The Hoos are running on empty and a service station is nowhere in sight. From a physical standpoint, five games in eleven days has proven too much for a team that is, by the coach's own admission, thin and undermanned. From a mental standpoint, an overtime home loss to Wake combined with tough loss to arch-rival Va Tech in Bleaksburg appears to have broken (or at least severally damaged) the team's spirit. Last night, Virginia dropped it's sixth consecutive contest with a 74-62 road loss to Miami. It was their fourth consecutive double-digit setback, and sadly, the storyline for this one was no different than the previous three. It's as if the Hoos are stuck on repeat. Everyone knows Virginia's problems but it appears the squad is unwilling or unable to find the solution - likely a combination of the two with a hefty portion of the problem stemming from a lack of talent and ability. It's reminiscent of the morning after Foxfields when you're too damn hungover to turn off the stereo that has been playing the same Slackjaw song over and over again all night long. The night before you were too drunk to care, and by morning, you're too sick to move or too mentally drained to notice.
Not long ago, the talk was about finding a consistent third scorer. During Virginia's seven-game winning streak, Sylven Landesburg and Mike Scott were putting up consistent numbers and either Mustapha Farrakhan, Jeff Jones, or (mostly) Sammy Zeglinski were taking turns filling the third -scorer role. Now, the Hoos are simply looking for anyone other than Landesburg to score. Against Miami, Scott failed to score a point and Zeglinski managed only five. Meyinsse posted a solid 13 and Jones pitched in 11, but outside of Zeglinski, no one else managed more than two measly points. That won't cut it. According to Landesburg, it's as if the Cavs have simply forgotten how to win.
Recently this year's squad has started to resemble the Leitao-led Hoos of last season. Over the past several games, Coach Bennett has toyed with various lineups and followed inconsistent substitution patterns. Last night, Farrakhan logged a DNP for the first time this season and Jontel Evans saw little time. Scott was woefully ineffective and sat much of the second half while seldom-used Solomon Tat saw some action. Possibly a bit of desperation or maybe Bennett's way of trying to find a spark...something to jump-start his otherwise lethargic team. While the rotation moves prove interesting but somewhat understandable, the way in which Virginia has played recently is far too similar to last season. Down the stretch the Hoos have become porous on defense and the offense has become non-existent. Once again, teams are keying on Landesburg and no one is stepping up offensively to relieve the pressure. Landesburg posted only four points in a home loss to FSU and too few players stepped up to fill the void. Even though he went off last night, he got too little help from others. This squad simply lacks the offensive talent to compete in the ACC, and that's pretty evident when the Hoos start looking for more production from walk-on Will Sherrill. Take nothing away from Sherrill - he's a great story and does a lot of the intangibles that are so necessary for success. Every team needs a guy like Sherrill to provide that spark and do the dirty work, but when you are relying on him to produce offensively, it speaks volumes about the team's overall talent level.
For optimistic Virginia fans (are there any), where is the silver lining in all of this. Well, if you look hard enough, you can see one - or the potential for one. While it looks bleak, if the Hoos can win two of their last three (not impossible), that would give the Cavs a 7-9 ACC record and probably put them somewhere in the middle of the conference standings. Not bad for a team predicted to finish last. Furthermore, seven conference wins are nearly as many as the nine total ACC wins Leitao's squads collected over the previous two seasons. Going from 8 games below five hundred to a winning record and possible post-season play (NIT) is a nice turnaround from last season and likely more than anyone should have expected from this year's team. Things looked grim before the Hoos rattled off seven straight earlier this season, so it will be interesting to see if Bennett and the boys can regroup and find a way to end the season on an up-swing. It's not too late to salvage a respectable season, but in order to do so, Virginia will need to figure this thing out soon....somebody just has to get up off the couch and hit the stop button so we don't hear AFH for the 100th straight time.
Continue reading this post...
Looking back on the game, its hard to see how Virginia could have played the system any better. They only turned the ball over only nine times against a very tough Wake Forest defense. They fought inside against an opponent with superior size and strength inside. Jontel Evans ran himself ragged trying to keep Ish Smith out of the lane. But in the end, the Deamon Deacons, playing a similar style to Bennett-Ball, was just too big, too strong, too good for the Hoos.
A few observations from the Hoos' second OT loss at home:
- He struggled at times, but Sylven Landesberg was the best player on the court when he had to be, and single-handedly kept Virginia in the game late. With no one else scoring in the second half, Landesberg's tireless drives, runners, and clutch free throws were impressive, even in a losing effort.
- Evans made some key stops on Ishmael Smith in the second half as Virginia pulled even late, but looked gassed on the penultimate possession when Smith beat him left and got to the basket for a layup. He also seemed to have nothing left for the extra session. Don't worry, Jontel, the kid you were trying to stop is a senior. In three years, you're going to be him, maybe better.
- The Hoos fought on the glass, even getting some key minutes off the bench from the oft-forgotten Assane Sene, but Wake was just too big and too good on the offensive glass, an area Virginia has limited this season despite generally playing a smaller lineup. Aided by Smith's penetrating drives to the basket that broke down the Virginia defense, Aminu, McFarland, Williams, and Woods were relentless finishing around the basket and on the offensive glass.
- Mike Scott was good in the first half, utterly frustrated in the second. He's been a key second option for the Hoos, but Wake's bigger defenders made life miserable for him down the stretch.
- The Deacs also did a nice job closing out on shooters, holding Virginia to 5-19 from three. Sammy Zieglinski in particular struggled to get good looks while played by bigger defenders (while his more logical defender, Ish Smith, was used on Landesberg to try to keep him out of the lane). Get used to it Sammy. As a non-threat to get to the basket, you're going to start seeing face up defense by bigger players the rest of the way.
- Virginia's last possession left a bit to be desired, but was more the result of a tired and frustrated team. Landesberg's contested three was followed by a horrific hoist by Will Sherill, who looked like he was trying to be a hero instead of finding a better shooter with a few ticks left on the clock. But I'm not going to pick on Sherill too much. He played tough and smart despite being physically outmatched. And the fact that anyone's nitpicking on Sherill tells you how far he's come as a ball player.
Finally, a shout-out to the 11,972 that braved the reported 30 or so inches of snow in the Charlottesville area. Virginia sent out an e-mail a while back soliciting opinions how to fill the building like it had been in its inaugual season. Not surprisingly, the crowds have returned in lockstep with winning basketball. Still, Craig Littlepage was right to thank the crowd for coming out. The fact that Virginia had any homecourt advantage (which UNC notably did not have just a week ago under less dire weather conditions) speaks volumes about the health of the program, even on a day in which the program showed how far it still has to go to match the talent-level of a team it hopes to look a little more like in the near future.
Continue reading this post...
Two weeks ago, with Virginia standing a surprising 3-0 in the ACC, the Hoos welcomed in 6-12 UNC-Wilmington. It was a game that a front-running ACC team should have handled easily at home, but the Cavaliers needed a late Sylven Landesberg jumper to eke out a two-point win. After the game, Tony Bennett cautioned that his team, while improved, would continue to walk "a fine line" between winning and losing.
That fine line reared its head last night against N.C. State, a team Virginia handled on the road just three weeks ago and standing at a lowly 2-5 in the ACC. But with Landesberg struggling to find his shot, and having trouble slowing the Pack's inside tandem of Tracy Smith and Richard Howell, Virginia simply wasn't good enough to cruise at home, even against an inferior opponent.
Thankfully, the Hoos remembered the line they have to walk in time to win the game. The inside lanes that were open in the first half closed down in the second. Virginia reasserted control of the glass. And the Wolfpack, who had shot 46% in the first half, could no longer crack the code. Keyed by a six-plus minute run midway thru the second half in which the Hoos held N.C. State scoreless, Virginia pulled away and (almost unbelievably) into a tie atop the ACC.
It wasn't pretty (except for Mustapha Farrakhan's right-handed, and-1 dunk, which was pretty sweet), but Bennett-Ball usually isn't. Still, after surrendering 28 in the first half, Virginia gave up only 19 in the second. It doesn't matter how much your leading scorer scores (Landesberg only had 7 on 2-10 shooting) if you hold your opponent to 47 points.
So despite having to walk that fine line, Tony Bennett's charges have ascended to a share of the lead in the conference. If they keep that line in mind, there's no limit to how well they can do in a down ACC.
Continue reading this post...
No one saw that one coming. Definitely not anyone wearing a UNC uniform. A 15-point win in Chapel Hill goes a long way in helping rid the painful memories of Thursday's loss to Va Tech. Where the Hoos failed to finish against the Hokies, UVa always had an answer last night against North Carolina. Everyone knew, or at least felt, the Tarheels would make a run in the second half, yet the Cavs kept them at arms-length (and then some) after they built a big lead early in the second half. Sylven Landesburg played lights out, and Sammy Zeglinski shot extremely well from beyond the arc. Jerome Meyinsse posted another solid outing and played a big role in keeping UNC bigs Ed Davis and Deon Thompson in check. He and Mike Scott hounded the tandem all night long making it difficult for either of them to find any type of rhythm on offense. UVa's front court either blocked or altered their shots on numerous occasions and held Davis and Thompson to a combined 11 points on the evening.
Against Va Tech, Virginia struggled to hit big shots when the Cavs needed points the most, yet last night was a completely different story. UVa responded every time it looked as if UNC might mount a run and knocked down several key baskets to maintain control of the game. As Jeff White notes, Virginia's performance at Chapel Hill was impressive especially given what happened last Thursday night against the Hokies.
Speaking of winning at the Dean Dome, last night marked only the third time Virginia has ever won at the Smith Center and it was Virginia's first victory in the last six tries against the Tar Heels. For many UVa players, this marks one of the biggest victories of their college careers.
A surprising 4-2 in ACC play, tied for second in the league standings, has Virginia coach Tony Bennett starting to garner some attention for ACC Coach of the Year honors.
There's no question the Hoos caught UNC on an off shooting night, and even Bennett acknowledged as much in both his halftime and post-game tv interviews. Certainly some of that was due to UVa's defense (especially inside where seemingly almost every shot was contested) and some was due to the Tarheels having a tough outing. Couple that with a very strong offensive performance from the Cavs and it effectively created a near-perfect storm. Regardless, a win in Chapel Hill against the Tar Heels is huge and to finish the game so emphatically after blowing a 10-point lead against Va Tech makes the win that much more impressive. Without a doubt, Sunday's win was just what the doctor ordered and it showed this years' squad has the moxie to shake off a tough loss. This week the Hoos take on two more teams from North Carolina, and if Virginia can hold serve at home, the whispers of postseason play will certainly grow louder.
Continue reading this post...
