Before the start of Monday's 78-59 upset of No. 18 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, sophomore guard Takisha Granberry experienced a situation she had not faced all season --sitting on the bench during the opening minutes of the game.
"Takisha and I talked earlier after the N.C. State [loss last Friday]," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "We both decided it would be a good idea just to look at the floor from the bench to start the game. ... I wanted her to look at things from the floor to see how she could improve defensively."
With renewed energy, the Charlotte, N.C. native helped contribute to a defense that held the Hokies to 40 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers. After watching the game from the bench for the first few minutes, Granberry entered to begin her career performance -- scoring 16 points.
"I had been working on my shot," Granberry said after the win. "I just refocused my whole game. I knew that I had to do whatever it took for us to win to stay strong. ... I really got to see how we play on the court and how to play the defense."
With strong players coming off the bench, such as Granberry, sophomore guard Denesha Kenion and freshman forward Lyndra Littles, Ryan is able to rotate fresh, athletic players onto the court against the ACC's best -- especially when the 13-3 (1-2 ACC) Cavaliers host No. 6 Maryland 15-2 (2-1 ACC) tonight.
The Terrapins are the third-highest-ranked ACC team -- behind nationally ranked No. 1 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina -- and boast talent all around. Three of Maryland's starting rotation -- senior guard Shay Doron, sophomore center Crystal Langhorne and freshman guard Marissa Coleman -- average more than 15 points a game.
"We are not going to approach this game any differently than any other game that we have played," Ryan said. "But, obviously, we [will face] some prolific scorers, and we are going to have to be very aware of that."
All season the Cavaliers have been very aware of opposing offenses. Virginia ranks first in the conference and fifth in the nation by allowing only 52.3 points a game.
Consequently, as Ryan often points out, the offense lives off and is established by the defense. Despite not being a prolific scoring team, Virginia is first in the conference in turnover margin (+7.20) and fourth in scoring margin (+15.8). These are indications of an opportunistic defense and an efficient offense that features an up-tempo style. Ryan agrees that Maryland boasts the second-highest scoring offense in the conference but warns of Virginia's ability.
"They have to worry about staying up with us too," Ryan said.
Just three games into their conference schedule, the Cavaliers hope to take down Maryland before embarking on a two-game road trip, where they'll face Miami Sunday afternoon and Boston College Thursday night.
"There is not too much rest in the ACC," Ryan said. "There is no easy game in the ACC."
With its first ACC win Monday, Virginia has prepared to face Maryland with the same level of preparation and mindset.
"Whether you win or lose in this league, you cannot put too much emphasis on one game," Ryan said. "We don't put too much stock on getting too high or low, but more on being even"
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