RALEIGH, N.C.-For the No. 6 Virginia men's basketball team, the season still appears to be one big roller coaster ride. The Cavaliers entered last night's game at N.C. State riding high on a three-game ACC win streak.
Their 104-76 road win at Clemson on Jan. 27 was as one-sided as it gets. Their victory over No. 9 Maryland on Jan. 31 ended up a 21-point rout. And coach Pete Gillen called Saturday's game against No. 16 Wake Forest the "best victory of the year."
But last night, in front of a hostile crowd, Virginia failed to extend its streak and live up to its national ranking, falling to N.C. State, 90-80.
Late in the second half, the raucous Wolfpack crowd began chanting "overrated." In 40 minutes of play, the Cavaliers had done little to contest the fans' point.
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It's simple math. A basketball player can collect as many points, rebounds, assists or steals as he can. But when it comes to fouls, it's five pretty ones and you're gone for good.
Last night in Raleigh, the Cavaliers learned that lesson the hard way. By the game's end, Virginia had amassed 35 fouls, eight of them offensive charges, and three starters were on the bench.
Sophomore center Travis Watson, Virginia's only established big man, was ejected from the game with eight minutes remaining. Junior forward Chris Williams and senior point guard Donald Hand fouled out in the final seconds. And in addition to the three starters, four other Virginia players finished the game with four fouls.
The fouls merely symbolize the Cavaliers' all-around ineffective defensive efforts last night. Gillen tried out several different defenses in the first half but it didn't stop the 'Pack from going up 36-24. And in the second half, N.C. State easily found openings in Virginia's press and shot a standout 72 percent from the field.
"Our team did a good job executing and handling Virginia's variety of presses and traps," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek acknowledged.
Ironically, it was N.C. State that learned its foul lesson in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 6 at U-Hall. In that game, Virginia barely escaped with an 88-81 victory after trailing by as much as 11 in the second half. Watson, Williams and sophomore guard Roger Mason Jr. combined for 46 of Virginia's 53 second-half points to lead the Cavalier rally that night.
But though the trio's performances played a role, Virginia's win arguably was due more to N.C. State's devastating foul trouble. Despite shooting 61.2 percent from the field, the Wolfpack couldn't overcome the second-half ejections of four players, including three starters.
Last night, Gillen tried to account for his team's loss: "It's a combination of playing on the road and getting a little soft with a couple of victories. We're playing in a great league with great talent."
That may be true. But when Virginia entered the game ranked No. 6 and then lost by 10 to an unranked opponent, one begins to wonder if the 'Pack crowd might be at least a little right.
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