An oxymoron? Yes. A must-win game? Probably not. A chance to halt the skid and show one more sign of progress? Absolutely. The idea that how Virginia finishes the season will carryover to next year is probably a bit much. To think that the Hoos will carry any momentum into next year from mini-winning streak to end this year seems unlikely - does anyone ever really look back at the last couple of games of any given season as a source of inspiration? However, if the Cavs end up losing out - finishing the season on a dreadful 10-game slide - that would likely leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth and set the tone for a long offseason. While UVa's season is likely all but over (barring a surprise run and invite to the NIT), tonight's contest against Boston College does present an opportunity to help solidify that things are moving in the right direction.
Coach Bennett has cautioned that rebuilding Virginia's basketball program is a work in progress - a task that will take some time. The optimists here at the Society were hoping he was sandbagging, but, sadly, he wasn't. The reality is Hoos fans should be looking for signs of progress and any expectations beyond that are likely too much. To be fair, early success in conference play got most fans a bit distracted and the focus shifted to pipedreams of postseason play and challenging for a spot in the top-half of the ACC. Bennett did his best to temper expectations, but Hoo nation is starved for success, and a brief stint as the league leader was like tossing a bucket full of chum in shark-infested waters.
The recent slide has put things back in perspective, and tonight's game against BC presents a chance for Bennett and his squad to display another example of how they are slowly but surely building a foundation for success. A win against the Eagles would, first and foremost, put a halt to a very dejecting losing streak - no one likes to lose regardless of the expectations. Furthermore, a victory tonight would serve as UVa's sixth conference win of the season which would be more than either of the previous two seasons. A win tonight would also represent the Hoos' third conference road win of the year - a feat last accomplished in 2006-07 when Virginia advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
So no, the trip to Chestnut Hill will not impact the ACC conference championship nor will it have any bearing on NCAA seedings. However, it does have meaning to Virginia fans and to a Virginia basketball program looking to rebuild and return to its former status as a regular NCAA tourney team. It could serve as a sign of progress, a step in the right direction, and another brick in the foundation. Small wins and moral victories, that's what Hoo fans can reasonably expect, and a win tonight fits that description.
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Tonight Virginia takes on Stanford in the third round of the Cancun Challenge, and on paper the Hoos match up well against the Cardinal (the nickname refers to one of their school colors and not the bird, but regardless, the singular is really annoying) . The two teams only share one common opponent, Oral Roberts, and Stanford dropped a heart breaker to the Golden Eagles last Wednesday night when Roderick Peterson hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer . UVa beat Oral Roberts by 21 this past Saturday. Both Virginia and Stanford hosted Oral Roberts on their home floors. In addition, Oral Roberts' head coach Scott Sutton (yes, son of famed basketball coach Eddie Sutton) left Charlottesville Saturday evening thinking the Hoos featured a stronger offense with more inside presence than Stanford. It's not everyday you hear someone suggest Virginia has an advantage inside. Lastly, Coach Bennett spent the previous six seasons coaching in the Pac-10 (three as a head coach), so he is pretty familiar with the Cardinal.
Despite the apparent advantage, all that goes out the window when it comes to games like these. Cavalier fans are well aware of Virginia's recent struggles in warm, sunny settings that often feature a beachfront nearby - most notably the entire state of Florida and Puerto Rico. Maybe the fact the contest is being played at the Moon Palace Resort might help the Hoos forget they are in the tropical paradise of Cancun. The gym will likely be near empty and the atmosphere will almost certainly be devoid of any energy. While either of these factors sets the stage for the Hoos to come out flat and listless, the prevailing thought is tonight's contest is as good a chance as any for UVa to kick the recent trend.
In addition to the loss against Oral Roberts, Stanford also fell to San Diego in their season opener. Head coach Johnny Dawkins (the former Duke player and long-time Duke assistant coach) boasts a relatively young squad, though senior guard/forward Landry Fields is the player to watch for the Cardinal. Fields nearly averages a double-double with 22.5 points and over 8 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Jeremy Green also knows how to put the ball in the basket averaging 14.5 points per contest.
Stanford player statistics aside, tonight's affair is really about Virginia and whether or not the Hoos can get off the snide when it comes to games like these - playing down south against a statistically inferior team in front of a sparse crowd in a stadium with little to no energy. Assane Sene scored a career high in his season debut against Oral Roberts, and Mike Scott has looked solid as of late, so the Hoos should be able to out man Stanford in the post. Virginia's guard play has been nicely balanced as of late, and with so many threats, UVa's front court should overpower the Cardinal. Again, the stats favor the Cavaliers, but the setting lends itself to a flat, uninspiring performance against a lesser opponent - one that is far too familiar for Hoo fans. If looking to get the monkey off their backs isn't enough motivation, a win gives the Cavaliers an opportunity to go against a Kentucky squad that ranks among the nation's elite. This game serves as an early chance for Bennett and his squad to show things might just be changing in C'ville. It's a game UVa should win, but recently, contests like these have been no day at the beach.
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After watching the Hoos get outmanned by the likes of South Florida on Monday, its hard not to think about the reinforcements coming for 2010. As we've written in this space before, Coach Tony Bennett's first class is good, not great as some have proclaimed. Still, its hard not to get excited about the five new recruits Bennett is bringing to the 'ville, two of whom are consensus top-100 players.
Nor should it be surprising. At Washington State, its hard to imagine how Coach Bennett got anyone to come to Pullman (if you've ever been to or even seen pictures of it, or that "cage you call a gym," you know what I mean). Here at UVA, Bennett's got a state-of-the-art facility, is a couple hours drive from more than a few recruiting hotbeds, and has the draw of playing in what is considered by most to be the nation's premier college hoops conference. Its kind of like swimming every morning at the local Y, and then having the chance to instead swim every day at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. It's gotta feel pretty nice, and certainly a whole lot better than where you were.
But reviewing the various recruiting rankings has to bring things into perspective for UVA's new head man. Case in point, ESPN just released its rankings for college basketball's top 25 recruiting classes for 2010 (insider access required). Virginia is ranked a respectable 21st. Its what's ahead of Coach Bennett's class in those rankings that will soon enough be keeping him up at night. Despite the strength of Virginia's class, no less than FIVE ACC schools' classes rank ahead of Bennett's. UNC, with three top-20 players, is No. 3. Wake is adding four top 100 players and is ranked No. 6. Duke is right behind them, with two elite recruits, at No. 7. NC State (how Sidney Lowe keeps doing this yet his team stinks every year I'll never know) is No. 12, and Maryland is just ahead of Virginia in ESPN's rankings at No. 18. Florida State is right behind the Hoos at No. 24.
Meanwhile, only two of Bennett's former rivals from the Pac-10 have classes that rank ahead of Bennett's. Always strong UCLA is at No. 10 and new Stanford head man Johnny Dawkins checks in at No. 15. That's it.
The story's the same over at scout.com, where Virginia's ranked 14th, but still trumped by UNC, Duke, Wake, and NC State, and at rivals.com, where Virginia's all the way up to 12th, but still behind that foursome. Coach Bennett is certainly doing well, but he has to be learning that he's engaged in an arms race here on the east coast he's not winning, and probably can't.
So yeah, the pool's nicer over here. Its not that shallow 25-meter thing at the Y where you don't quite trust the water. Here on the east coast, the pool's heated, its got olympic-sized lanes, and is plenty deep enough for diving. But just so you know, Coach, there are sharks swimming around in it. Keep swimming fast. You're going to have to.
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After Virginia's first two ballgames, one thing is absolutely crystal clear - Coach Bennett's efforts to temper expectations were not a case of sandbagging. If you read our fearless predictions, it's easy to see we at the Society bought into the excitement and promise of a new coach coming in to guide a team with the ACC freshman of the year and all five returning starters. With what appeared to be a decent and relatively talented foundation in place, surely Bennett was simply setting expectations low and under-promising in order to over deliver, or so we thought. It looks like that simply wasn't the case. The build-up to the season was exciting, but so much for the afterglow.
After an underwhelming and somewhat troubling win against Longwood, Virginia took on the University of South Florida last night and continued their complete incompetence in the Sunshine State (the Hoos last win there came during the 2000-2001 season when Roger Mason hit a last-second shot to down FSU). For the second straight game, Virginia posted another dismal second-half performance, and a four-point game at half time turned into a 17-point blowout. All night the offense was beyond anemic, and Virginia continues to work out the kinks with Bennett's new defensive system.
It's hard to win basketball games when you only score 49 points, and after only two games, some trends that plagued Virginia last year seem to be rearing their ugly heads again this season. The Hoos shot a woeful 32.7% from the field, and just like last year, finding offensive consistency from anyone not named Sylvan Landesburg proves challenging - even he struggled with just 2 points after the break. Sammy Zeglinski and Mustapha Farrakhan both posted nice outings in the opener against Longwood, and yet the two absolutely disappeared against the Bulls. The two combined for a mere 5 points on the night. Virginia fans truly want to believe Jeff Jones can and will begin to live up to the promise and expectations that once surrounded the highly-regarded recruit, but sadly, the wait continues. Once again the junior guard turned in a disappointing performance with 7 meaningless points all after USF had the game well in hand. While it's still very, very early, freshman Tristan Spurlock has shown no signs he will be able to contribute right away(or at least this year) - sure, there is still plenty of time, but Spurlock's first two games raise a slight cause for concern. Mike Scott failed to hit double-digits, yet, in his defense, with Virginia's front-court under-manned and under-sized, he simply couldn't do it all.
At first glance, 66 points doesn't seem like a horrendous defensive effort, and to some degree it wasn't. Bennett's defensive system is designed to make opposing teams shoot late in the shot clock, and thus, reduce their total number of shots. The fact USF shot over 53% from the field and eclipsed 45% from beyond the arc yet still only managed 66 points serves as evidence that part of the defensive scheme is taking hold. Of course, the other part is of the approach relies on defenders doing something, actually anything, to disrupt shots and keep shooting percentages far south of 50%. So far it seems as if UVa has yet to grasp that crucial element of Bennett's defensive philosophy.
The absence of Assane Sene and Jamil Tucker is likely partially to blame for Virginia's inability to keep South Florida's shooting percentage in check as the big men played well for the Bulls. Foward/Centers August Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous put up 18 and 12 respectively. In addition, both nabbed 8 rebounds a piece helping USF post a 33-21 advantage on the boards. To a large degree, a scoring and rebounding disparity was a bit expected given Virginia's thin front-court, yet that made shutting down the guards (specifically their go-to guy Dominique Jones) all the more important. Sadly, he dropped a game-high 22.
Coach Bennett harps on the idea that it is going to take time to get his system totally in place (that includes getting guys who can play his style). Sure, his approach is different and will take some time, but asking basketball players to play a different brand of defense is not quite the same as asking Gaylord Focker and a bunch of his male nurse friends to become heart surgeons. Fundamentally, several key defensive principles always apply. Even if it is a case where the players concentrate so hard to correctly execute Bennett's new defense that is causes lapses in more fundamental areas, getting that fixed only solves half the problem. Like last season, Virginia still can't find players able to step up on offense and produce night in and night out (Landesburg excluded). Without a doubt it was fun getting caught up in the hype and optimism prior to the season, but after two games, it's starting to look like maybe the players aren't the only ones still trying to learn Bennett's approach. It appears he wasn't bluffing when he warned that turning the program around was a true work in progress. Maybe there's still hope he overestimated the timetable.
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With college basketball kicking off Monday night, college hoops previews are everywhere. As part of its coverage, ESPN the Magazine ranked the top 64 teams (ignore the fact that the top 64 don't make the dance, but rather 31 auto bids plus 34 at-large teams do, and oh yeah, its 65 teams because God forbid a 9-9 Big Ten team lose a spot for an automatic qualifier).
Its one of those years where no one can tell who's any good, so "experts" are largely sticking with the big names. Case in point, North Carolina, who lost their top four scorers from a year ago, are ranked sixth in the AP poll based on the return of Ed Davis and an uber-talented freshman class. The Heels will be good, especially towards the end of the season, but there's no way they're the sixth best team in the country right now.
But you can excuse a little North Carolina bias (Duke bias is another matter). They're always good, always have at least one lottery pick on the roster, and are well coached by Roy Williams. I also won't quibble with ESPN putting Duke at 12, since the Dukies always maximize talent (during the regular season at least), or Georgia Tech at 25, since Derrick Favors may be the best player in the country right out of high school (the last time Paul Hewitt brought Favors' kind of talent to Atlanta was 2006-07, when one-and-doners Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenden led the Jackets to a 20-12 record and an NCAA berth). And I won't even kill them too bad for putting Maryland at 19, although most people will tell you that merry band of turtles played over its head last season and its unlikely they'll be able to do it again. Same with Wake Forest at 33, but the Deacs will severely miss their two best players - Teague and Johnson - regardless of how high Al-Farouq Aminu can jump.
But once you get past them, I was shocked by the utter lack of homework ESPN did as part of its ESPN the Magazine College Hoops preview. They're not the only ones, but as the 700-pound gorilla in the sports world, they're an easy target.
First, the ACC was propped up last season by a couple of singularly great players on otherwise bad teams: Tyrese Rice at BC, Toney Douglas at Florida State, and Jack McClinton at Miami. All are gone; all three should expect to take a step back. Yet ESPN has BC at 28, essentially 5th in the ACC, based on the return of Reggie Jackson and all of his 7 ppg? Florida State is at 35 based on Darwin Kitchen? And Miami is at 56, based apparently on a couple of guys averaging just around 10 ppg? Sorry, folks, don't see it with any of them. Maybe BC is a bubble team based on Al Skinner and what's left of Rice's tough supporting cast, but make no mistake, they are nothing more than that - a supporting cast. BC's barely an NIT team last season without Rice. And don't expect FSU and Miami to be even bubble good without their do-everything leaders. Solomon Alabi's a nice NBA big-man prospect, but he can't score, something the 'Noles had enough trouble doing even with Douglas. And you want to know what life will be like for the Canes without Shooter Jack? Harken back to their ACC-Big Ten Challenge game last season against Ohio State. They led by 14 at the half with McClinton. Playing without him in the second half after he was ejected, they were outscored by 19. Get used to the latter.
ESPN also apparently thought another pair of senior-led teams - Virginia Tech at 42 and Clemson at 47 - were getting their leaders back. But no, AD Vasallo is not coming back for what seems like his seventh year of eligibility. I can't see the Hokies building an NCAA resume, which they didn't have last season even with Vasallo, on the backs of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen. And Clemson lost not only KC Rivers to graduation, but also 3-point bomber and Reggie Cleveland candidate Terrence Oglesby to Italian pro ball. That's 27.4 ppg out the door. Trevor Booker is a man among boys, but I'm not sure who's getting him the ball, or loosening up defenses for him, anymore.
The point of all this, other than the national media is sometimes lazy and stupid? A middle of the pack spot in the ACC -- and the bubble talk that goes with that spot -- is ripe for the taking. Wake, BC, FSU, Miami, Va. Tech, and Clemson are all less than they were a year ago. Maryland's no better. So there's no reason Virginia, with five returning starters and the ACC ROY in its stable, can't fill that void. Its something I hope Tony Bennett's thinking, even if he's not saying it. The national media certainly isn't.
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