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ACC

Richmond 13 at Virginia 34

Presbyterian 13 at Wake Forest 53 (9/2)

Florida A&M 0 at #13 Miami 45 (9/2)

Samford 6 at #20 Florida St. 59

S. Carolina St. 10 at #16 Georgia Tech 41

Weber St. 20 at Boston College 38

North Texas 10 at Clemson 35

W. Carolina 7 at NCST 48

Elon 27 at Duke 41

#21 LSU 30 vs. #18 UNC 24 (Atlanta, GA)

Navy 14 vs. Maryland 17 (Baltimore, MD; 9/6)

#3 Boise St. 33 vs. #10 Virginia Tech 30 (Landover, MD; 9/6)

Top 25

San Jose St. 3 at #1 Alabama 48

Marshall 7 at #2 Ohio State 45 (9/2)

#3 Boise St. 33 vs. #10 Virginia Tech 30 (Landover, MD; 9/6)

Miami (OH) 12 at #4 Florida 34

#5 Texas 34 at Rice 17

#24 Oregon St. 21 at #6 TCU 30

Utah St. 24 at #7 Oklahoma 31

W. Kentucky 10 at #8 Nebraska 49

E. Illinois 7 at #9 Iowa 37

New Mexico 0 at #11 Oregon 72

#12 Wisconsin 41 at UNLV 21

Florida A&M 0 at #13 Miami 45 (9/2)

#14 USC 49 at Hawaii 36 (9/2)

#15 Pittsburgh 24 at Utah 27 (OT; 9/2)

S. Carolina St. 10 at #16 Georgia Tech 41

Tennessee Tech 3 at #17 Arkansas 44

#21 LSU 30 vs. #18 UNC 24 (Atlanta, GA)

Youngstown St. 14 at #19 Penn St. 44

Samford 6 at #20 Florida St. 59

Arkansas St. 26 at #22 Auburn 52

LA-Lafayette 7 at #23 Georgia 55

Coastal Car. 0 at #25 West Virginia 31

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The athletic department has not commented on the situation as of yet and no other details have been released by the police.

Love started in three games and saw action in 15 of the 18 contests this season for the Cavaliers as a defender.

Huguely saw action in all of Virginia’s 15 games this season as a midfielder.  He had four goals, including a game winner, for the ACC Champions.

Midwest Region

East Region

West Region

Play-In Game

Winthrop over Arkansas Pine-Bluff

The Eagles are tournament regulars and they have a history of knocking off big name schools in March.  This may not be one of those games but APB’s defensive numbers are sorely lacking meaning the Eagles should take care of business.

Round 1

1 Duke over 16 Winthrop

I may have just said that Winthrop has knocked off some big opponents, but this is more than they can handle.  Look for Duke’s defense to suffocate the Eagles for an easy win.

9 Louisville over 8 California

Louisville is a maddening team (no wonder Pitino’s hair is gray).  They played great against the then number one team in the nation (Syracuse) and then let Cincinnati beat them in the Big East tournament not even six days later?  Which team are we going to get?  I’m betting on the good enough to knock off the best team in the worst major conference: Big East physicality over PAC-10 mediocrity.

12 Utah State over 5 Texas A&M

The beloved 5-12 upset!  Many think that the best bet for this is in the East region but this one looks possible as well.  Utah State can score with the best of them but they can also play great defense.  Put those two together and you have a fighting chance.  Meanwhile, A&M’s defensive numbers aren’t stellar for a tournament team so that doesn’t bode well for the Aggies.

13 Siena over 4 Purdue

This one isn’t really fair since Purdue are not even close to the same team without Robbie Hummel.  Hummel went down with a season ending injury a few weeks ago and the Boilermakers have struggled in his absence (losing by 20 to Minnesota in the Big 10 tourney?  Uh oh).  And Siena is no slouch as well.  Coach Fran McCaffery has led the team to three straight tournaments and their performances keep getting better every year.

6 Notre Dame over 11 ODU

Notre Dame is very efficient in terms of scoring, they have Luke Harangody back to almost full strength, and they’re playing their best basketball of the season right now.  While ODU could be a tough out, look for the Irish to provide an extra few days of St. Patty’s celebrations.

3 Baylor over 14 Sam Houston State

First off, congratulations to the Baylor program for their impressive climb.  They were in total disarray not five years ago, so to have the season they had is quite the accomplishment.  By the numbers, this game looks very even and when that happens, it’s usually a good bet to ride the chalk.

10 Saint Mary’s over 7 Richmond

7-10 matchups are my least favorites to pick.  The teams are usually even and one of them may have enough juice to knock off the 2 seed next round, so they can burn you if you pick wrong.  The Spiders put up a fight in the A-10 Tournament to earn their spot here but Saint Mary’s is absolutely rolling after trouncing Gonzaga in the WCC Tourney.  Richmond has below average scoring numbers, so look for the Gaels to advance.

2 Villanova over 15 Robert Morris

The Colonials don’t score quite enough and don’t defend well enough to balance that fact.  Throw in a hungry Scottie Reynolds for the Wildcats and you’ve got yourself a W.

Round 2

9 Louisville over 1 Duke

After seeing Duke three times this weekend, I can say that I wasn’t impressed at all.  They needed quite a bit of luck to knock off us, Miami, and Georgia Tech: three teams in the bottom half of the conference.  Louisville is athletic enough to shut down Scheyer and quick enough to limit Smith.  That leaves Singler to carry the load (which he is capable of) but to bet on that or the Plumblees and Zoubek to produce points is a pretty risky one.

13 Siena over 12 Utah State

I think tournament experience is the deciding factor in this one.  Siena has played on Day 2 before while this will be a new experience for the Utah State players.  I feel like that experience coupled with their stellar defense will propel the Saints to the Sweet 16.

3 Baylor over 6 Notre Dame

The Bears have all the tools to stifle the Irish.  They have size to limit Harangody (especially if he isn’t 100%) plus the guards to bother sharpshooter Ben Hansbrough (yes, Tyler’s brother).  They may put up a fight, but look for the Irish to bow out over the weekend.

2 Villanova over 10 Saint Mary’s

This one could be close.  After seeing Saint Mary’s performance against Gonzaga, I won’t be shocked if they top the Wildcats.  ‘Nova hasn’t played well the last month and could be vulnerable here, but I think their Round 1 victory steadies their confidence and their talent and physical guard game lead them to Houston.

SWEET 16

9 Louisville over 13 Siena

If the Cardinals’ Edgar Sosa goes totally cold, then this might be the Saints’ day.  He is the main source of offense for Louisville and with the way Siena plays defense, the Cardinals are going to need their big guns to be firing.  I think the Saints’ run ends here as Louisville provides too big a physical challenge for them to deal with.

2 Villanova over 3 Baylor

This is a great matchup but I see the Wildcats taking care of business because they’ve been there before.  Baylor probably has a size advantage in the post, but threes are worth more than twos and Villanova can hit them from four different positions.  This may be one of the best games of the tournament.

ELITE 8

2 Villanova over 9 Louisville

A battle between Big East rivals who know each other well.  In their only regular season matchup, Villanova went home with an eight-point win.  I think the fact they only faced each other once works in “Nova’s favor because they are the more talented team.  Usually, if a team plays another more than three times in a season, the weaker team tends to do well in that last contest.  The Wildcats have more talent and I think that carries them to their second straight Final Four.

Day 3, Semifinals

1. Building atmosphere

Duke had A LOT of people at the game…Miami had the players’ families.  Thankfully for them, nobody besides Duke fans actually likes Duke so everyone else in the building was pulling for the ‘Canes.  It was awesome.  Everyone in my section (mostly UVa, some UNC, some Duke fans) jumped out of their seat screaming about something at some point and I made my sore throat worse yelling for joy when Coach K got T’d-up.  This is what March is about…good times.

2. Pregame Tailgating

It was finally a nice enough day out here to see this in full force with the clouds finally parting for at least half the day.  We drove into the parking lot and, when we rolled down the window to pay, you could smell something delicious cooking.  For us hungry people, it only got worse as we walked towards the Coliseum.  I was a bit envious.

3. ACC Fanfest

Next to the arena is building called the Pavilion and inside was this Fanfest thing.  Since the game started a little later and we had more time to kill, we decided to check it out.  They had every possible stupid carnival basketball game you could possibly imagine.  I did one where you sat in a chair that flung you around like a riding bull…only you had to make a shot while sitting there.  It was hard.  They also had a small corner where they had every game system and an NCAA hoops game on it.  Oh yeah, and a rock wall, inflatable obstacle course, and trampolines.  If I was 10, I’d still be in there.

4. Kyle Singler is Duke’s MVP

Everyone needs to stop loving Scheyer because, honestly, he isn’t that good.  He’s a worse JJ Redick.  He can’t play defense and he only gets his shot off when he comes off of three illegal screens by Lance Thomas and Miles Plumblee.  Singler on the other hand is a major matchup problem for teams.  He is bigger than most guards at 6-8, but can move better than most big guys plus he can knock down shots from anywhere on the court.  He has improved on his defense substantially (just ask Jeff Jones) and can pass like a point guard.  Seriously, after seeing him in person for two straight days, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s really good (He didn’t miss a shot in warmups for 15-20 minutes before Miami).  If he comes back to school next year, you will not be able to get away from him…it’ll be like Adam Morrison in 2006.

5. Jeff Jones, Tournament MVP for UVA

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?  He played defense, shot consistently, didn’t turn the ball over, and attacked the rim (did you SEE that spin move he had?).  We saw this weekend why he was an alternate McDonald’s All-American but it begs the question: where has it been?  Why has it taken three years to see this?  I hope this returns for next season because we need steady offense from the outside.

6. Durand Scott is going to be good

The Miami freshman was very impressive this weekend, mostly with his ability to get to the rim.  Like whenever he wanted.  It didn’t really matter who was guarding him; if he wanted a layup, he was going to get it.  Duke even tried double-teaming him and leaving 7-2 Brian Zoubek in the way.  And he still scored.  If he gets a consistent jump shot, this guy could be deadly.

7. “Sink one, score a million” contest

Pretty good, except the kid from Charlottesville was a Terrapin fan.  What the heck?  Who does that?  Also, the guy who got to take the half court shot threw it like a baseball.  Really?  How many half court heaves like that do you see go in?  Everyone should know at this point how to shoot a half court shot (two hands, from the waist).  This guy didn’t even get it to the free throw line.  Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

Day 1, Session 1

1. The Location

I grew up living near Foxboro, Mass where the New England Patriots play but this sight is still the weirdest experience: to be driving on a two lane road with residential houses on both sides when suddenly, BAM! An enormous parking lot with an arena in the middle.  Never fails to get a “huh?” out of me.  I also figured on being able to hang out in the area near the Coliseum between games.  You know, get some food, go to a bar, mingle with other fans.  Nope.  Unless I want to go to the Player’s Club, where the “most beautiful women from the Triade welcome ACC fans.”  My girlfriend is shaking her head “no.”

2. The lack of canned music

Great aspect of the games.  We heard two songs over the speakers during the entire session (one before each games’ bands set up).  They had Harry Kalas narrated highlights from ACC Tournaments past (saw 1998 before our game…very epic) followed by the BC and UVa bands going back and forth with songs for 20 minutes straight.  Loved it.

3. Pro keys

I don’t get why they’re there…there’s no pro basketball team here.  Sort of a related note: where’s the purple and green court?!?  This blue and green stuff isn’t what I remember from my childhood.  Very disappointed.

4. No Sylven = more ‘Rome

Sylven didn’t play against Duke, Jerome had a double-double with 21 points.  Sylven didn’t play against Maryland, Jerome had 17 points and a ton of boards.  Sylven didn’t play today, Jerome stepped up again with another big performance.  During the season, when the team needed to settle down after a spurt by the opposition, guys stood around and waited for Sylven to do something.  Now, they dump it into Jerome.  While Sylven does score quite a bit, he can force it on occasion and doesn’t draw many fouls against big guys (see his performances against Clemson and Wake).  Jerome can score on 7 footers and get fouls on them as well.  It has made a big difference in the last two games, let’s hope it continues into tomorrow.  We have a low post threat!  Woo!

5. Speaking of Jerome, he won the Skip Prosser Award

Named for the late Wake Forest coach, the award goes to the top basketball student athlete in the conference.  Way to go Jerome.

6. The Virginia Crowd

There were a lot of Wahoo faithful in the Coliseum today (essentially the entire back section to your left if you’re watching TV) and we were quite loud if I do say so myself.  It stunk that our band was on the other side of the arena but we still got some good chants going.  The players were clearly pumped from the fan support with several of them waving their arms for more noise during the final few minutes.  Let’s hope we can fill it up tomorrow with Durham being less than an hour away from here.

7. No out-of-town scores in the building

How does this happen in this day and age?  We had no idea about the GTown upset over Syracuse until we got back to our hotel and turned on ESPN.  As fun as going to the games are, it kind of stinks that you can’t watch the other games going on at the same time…but to not even be able to get a score update was really lame.

8. Dino Gaudio has to be on the hot seat

Last year against Cleveland State and today against Miami…bad losses.  Like really bad losses.  And in big games.  He doesn’t seem to be able to motivate them well for games against lesser opponents.  Miami looked like a top ten team in this game and they are far from that.  And to add insult to injury, Wake got torched by a freshman from Winston-Salem.  Can Dino get a recruiting do-over?

9. UNC fans feeling awkward about playing on Day 1.

This was just funny.  They weren’t being loud or obnoxious because they know there’s a distinct possibility that their season could be over by 9 pm tonight…and they’re embarrassed about it.  I am rooting for them tonight because I want all the lower seeds to win, but seeing them was like seeing a 16 year old eighth grader walk into his Spanish class on the first day of school.

10. The Hoos live to fight another day.

Always nice to see the team perform well in the ACC Tournament since it happens so rarely (last win came against VTech in 2005-2006…yikes).  Let’s hope we can keep it up and ruin Duke’s chances for a Number 1 seed.  Go Hoos!

Why would they be happy with that?  Well, one month ago, the team was entering ACC play and some were not even predicting three or four wins for them.  One month ago, a national ranking seemed ridiculous to talk about and a bid to the Big Dance seemed even more absurd.  One month ago, most fans (including myself) were just hoping they’d remain competitive in games.

Now, with five games to go in the season, people are booing and questioning the coach’s ability?

Don't press this!

Everybody needs to take a step back, and calm down.  Let’s look at how far this team has come and then decide if you want to boo and moan.

The team won just 10 games last year and only 4 in conference.  They were beaten by double digits in half of their conference games (eight) and only beat one ranked team (Clemson) all season.  They ranked dead last in offense AND defense and then they returned basically the whole team for the next year.

So far, they’ve eclipsed their win totals from last year (14 wins total, 5 in conference), have only three double digit conference losses so far (two of the other three were in OT), have knocked off three ranked teams (NOT including UNC who were Top 5 preseason), and have the third best scoring defense in the league.

(Major side not here about that Carolina game: yes I know they are on a down year and are losing to everyone…but we didn’t just beat them, we absolutely crushed them on their home floor.  Here’s a list of teams that didn’t do that to them this year: #11 Michigan State, #25 Georgia Tech, and #6 Duke.  If you want to take it further, #2 Kentucky couldn’t do it at their place, #10 Ohio State and #5 Syracuse couldn’t do it on a neutral floor, and #15 Texas couldn’t do it in front of 100,000 people.  We gave Roy Williams his worst home loss at UNC after not having beaten them in six years.  That was a huge win.  Side note over.)

And, again, this is the same team! Sure Jontel Evans has stepped up big, but he definitely hasn’t replaced the points generated by Mamadi Diane.  It’s essentially the same guys.

This team is playing exactly how I predicted but people are starting to press the panic button.  Why?  The Icarus Theory (yes I just made it up but it totally makes sense).  It’s when a team succeeds too soon and sets the minimum bar too high for them to get over consistently.  We saw it after 2006-2007 when Singletary and Reynolds nearly led us to the Sweet Sixteen and we could be seeing it again with this season.

This team played out of their minds after the massive snowstorm in December ripping off eight wins in a row and 10 out of 12.  Before that, they were 4-4 with some disappointing losses and no one was talking about them.  If they had continued playing like that (winning every other game with the occasional two in a row), they would have ended up with the same record at this point in the season but fans would be fine with it.

By shooting out of the gate and getting everyone’s hopes up (flying too close to the sun in Icarus’ case), this team that has several major flaws set itself up for massive failure in the eyes of the casual fan (which is the vast majority here at UVa…it’s true, don’t whine).

And, honestly, if you look at this four game skid beyond just the fact that they’re L’s, it really isn’t that bad.  Or at the very least, it’s understandable.

First loss: Home against Wake Forest

Wake is freaking tall…like they have three 7-footers and we have one.  This poses a major problem for us because Sylven makes his living on driving and getting to the line.  How do you solve this problem?  Shoot well, especially with a big man, and get them in foul trouble.  Sadly, the latter strategy is nearly impossible when Wake can throw four guys out there who are above 6-10.  We fouled two of their trees out and still had to contend with two more.

The other solution is more complex because you need big guys to shoot well so you can space the floor for Sylven’s driving game, but you also need to be able to play defense against them on the other end.  That’s what really killed us because Sherrill could not bang with Aminu and Woods when he needed to (he also failed to shoot like himself which only compounded the problem).

Same goes for Mike Scott.  He came out firing and had 10 or 12 points in the first eight minutes of the game.  But he couldn’t match the physicality of Wake on the other end, picked up early fouls, and lost his rhythm.

Despite all of these problems, we still went to overtime and had a chance to win it but Sherrill’s shooting woes continued and we finished just short.

Second loss: Away against Virginia Tech

Another close loss that got away on a ridiculous Jeff Allen three pointer with under 2 minutes to play.  Tech played great defense and we didn’t shoot well (if we don’t shoot well, we lose).  For me, any game that comes down to the last few minutes isn’t a bad loss, especially since we went to OT against them the first time as well.

Third loss: Away against Maryland

I have a hard time defending this one because I didn’t get a chance to see the game.  From looking at the stats though, it’s clear that Maryland shot the ball out of their collective mind.  Whether this was because of bad defense (i.e. the shots were all layups) or luck (threes and contested jumpers), I don’t know but remember, they did the same thing to us at their place last season and we rocked them in our house.

Fourth loss: Home to Florida State

Fatigue, fatigue, and more fatigue.  That is what caused this one.  Three games in five days is the type of schedule professionals have; these guys are not used to it and they did not respond well at all.  Shots were forced up with tired legs, passes were missed, and defensive intensity was sorely lacking at points.  With a few days off and concentration restored, I bet you we’d win that game if we played them again.

Inflated expectations are the only thing that’s different about this team from a month ago and that is killing people’s perception of this season.  There is no shame in an NIT bid for this team after last year.  Heck, if the guys win four of their last five with Duke being one of them, I think we have a good enough resume to be seriously on the bubble.

I warned about expectations when we fired Leitao and hired Bennett last April because in this era of instant gratification, people overreact way too fast and our basketball program has suffered because of it.

If people don’t step back and realize that we aren’t a power program who gets brought to the Promised Land by NBA-bound one-and-dones, Bennett will meet the same fate as Leitao and basketball will be terrible here for years to come.  It took Bennett and his father a full four seasons to get the Wazzou Cougars to the Sweet Sixteen.  He knows it isn’t going to happen overnight and he’s said as much throughout the season.  Students and other fans should wake up and realize it too or else the atmosphere at JPJ will stink once more and we’ll be headed back down the road to basketball obscurity.

Here’s my point: based on how we played out of conference, I predicted seven wins for this team and they’re right on pace for that.  This season is not a failure, so fans need to not treat it as such.  Come to the last two home games and cheer for these guys who have endured an abysmal 08-09 season, a coaching change, a great run, and a fall back to earth.

They’re getting better and that’s really all we should expect from them.