RALEIGH N.C. -- There really is nothing positive to say about Virginia's loss to N.C. State, unless you count losing to the No. 18 team in the nation as a positive thing.
Obviously, it is never a good thing to lose a game and this is no exception. One could argue that Virginia fought back after a second consecutive lethargic start in a game, but the end result turned out to be the same. So responding after a slow start does not really count for much.
Indeed, the fact that Virginia was in the game so much at the end probably made it more difficult for Virginia coach Dave Leitao and his players to look at the final score. Despite only making 9.5 percent of their three-point shots, the Cavaliers held a 62-59 lead with about three minutes remaining. To say that situation was improbable is an insult to all the improbable things that have ever occurred. The situation defied logic. But the point is that Virginia had a chance to win, but ended up on the tough end of an ugly loss.
The other point is that both of Virginia's past two road games resulted in an "L" in the standings, and the Cavaliers really cannot afford too many more of those. One could say that Virginia has played two of the better teams in the ACC in the past week and that the two losses show potential in a young team. Let me spell it out: Conference losses are never a good thing.
It really doesn't matter if a young team shows potential. The ACC is a cutthroat league. And the Cavaliers are figuring that out real quick. Just a week ago, Virginia was looking like it would be one of the surprise stories of this season. Leitao and his team were riding a three-game conference winning streak. The team had already matched its conference win total (four) from the previous season. So when the Cavaliers lost to Duke last Saturday, no one was down except for Leitao and his players because no one outside of that locker room honestly thought Virginia had a shot to win that game. Turns out Leitao and his players had the right outlook after the Duke loss because when you couple that game with this second loss, Virginia is suddenly in a very precarious position.
The season could go north or south from here, as there is still plenty of time for the Cavaliers to either save their season (and their potential Cinderella story) or watch the walls come falling down around them. The next three conference games will be the testing grounds of this team. Regardless of the fact that Leitao does not want to break down the conference schedule into segments, the truth is that the next three games are crunch time for Virginia.
Wake Forest on Saturday is a game that can be won. Maryland is suddenly vulnerable since losing leading scorer Chris McCray to academic ineligibility. Virginia has already beaten in-state rival Virginia Tech. With a 4-4 ACC record, the Cavaliers are in control of where they will be seeded in the ACC tournament. If Virginia is unable to build and grow after these two losses, then the team will stumble into the ACC Tournament and miss out on both the NCAA and NIT tournaments. But if they win some games, the Cavaliers could make a run in the ACC and find themselves in position to play in the postseason instead of looking at what might have been.
This is the time when we see what Leitao and his players can do with their backs against the wall because, in all honesty, if the Cavaliers have anything less than a 2-1 record in the next three games, then this Virginia basketball season could very well be one that is filled with disappointment again.
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