a turnaround, baseline jumper after BC had cut the deficit to three in the second half. He delayed the end of UVa's season by at least another day.

So we media members scurried into the locker room to find out how it happened.

"Just let the game come to me," Scott said. "I watched film on the Maryland, Miami and Duke games, and I had a lot of plays where I just forced a lot of stuff. I just tried to let the game come to me, stop trying to force plays."

Maybe. Or maybe he just decided to stick it to the doubters. Not that far of a reach, is it, given the tweeting business?

"I just said what I needed to say," Scott said on the eve of the tournament, when asked about the tweeting. "I wasn't disrespectful. I didn't curse anyone out. I just said what I needed to say. I just felt that fans had given up on us at that point."

The ones who hadn't given up let Scott know that, and he says he appreciated that support. The others? Well, at least they knew how he felt. And perhaps that release contributed to Scott's performance, which helped the shorthanded Cavs snap a nine-game losing streak.

Scott's rebounding total -- often a good barometer of effort -- stood at 13, the highest it had been since Feb. 13. He made 5 of 11 shots from the field, miles away from his 0-for-13 funk against Miami and Duke at the end of last month.

"His contributions were huge," UVa center Jerome Meyinsse said. "He really helped us rebound. He was another threat inside, and he really helped us on defense."

Scott was the biggest X-factor on this team this year, and we can assume he will be again as a senior next season. But we also can assume that we won't see another Twitter barrage like the one on March 4.

"That's behind me now," Scott said.

Then he smiled -- a welcome change in this embattled locker room -- and pointed toward a teammate seated nearby.

"I do want to say, y'all can follow my man Jontel Evans -- Bubevans1 -- on Twitter," Scott said. "He needs more followers."

Cavs win first-round game at ACC Tournament
By Michael Phillips Times-Dispatch staff writer
Published: March 11, 2010
Updated: March 11, 2010
» 1 Comment | Post a Comment
1
voteBuzz up!

GREENSBORO, N.C.—When a time out is called, coach Tony Bennett gathers his assistants for a huddle before speaking to the team.

During that time, Virginia’s seniors take the floor. Jerome Meyinsse talks nuts and bolts - what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to happen. Solomon Tat tends to the emotional side of things, encouraging anybody who’s down. Yesterday, though, he was doing a lot of cheering in a 68-62 first-round victory against Boston College.

He wasn’t the only one - the slimmed-down version of the Virginia roster was full of enthusiasm as the Cavs followed up a strong showing against Maryland with a winning performance. As the lead grew in the final minutes and the Eagles turned the ball over at the end of the shot clock, Bennett let out a fist pump of his own.

“We feed off of coach Bennett,“ guard Jeff Jones said. “He knows what it’s like to make a stop and go back on offense after a good play, so we see him jumping up and down and it gives us energy, too.“

The enthusiasm, Bennett said, stemmed from the fact that the players were finally responding to what he told them a few weeks ago, when the nine-game losing streak began.

“I keep telling our guys that you’ve got it backwards,“ he said. “Don’t make shots and then rev up your defense - it’s gotta be the other way around. That’s a long lesson we’re still learning.“

That’s a side benefit of the coaching conference during time outs - if he’s steaming mad at a defensive performance, he’s able to cool off before “going in there and tearing ‘em up.“

During the ACC Tournament, time outs are so long that it doesn’t really matter - the players say they’re just staring at each other by the end anyway, since there’s not that much to say between breaks.

That’s where Tat comes in - a senior who is always ready with an encouraging word.

“I have to!“ he said. “I just get so excited when I see my teammates getting stops.“

The stops may have been the preferred discussion point, but the Cavs’ shooting performance certainly helped out as well.

Guard Sammy Zeglinski knocked down his first two 3-pointers, drove to the basket for a couple layups, then fed Jones, who hit a falling-out-of-bounds three. Getting all that in the first 10 minutes was a morale boost, and allowed Zeglinski to dream big.

Maybe, just maybe it’s our night to break this streak,“ he said he was thinking. “It’s funny how you start making shots when you get shots on the defensive end.“

Zeglinski finished with 21, Jones with 14, and the Cavs made eight 3-pointers in the victory.

Jones said that he could feel a breakout game coming during yesterday’s shootaround. He was draining shots left and right, and called his dad to let him know that “there’s something about this court I like, and I got a real good feeling out there.“

That good feeling was assisted by two big plays from teammate Mustapha Farrakhan.

Virginia breaks nine-game skid, beats Boston College to keep season alive; Duke next up for the Cavaliers
By Dave Fairbank 247-4637
March 12, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Given the opportunity to talk about himself, Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski defers to the collective nearly every time.

Ask about his shooting, he'll credit team defense. Ask about his accuracy, he'll mention assisting teammates or maybe rebounding.

Zeglinski's attitude, as well as his play, embodied the effort required to give the Cavaliers their first victory in five weeks.

"We all just came in with a mind-set to be aggressive and not to back down," Zeglinski said after the ninth-seeded Cavaliers' 68-62 win Thursday against Boston College to open the ACC tournament.

"Last time we played them," he said, "I think they were mentally tougher than us, and we kind of took that personally. We wanted to come in, be more physical and not yield to their big bodies inside.

"Defensive rebounding was key. Also, just playing together, making the extra pass, playing unselfishly. Really, just playing for one another and for the coaching staff."

The depleted Cavaliers (15-15) snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to a Feb. 3 victory against N.C. State. They also reversed a 68-55 loss to the Eagles (15-16) eight days earlier.

Virginia came to Greensboro minus leading scorer and second-team All-ACC guard Sylven Landesberg, suspended for violating team academic policy, and senior guard and tri-captain Calvin Baker of Newport News, who left the team this week for personal and family reasons.

"We've had some struggles, we've had some setbacks," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said, "but leading up to this game we've had three really spirited practices. They have come together, they have worked hard, there's been a good attitude. You have to do that when your tank isn't full."

Virginia demonstrated that resolve in a second-half comeback that ultimately fell short against Maryland in the regular-season finale. The Cavs carried that over to Thursday, with Zeglinski providing a jump-start.

The 6-foot sophomore from Philly scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the first half — the second consecutive game he's been in double figures after a prolonged shooting slump.

"I felt good out there today," Zeglinski said. "My shot felt good. We didn't want to settle for any shots. I wanted to take the ball to the basket, as well, and just try to get the ball in the paint and make the extra pass for shooters."

Indeed, though Zeglinski tied his season-best with five 3-pointers, he also scored on several drives and routinely penetrated into the lane.

"It's just a mind-set, trying to get to the rim and making the right decision once you get in there," Zeglinski said. "I didn't want to come out and just be a jump-shooter. I wanted to be complete and get to the rim and make some good decisions."

The Cavaliers placed five in double figures, the first time that's happened since a Nov. 25 win against Cleveland State. Running mates Jeff Jones (14 points) and Mustapha Farrakhan (10) were productive on the perimeter.

Farrakhan also had one of the game's big baskets, a driving three-point play with 1:19 remaining that gave the Cavaliers a 61-52 cushion.

"With Sammy, with all of our guys," Bennett said, "if they get a good look in the rhythm of the offense, we say it's a 'green-light shot.' Take it as long as it's a good shot. I thought Sammy and Jeff and 'Mu' had a nice feel as far as their shot selection.

"When they're good looks, you have to take them when they present themselves. That's part of our offense. I think they played together well, and certainly I wanted them to be aggressive within the framework. He understands what good shots are."

Forward Mike Scott, inconsistent in recent weeks, contributed mightily as well off the bench with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Besides the numbers, he also helped contain Rakim Sanders, Boston College's 6-5 linebacker of a wing player, in the second half.

Though Sanders led all scorers with 22 points, he managed only one 3-pointer in the final 9 1/2 minutes. The Cavs also held BC leading scorer Joe Trapani to a season-low two points and no field goals before coach Al Skinner benched him for good midway through the second half.

Virginia's first ACC tournament win since 2006 earns the right to face top-seeded Duke in today's first quarterfinal. The Cavs were barely competitive in a 67-49 home loss to the Blue Devils on Feb. 28, a game in which Landesberg sat out with an injury.

"Their size and their pressure, it makes you think a little bit," Bennett said, "and hopefully we'll be better than the first time we played them because they certainly did take it to us."

Zeglinski plays it cool after his big afternoon against BC

Coming into the ACC tournament first round, U.Va. guard Sammy Zeglinski hadn't shot better than 50 percent from the floor Jan. 31, when he went five of nine from the floor and scored 19 points in a 75-60 loss at North Carolina.

Though it took over a month, he finally located the long-lost shooting touch today against Boston College. Zeglinski made 8 of 15 shots from the floor and scored 21 points, his career-high in an ACC game. He was 5 of 10 shooting from 3-point range.

With guard Sylven Landesberg suspended for the game (and the rest of the season) due to academic shortcomings, Zeglinski's outburst couldn't have come at a better time for U.Va., which snapped a nine-game losing streak. What changed for Zeglinski?

"Nothing really new," Zeglinski said. "I just try to stay aggressive, don't get discouraged. It really starts with out defense, because when we get stops, we're able to get out and run and get some easy looks. So, it definitely starts on the defensive end and we made some shots, too."

Speaking of defense, give some credit to U.Va. forward Mike Scott, who opened the game on the bench. In the first 30 1/2 minutes of the game, BC's Rakim Sanders scored 19 points. Scott moved over to guard Sanders in the final nine minutes of the game, and Sanders scored just three points during that stretch.

As impressive (and unexpected) as U.Va's victory was today, it'll take nothing short of a miracle for the Cavaliers to extend their postseason success. Behold...the mighty Blue Devils await at noon tomorrow.

On Feb. 28, Duke defeated U.Va. 67-49 in a game in which the Cavaliers shot a season-low 31.4 percent from the floor. In that game, Zeglinski scored six points on 2 of 9 shooting.

Forward Jerome Meyinsse, who had 12 points against BC and was one of five U.Va. players in double figures, scored a career-high 21 points and tied his ACC career-high with seven rebounds in the Duke game. By the way, U.Va.'s five double-figure scorers were the most it had in a game since four scored 10 or more Nov. 25 in a 76-65 win against Cleveland State. Considering how well Duke's Brian Zoubek has been playing lately in a starting role, U.Va. may need another significant performance from Meyinsse (not to mention yet another impressive defensive presence from Scott).

U.Va. hasn't beaten Duke in the ACC tournament since 1994, when the No. 4 seed Cavaliers won 66-61 against the top-seed Blue Devils. Since then, Duke has won five straight conference tournament games against U.Va.

Posted by Norman Wood

Is Virginia better off without Landesberg?
David Teel
March 12, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C.

Addition by subtraction. Is there any other explanation for Virginia's dusting of Boston College on Thursday?

In their second quality performance since the suspension of their leading scorer, the Cavaliers defeated the Eagles 68-62 in the first round of the ACC tournament. They snapped a nine-game losing streak, avenged a defeat from eight days earlier and had five players score in double figures for the first time in 24 games.

All of which prompts a question that once seemed absurd: Is Virginia better without Sylven Landesberg?

We're talking about the program's most talented player, after all. Last season's ACC Rookie of the Year; a second-team all-conference selection this year; a Queens kid with a New York City game.

Without the injured Landesberg (thigh bruise) against Duke last month, the Cavaliers were helpless. They lost by 18.

But when the school suspended Landesberg for academic shortcomings before the regular-season finale against Maryland, Virginia adjusted. The Terps needed a bogus blocking foul and subsequent technical foul against Cavs coach Tony Bennett to escape by six.

Then Thursday, against a team it lost to by 13 on March 3, Virginia led for the final 24 minutes and by as many as 11 points.

Ball movement was faster, crisper and smarter. Shots were easier and more equitably distributed.

Perhaps most important, without Landesberg and disgruntled senior Calvin Baker, who left the team after the Maryland game, the Cavaliers (15-15) were a group more concerned about team than NBA prospects and playing time.

"Coach Bennett always preaches that our house cannot be divided," freshman point guard Jontel Evans said. "We're a family. We just came together. Today the house wasn't divided. It was unified."

With four assists, no turnovers and stout defense, Evans was among six Cavaliers who contributed mightily. Sammy Zeglinski, Jeff Jones, Jerome Meyinsse, Mike Scott and Mustapha Farrakhan combined for all of Virginia's points — Zeglinski's 21 are a career-best in an ACC game.

Like Evans, Farrakhan had four assists without a giveaway. The terminally inconsistent Scott matched his season-best with 13 rebounds.

Jones' 3-point heave with the shot clock expiring gave the Cavaliers a 27-25 lead with 4:08 remaining in the first half, an edge they never relinquished.

"In the second half we got a little shaky," Bennett said. "They showed some resolve. They didn't falter."

None showed more than Meyinsse, a 6-foot-9 senior power forward in the midst of the most remarkable late-career surge in ACC history. He scored eight of his 12 points after halftime, his fifth consecutive game in double figures.

In those five games, Meyinsse has scored 75 points. He scored 96 in his first THREE YEARS at Virginia.

"What he's doing on the court is awesome," Jones said.

As if by magic, Meyinsse is suddenly a force in the low post, hitting feathery turn-arounds and dunking with authority. All this from a young man who Thursday was named the ACC's basketball scholar-athlete of the year.

"It was a surprise to me," said Meyinsse, an economics major. "It was very nice, and my parents were here to see it, so that was great. They've helped me along this road and taught me how to carry myself."

And who taught him those moves in the paint?

"On the offensive end, I'm just trying to be more aggressive," Meyinsse said. "There were a couple of games where Sylven wasn't there, so I just tried to be more aggressive, and it just continued. My confidence has grown over the course of the season."

Virginia's season and Meyinsse's career figure to end this afternoon in a tournament quarterfinal against top-seeded Duke. But delaying that conclusion for a day and avoiding a season-closing 10-game losing streak were critical for Bennett and the Cavaliers as they move on from the coach's first season.

"He's the most positive guy I've seen in my life," Jones said of Bennett.

"Leading up to the game we had three really spirited practices," Bennett said. "There's been a good attitude. You have to do that when your tank isn't full."

The tank won't be full today, either. But full isn't always best.

"We're definitely loose," Jones said.

"We've got that (losing streak) weight off our shoulders. That was so brutal. We're just thinking about Duke. We're the only ones who believe."

Jerome Meyinsse making the most of his final games in a Virginia uniform
By John Feinstein
Friday, March 12, 2010; D09

GREENSBORO, N.C. The thought crossed Jerome Meyinsse's mind as soon as he saw the draw for the ACC tournament. There it was, in black and white: Virginia-Boston College, noon on Thursday.

"It hit me right at that moment," he said Thursday afternoon. "I thought to myself, 'That could be my last college basketball game.' I told myself not to even think about it, but to tell the truth, it wasn't easy."

There will be at least one more game in Meyinsse's Virginia career. The Cavaliers took command midway through the first half Thursday and hung on for a 68-62 victory over BC to advance to a quarterfinal game Friday against top-seeded Duke. Most of the postgame attention was focused on Sammy Zeglinski, who scored 21 points to lead the Cavaliers to their first win in 10 games (or more than five weeks, depending on how you're scoring).

All of which was fine with Meyinsse, who waited three years to get his chance to play and was more than happy to play 34 minutes and contribute 12 points and four rebounds to the cause. The game was Meyinsse's 22nd start of the season -- 21 more than he made prior to his senior year -- and the game was his fifth straight in double figures.

"You know, I think he may have had a serious back problem no one noticed as a freshman," Virginia Coach Tony Bennett said, laughing. "We may ask for a medical redshirt."

That won't happen because Meyinsse, who is 6 feet 9 and strictly an inside player, got into 15 games as a freshman -- scoring a total of 17 points -- but Bennett is very happy he had the chance to coach Meyinsse this season.

"You know, not to sound corny, but he's the kind of kid that college basketball should be about," Bennett said. "You talk about a character kid, just look at him. Great student, works hard, does all the things you'd want a senior to do. If I know Jerome, he'll find a way to keep playing somewhere until he's about 45. Then he'll come back and move right into the corporate world and be a huge success."

Prior to this season, Meyinsse's academic résumé was far more impressive than his basketball credentials. On Thursday, before the game, he was given the Skip Prosser award as the ACC's outstanding scholar-athlete. He's never had a grade-point average worse than 3.0 in his life and he's majoring in economics with a minor in math. The surprise to Bennett and his assistants when they arrived at U-Va. last spring was that he was a pretty good basketball player.

Said Meyinsse: "I wanted to show them that I was capable. I wanted to think that hard work would pay off and it did. The more I've gotten to play, the more confident I've gotten. Right now I just want to keep playing as many games as I can. But whenever it does end, I can walk out of here now with no regrets."

That was important to Bennett. As a coach's son and an outstanding player himself, he knows how hard it is to stop playing -- regardless of when you stop. "That was something my dad taught me," he said. "The first year of a program should belong to the players in the program. You worry about the guys you recruit later.

Meyinsse's numbers are hardly overwhelming: 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. But compared with the 96 points he scored total in 58 games his first three seasons, he has come a long way. Since Sylven Landesberg's suspension, he has averaged 15.5 points per game, trying to fill some of the void left by the team's leading scorer.

"In a lot of ways it's been an up-and-down year," he said. "When we were 4-1 in the ACC, expectations rose all around us. Then we hit kind of a wall and had this long losing streak. That's been tough but I don't think we've ever given up. The Maryland game [last Saturday] was a difficult loss to take but it showed us we could still compete." He smiled. "Of course, today was a lot better."

Meyinsse has no idea who Dan Bonner is, but he and Bonner have a lot in common. Thirty-five years ago, Bonner was a 6-7 Virginia senior who had played very little for three seasons under Bill Gibson. Terry Holland was hired as coach and said to Bonner, 'Okay, show me what you've got.' "

"It was a wonderful thing," said Bonner, who was courtside Thursday doing color commentary for Raycom. "I always believed I could play, just like I'm sure Jerome believed he could play. A new coach comes in and the guys who haven't played see a chance to show him that they deserve to play so they work harder. You want to help the team any way you can but you'd rather do it playing. He's gotten a chance to do that just like I did and he's taken advantage of it."

Even now, Bonner can still remember his last college game, which was in this building in 1975 against a North Carolina State team that was led by David Thompson. "I'm 56 years old," he said. "And I still think the hardest thing I ever had to do was take off my uniform for the last time."

That thought crossed Meyinsse's mind once more on Thursday morning before tip-off. "I told myself I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that didn't happen," he said. "I wanted to make sure I had one more game to fight. I know that last game is going to come at some point but this win and the way I've been able to contribute, especially down the stretch, will make it easier to take."

Walking away from something that has defined you is difficult for anyone. The best way to deal with it is to make certain you can look back and know you got everything you possibly could out of your talent.

Jerome Meyinsse had done that before Thursday. But getting to play on Friday will make that ending something he can handle with a smile, even it is a wistful one, on his face.

No regrets.

Zeglinski ends slump at exactly the right time
By Chip Knighton
Published: March 12, 2010
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GREENSBORO, N.C.

Virginia’s nine-game losing streak was weighing heavily on Sammy Zeglinski and his teammates headed into Thursday’s opening round of the ACC tournament.

Each mounting loss was magnified as critics dissected every coaching move, every statistical shortcoming. If that wasn’t enough of a burden, the sudden dismissal of top player Sylven Landesberg last week added to the Cavaliers’ woes.

Perhaps it is that inexplicable dynamic of adversity that bonds a team together, draws out the best effort. Maybe the Cavaliers figured, “What the heck, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Whatever the case, Virginia avoided becoming only the second team in ACC history to end its season with a double-figure losing streak by knocking off a somewhat uninspired Boston College team, 68-62. The Cavaliers’ reward is a high noon meeting against top-seeded Duke, a team that pummeled them a dozen days ago.

Paced by sizzling sophomore Sammy Zeglinski, the Cavs won for the first time since Feb. 3, when they edged N.C. State in Charlottesville.

Zeglinski scored a season-high 21 points and owned Bonusphere, from where he launched 10 treys, connected on half. He led a parade of Wahoos in double figures — five of ‘em to be exact, including an impressive double-double from Mike Scott, who had more resembled Claude Rains of late than a legitimate scoring threat.

“We’ve gone through a lot of adversity and showed some resiliency and some good character to come together and not fold,” said Zeglinski, who made 8 of 15 attempts from the field. “We’re trying to make the most of this tournament. It’s a fresh start.”

Nothing was spoken about the drought. They didn’t need a reminder. In fact, this band of not-so-prime-time players started to come together last weekend when news of Landesberg’s suspension broke the morning of the Maryland game.

The Cavaliers gave the Terps, a team fighting for a share of the ACC regular-season crown, all they wanted, and that newfound chemistry carried over to the half-empty Greensboro Coliseum.

“I think something just clicked in practice this whole week,” said Zeglinski, the son of former Wake Forest football and baseball player John Zeglinski. “Everybody has been competing. We’re so hungry. We haven’t won in so long, we’re just hungry as a team.

“We really started to just get it ... we started playing for each other as a unit and stopped worrying about anything personal. We just played as a team,” Zeglinski said.

It was an admirable performance by a team without a star. The Cavaliers flirted with stunning the Terps but perhaps didn’t have the confidence to close the deal. On Thursday, Boston College was a more willing victim, falling to finish 15-16 on the season.

To his credit, Zeglinski embraced the shooter’s mentality throughout a long shooting slump. In fact, he had hit only 29.7 percent of his shots against ACC opponents this season and had suffered through a horrible stretch until finally seeing some sunshine last weekend against the Terps when he connected on 5 of 12 attempts.

“He had a little more rhythm to his shot and good legs, something that hasn’t been there,” said Coach Tony Bennett, who knows a little something about shooting a basketball (he remains the NCAA’s all-time leader in 3-point field goal percentage, 49.7). “As a shooter, as long as it’s a good shot, you have to take it. If you start doubting it, it’s not good. There’s always a mental war going on when you’re going through a hard time.”

Zeglinski was blistering the Eagles’ lackluster defense, pulling up on the break or hitting set shots from the corner, or even driving to the hoop for 16 points at the half. While BC silenced him most of the second half, it was his big trey with 5:41 remaining that staved off the Eagles’ best charge of the game.

Maybe it’s a matter of chemistry. Less is more. Go figure.
 

Cavaliers not done just yet
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 11, 2010
Updated: March 11, 2010
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GREENSBORO, N.C. — In the middle of the floor on the Virginia locker room was a giant duffle bag. Inside of the bag was a huge stack of uniforms.

Turns out they won’t have to be put in mothballs just yet.

On Thursday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum, Virginia — playing without suspended leading scorer Sylven Landesberg — finally got back in the win column. Behind a suddenly sharpshooting Sammy Zeglinski and some newfound pride on defense, the Wahoos upset Boston College, 68-62, in the first round of the ACC tournament.

“Leading up to this game, we had three very spirited practices,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. “[The players] have come together and have worked hard. There’s been a good attitude.

“And, you know, you have to do that when your tank isn’t full. And I was really proud of them for the way they handled it.”

The ninth-seeded Cavaliers, who hadn’t won in over six weeks, put a halt to a nine-game losing streak, the program’s longest since the 1961-62 season. With the victory, Virginia advanced to today’s quarterfinals against top-seeded Duke.

In the locker room after the game, there were plenty of smiles.

“It feels like we’ve got a load off of us,” said Virginia freshman Jontel Evans. “Just everybody is happy. But we can’t be too happy because we still have work to do.”

Zeglinski, one of five Virginia players to score in double figures, led the way with a season-high 21 points. Without Landesberg in the lineup, the team’s offense seemed a little less stagnant.

Senior Jerome Meyinsse, who scored in double figures for the fifth straight game (12 points, four rebounds), was once again a focal point. In addition, Mike Scott, who had struggled mightily during the Cavaliers’ skid, had 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

Meyinsse and Scott’s inside presence was just what the doctor ordered for Virginia. Bennett had talked about wanting the ball to “touch the paint” more often, and that’s just what happened. By going inside more frequently, Virginia crated easier perimeter shots for its guards. Jeff Jones (14 points) and Mustapha Farrakhan (10 points) took advantage.

Virginia (15-15) set the tone for the game in the first half, holding BC scoreless for one five-plus minute stretch. Zeglinski, with four first-half 3-pointers, led the charge. His good play was contagious. Jones hit a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock, Meyinsse dunked in traffic and Scott hit a circus shot on the fastbreak to give Virginia a nine-point lead, its biggest of the half.

“I just went up and tried to dunk it and it was like the whole team fouled me,” said Scott, referring to his made basket. “Then I fell, and I don’t know, the whole team was helping me up and was like, ‘Yeah!’ and I was like, ‘I must have made it.’

“I don’t even know how I made that. I wasn’t even looking at the basket.”

During the half, UVa played some of its best defense in a long time. BC struggled to get good shots. Zeglinski’s step in on a Corey Raji drive to draw a charge was emblematic.

“I thought that first half was real nice,” Bennett said. “I thought we adjusted well from the first time we played Boston College. Our guys really battled.”

UVa led 34-27 at the break.

In the second half, Virginia picked up where it left off. Meyinsse started things off with a 3-point play.

BC (15-16) tried to claw back. The Eagles pulled to 49-46 on a pretty up-and-under move by Dallas Elmore with under nine minutes left, but never got any closer.

Virginia did an excellent job on BC leading scorer Joe Trapani, holding him to just two points on 0-for-7 shooting. Trapani didn’t have a field goal for the first time all season.

“We just tried to tag all screens,” Meyinsse explained. “We [knew] he was a great 3-point shooter and also a great offensive rebounder.

“Our main focus was not to give him any open looks and try and keep them off the glass, and we did that.”

Now Virginia’s attention must quickly turn to Duke. The Blue Devils obliterated Virginia 67-49 at John Paul Jones Arena 12 days ago.

“We battled hard in that game,” Bennett said. “Certainly, with Duke, their defensive pressure is exceptional. They’re just a very good team. They don’t have too many weaknesses…

“Their size and their pressure makes you think a little bit. Hopefully, we’ll be better than the first time we played them because they certainly took it to us.”

Evans, a little giddy after the team’s first win since Feb. 3, was optimistic.

“If we play like we did today,” he said, “I really do think we have a chance to win the game.

“We just need to defend, hit open shots and stay together. I think it will be a good game if we do those things.”

The formula certainly worked well on Thursday.

Dunks

The win was Virginia’s first in the ACC tournament since a 60-56 victory over Virginia Tech in the first round in 2006. ... The Cavaliers had a season-low five turnovers, the fewest they have had since five against Iowa State on Dec. 31, 2003. ... Virginia had five players in double-figure scoring for just the third time this season (Longwood, Cleveland State). ... Zeglinski tied a season high with five 3-pointers. ... Scott (11 points, 13 rebounds) had his seventh double-double of the season and the 17th of his career.
 

Meyinsse honored with Prosser Award
By Jerry Ratcliffe and Whitelaw Reid
Published: March 12, 2010
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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jerome Meyinsse didn’t think things could get any more special than the Senior Day experience that he shared with his teammates and parents last Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

Well, on Thursday at Greensboro Coliseum, they did.

Meyinsse was named the recipient of the 2010 “Skip” Prosser Award, named after the late Wake Forest coach and given to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men’s basketball.

Moments before tip-off, Meyinsse was presented with the award as the crowd in Greensboro — and the entire Virginia team — stood and applauded.

“I didn’t know I was going to receive the award,” Meyinsse said. “It was a surprise to me and very nice. My parents were here to see it, so that was great because they have helped me along this road and have taught me how to carry myself. To have them see it, it really meant a lot.”

For Meyinsse, the best part of the festivities was that Virginia was able to go on and upset Boston College and snap a nine-game losing streak.

“There was some extra adrenaline,” said Meyinsse, who had 12 points and four rebounds. “My first shot hit the back iron and was just too strong ...

“But after the first couple of shots, I really settled down.”

Clemson’s Cliff Hammonds won the award in 2008, while Miami’s Jack McClinton received the honor last season.

To be nominated, players needed grade-point averages of 3.0 or better — both in their careers and the previous two semesters. Sixty percent of the award is based on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishments.

Until this season, Meyinsse’s exploits on the court probably wouldn’t have been enough to earn him the award. But the senior captain, a three-time all-ACC academic team member, has come into his own during the 2009-10 campaign, especially of late.

Meyinsse, sparingly used during his first three seasons, has scored in double figures his last five games. That included a 21-point, seven-rebound against Duke last month.

During his postgame press conference, Bennett, unsolicited, immediately mentioned Meyinsse’s award.

“He represents everything that is right about a student-athlete,” Bennett said.

A clue to Landesberg’s plans?

Meyinsse didn’t come right out and say it, but his smile said it all. In the wake of Virginia’s first-round victory over BC, the senior captain told The Daily Progress that he had a gut feeling about what suspended star Sylven Landesberg would do — stay in school or go to the NBA?

“I do [have a gut feeling],“ said a smiling Meyinsse. “I’m not going to talk about it … it will come out when it’s time — his decision. I just wish him the best.“ It certainly didn’t seem like Meyinsse was talking about a decision to return to school.

Scott speaks on Twitter flap

Lots of rumors have been flying around Virginia’s Mike Scott for the past couple of weeks, some of it stemming from a tweet he posted to his Twitter account prior to the Cavaliers’ game at Boston College on Feb. 3.

A couple of reports claimed that the junior had posted that he had given up, but Scott said that was taken completely out of context when asked about it during this week’s ACC tournament. In an effort to clarify the situation, we asked Scott to give his side of the story.

“I remember I was sitting at the computer,” Scott said. “I very seldom go to the Sabre [a fan site dedicated to UVa athletics]. My dad told me I shouldn’t because of all the negativity.

“I had gotten on that site at the beginning of the year when we were winning. We were 3-0 [in the ACC] and [the fans] were praising us, saying we were the best team ever. So, I went back [to the site] to see what they were saying about us now during this losing streak.

“And they were just killing the team. They weren’t talking that much about basketball, but more about personal issues. Something that had nothing to do with the game. It was on my Twitter. I just said what I need to say. I wasn’t disrespectful, didn’t curse anyone out. I just said what I needed to say.

“I wrote that fans gave up on us at that point. But then I got a lot of feedback from other fans that said, ‘We’re still here,’ and I appreciated those things. That they stuck with us. It had nothing to do with basketball. That was just a personal note.”

Free throws ...

In upsetting Boston College, the Cavaliers stopped a four-game losing streak in the ACC tournament, which was the longest ongoing run of defeats among the 12 schools in the league. ... Virginia defeated BC as the No. 9 seed. No ninth seed has ever won two games in an ACC tournament. Of course, the ninth seed’s second game usually comes against the No. 1 seed, and today is no different. The Cavaliers face top-seeded Duke and are 3-14 all-time in the tournament against the Blue Devils. Duke is 7-1 when seeded first against UVa, with the only Cavalier victory coming in 1994. Virginia is seeking its first trip to the ACC semis since 1995.
 

U.Va.'s Bennett gets reality check after early wins
By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 11, 2010
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Tony Bennett should have known better, and deep down, he did.

But things were going so well.

His father, Dick Bennett, is legendary at three Wisconsin colleges for taking their basketball programs to new heights. The milestones of Tony Bennett's life can be cross-referenced with various stages of his father's building projects.

But Tony Bennett also watched his father trudge through the tedium and the time it took - usually three or four losing seasons - at every stop to reach those peaks. He even shared in the struggle as Dick's assistant at Washington State.

The Cougars went 36-49 in their first three seasons there before Tony took over in 2006-07 on his first solo project and guided them to the back-to-back 26-win seasons and NCAA tournament runs.

"I need to remind him of that," Dick Bennett said. "There are no shortcuts."

Tony knows that. He does now, anyway. He knew it last March, too, when he was lured away from Pullman, Wash., to revive the University of Virginia program.

In the five previous seasons, the Cavaliers were 31-49 in the ACC, made just one NCAA tournament (2006-07) and were fresh off a 10-18 season that cost his predecessor, Dave Leitao, his job.

The roster Bennett inherited had limited top-tier talent. His first team was picked to finish 11th in the ACC. These facts, and Bennett's pedigree, should have been sufficiently sobering.

"When you're brought in to build up a program, you know there's going to be some tough times," he said. "I knew how close a margin of error, how fine a line we had. I knew that."

But winning, especially early, can be intoxicating. So when the Cavaliers did win, often and improbably, reality briefly blurred - even for a natural-born realist of a coach. Virginia reeled off eight consecutive victories from Dec. 21 to Jan. 18 - the program's longest winning streak in six years - and the Cavs were 12-4 overall, 3-0 in the ACC.

They beat Georgia Tech, which was fresh off a win over Duke. They beat Miami, which was 15-2 at the time and recently ranked. Buzz was building for Bennett as the league's coach of the year.

He should've known better. But things were going so well.

"When we had that nice stretch, there's a little bit of hope," Bennett said. "Like, 'Hey, maybe we can shortcut that hard part or bypass that part.' These last few games have indicated we can't. We're not ready yet. We have work to do."

The winning streak ended with a road loss against a good Wake Forest team. No shame in that. From there, though, Bennett's house of hope began to crumble.

The Cavaliers blew a late 10-point lead at home and lost in overtime to Virginia Tech on Jan. 28.

Virginia briefly bounced back with wins over North Carolina and N.C. State to keep the Cavaliers near the top of the ACC at the halfway point. But heartbreak was back in a flash. An overtime loss at home to Wake was followed by another blown lead, at halftime and in the final two minutes, against the Hokies in Blacksburg.

Deflated, the Cavaliers lost their next six by an average of 17.3 points. Heading into today's first-round ACC tournament game against Boston College - which whipped Virginia (14-15, 5-11) in Chestnut Hill eight days ago - Bennett's boys have lost nine in a row, matching the program's worst streak since 1962.

"In truth, we were fortunate to win some of those early games," Bennett admits now. "The kids played their hearts out and we played some teams at the right time, and we had some nice wins at home. A lot of things broke right for us to get off to that start. But I understand it's not that easy - it never is - and this league is so unforgiving."

As can Virginia's academic standards. Bennett lost senior Jamil Tucker to grades before the season. He had to suspend his finest player and leading scorer, junior Sylven Landesberg, just last week for reportedly poor attendance in an art class.

But Bennett was drawn to Virginia - reportedly shunning previous interest from Indiana and LSU - in part because of the school's academic status. Access to the Cavaliers' state-of-the-art facilities, proximity to top recruiting talent, and a place in the rich history of the ACC certainly didn't hurt.

Bennett, though, thought his cerebral style and defensive-minded approach would lend itself well to what he calls The Stanford Model. The Cardinal, he said, has maintained a top program not in spite of, but because of, its academic standards.

"Start with a core group... of kids that are excited about the academic opportunity, but also want to compete at the highest level," Bennett said. "Build it with kids who, the majority of them, are going to be there for their four years and by the time they're juniors and seniors, they can really compete. It's challenging. You certainly have to do your homework and be careful, find the right kids.

"You've got to let them know: There are no short-cuts here. "

If history holds, this team won't be completely built for a resurgence until the 2011-12 season, at the earliest. Following his father's plan, Bennett's first recruiting class at Virginia is a large one - six players, just like the first class at Washington State. And he will play many of them early, taking lumps along the way, to prep them for bigger things.

That first group for the Cougars endured two losing seasons before producing four junior leaders who helped them reach the NCAA's second round in 2006-07, when Bennett was national Coach of the Year. They made the Sweet 16 the next season.

That recruiting class included just one player of any acclaim, according to the recruiting services. This Cavaliers class includes four players rated among the top 150 overall prospects rated by Rivals.com.

"I think there's a bit more talent in this group than that first class we brought in at Washington State," Dick Bennett said. "I would say in Tony's third year, it's going to start to show. Next year, they'll probably struggle. But it will be the kind of struggle that people will get excited about, because they will be good players.

"Everyone, Tony included, just needs to stay patient. It took me five years everywhere I went to really get a great team."

Tony Bennett should know. He grew up watching the pattern unfold as dependably as the seasons.

In his dad's first year at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he went 9-17. In Year 5, he was 19-8. Two years later, an NAIA national title game. Dick's first year at Wisconsin-Green Bay, he was 5-23. In Year 5, the team was 24-8 and reached the second round of the NIT. The first of three NCAA tournaments, with Tony leading the way as a star guard, followed.

At the University of Wisconsin, Bennett started 17-15. In Year 5, the Badgers reached the Final Four.

Tony Bennett knows Virginia fans wanted a quick fix. He did, too. But deep down, all along, he knew better.

"When it was going well, everybody was excited," he said. "I saw that look in the players' eyes, like, 'Hey, we're starting to make up some ground here!' Now that look is gone. But this is a test, for me as a coach and for my players. What can we learn from this?

"There's a lot of wisdom in your failures."