Coming off of an embarrassing 20-point blowout at the hands of Georgia Tech Saturday, the Virginia men's basketball team will look to right the ship against No. 8 Maryland at College Park tonight. This past weekend marked the fourth straight road loss for the Cavaliers this season, and Virginia hasn't won an ACC away game since late January of 2002 when they beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Away games consistently have been a problem for the Cavaliers under Gillen's regime, as his teams have gone a combined 8-28 in Conference road games, with no more than three wins in any one season. The road-winless Cavaliers might have a tough time picking up that first win against Maryland tonight, as the Terrapins have lost only one game at home, and that was an early season contest against then No. 1 Florida.
"We're not consistent" on the road, Gillen. "We have guys who have never played at home or on the road in the ACC. That might lead a little bit to the inconsistency, but they're good players. We have to get better. We are a good team, and we just have to find a way" to win on the road.
The situation has worsened for the Cavaliers since coming back from Atlanta, following the announcement that point guard Keith Jenifer has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Jenifer was arrested for a misdemeanor assault and battery as a result of his involvement in an altercation Saturday night outside of O'Neil's bar. Jenifer's suspension paves the way for fan favorite Majestic Mapp to see more minutes at point guard. The former McDonald's All-American, who missed two straight seasons because of a torn ligament in his knee, has been one of Virginia's lone bright spots this season.
"His knee is not quite 100 percent," Gillen said. "But he will definitely log more minutes."
This increase in time for the steady, heady guard from Harlem might just be what Virginia needs, as the Cavaliers often have looked tremendous with Mapp in the lineup. While Mapp certainly can't solve the team's turnover and defensive woes by himself, his knowledge of the game will be important at Comcast Center.
"We've just got to mature and get better as a team," Mapp said. "I think patience is everything in life. We've just got to be patient and understand that we shouldn't rush it on the road. We beat Rutgers on the road and we came close to beating Clemson, but you don't get moral victories on the road in this game."
In order to pull off an upset tonight, Virginia will have to hope season All-American candidate Travis Watson can regain the peak form he displayed earlier in the season. Watson has struggled as of late, scoring only four points at Georgia Tech, and playing at less than 100 percent against Florida State.
Junior Todd Billet, who is averaging close to 17 points during ACC play, will need help from the likes of Devin Smith and Elton Brown, both of whom have struggled away from U-Hall this season. Freshman Derrick Byars, who is still adjusting to ACC away games, played well against Georgia Tech and must have another big game if the Cavaliers hope to have any chance to win.
"Maryland should be a game that guys are just sky-high for," Billet said. "We shouldn't have to even scout them because that's how excited we should be... We should be so fired up that it shouldn't even matter that we're playing on the road. That's the mentality that we need and have to develop."
It's next to impossible to identify why Virginia plays so poorly away from home. From turnovers to defense to poor shooting, the Cavaliers have run the gambit on the road, never putting together a complete game.
If Virginia hopes to earn a NCAA tournament birth, it will be crucial to steal a win or two outside of U-Hall, and one key opportunity to do so will come tonight against the ACC's best team.
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