A Ray of Hope as 2009 Closes

2009 was another season of renewal for Virginia basketball.  For the third time in just over a decade, the University chose a new man to lead what was once a powerhouse program in the '80s.  Like his two predecessors, Tony Bennett has struggled out of the gate.  Whether that's because of lack of talent (that to a degree plagued both Pete Gillen and Dave Leitao when they first arrived) or the need to fit players to a particular system, the Hoos were a disappointing 0-4 against major conference schools in pre-conference play.  The lack of a major conference win was tempered by the absence of a galling small conference loss, but it was seen as a little bit of a problem since, you know, the ACC is filled with major conference teams (N.C. State's presence notwithstanding).

Conference USA shouldn't be confused with a major conference (it hasn't been since the Big East raided it a few years ago in response to the ACC's expansion).  But UAB is a real team.  The Blazers were ranked No. 24 coming into the contest, and already have wins this season against the likes of Cincinnati, Butler, and Georgia.  I'm still not sure former Indiana head man Mike Davis can coach, but he's always been able to recruit talent, especially in the south. That includes his latest find, 6-6 guard Elijah Milsap, brother of NBA'er Paul that is averaging just short of a double-double (16.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg) so far this season.  UAB is at at worst a NIT lock, at best perhaps a mid-level seed in the Big Dance.

So Virginia's 72-63 win over the Blazers is a big deal.  Not earth-shattering, and by no means a sure fire sign this group has turned some kind of corner.  But encouraging.  And a sign they're getting better just in time for the meat-grinder that is the ACC.  Some thoughts from around the Fourth Estate on the game:

• Jeff White called it Bennett's first signature win, Hootie a statement win.  Glad they coordinated so they didn't match this morning.  Standard cliches aside, Hootie does properly credited a couple of standout defensive performances: Jontel Evans, who also got kudos for a big three and some clutch FTs in the second half, and Mustapha Farrakhan, who was sic'ed on Milsap in the second half.
• Davis, similar to other miscalculations he made while at IU, said he scheduled the game on the assumption that the students would be gone, and JPJ largely empty.  He wasn't completely wrong - the arena was filled only to 2/3 capacity - but the 9,444 that came made themselves heard.
• While Hootie and Doug Doughty credited Evans' late first half steal with sparking the crowd, the DP also credited a bad call with waking them up.  
• The RTD credited to win to some big threes, shots that hadn't been falling in a handful of close losses earlier in the season.  
• The WP noted two more subtle points: an assist from Landesberg that he conceded he wouldn't have seen last year, and the return of Mike Scott, perhaps this team's most irreplacable player because of the inside presence he brings to an otherwise perimeter-oriented bunch.  While still not 100%, Scott was quoted as saying he should be there by the next game, a final tuneup against Texas Pan-American before ACC play kicks off against N.C. State Jan. 9.