A l Pacino put it best in "Any Given Sunday": life is a game of inches. Tuesday evening in Raleigh, the Cavaliers lost when Sean Singletary's dessperate three-pointer bounced off the back left of the rim at the buzzer. Saturday afternoon in U-Hall, Virginia found itself once again at the whims of fate. Wake Forest point guard Justin Gray was able to get off a last-second three-point attempt from just inside half court and it was not until the ball clanked off the left side of the rim that the Cavaliers could breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their fifth ACC victory, already one more than they posted last year.
Only in a league as competitive as the ACC could a team like Skip Prosser's Wake Forest squad find itself in last place with a 1-8 conference record. Gray and center Eric Williams are among the most talented offensive playmakers in the league and each performed admirably against Virginia Saturday. It was Gray's four-point play with 2:06 remaining that kept Virginia from establishing a solid margin of victory. There are no easy outs in the ACC, so Virginia should take just as much pride in this conference victory as it has in the four others.
The most impressive aspect of the Cavaliers' victory was their utter dominance of the boards. Virginia out-rebounded the top rebounding team in the conference by a margin of 21. Junior forward Jason Cain leads the team with eight rebounds per game. Cain's complete transformation into a solid contributor has been fascinating to watch. He is perhaps the player who has benefited the most from the hiring of Virginia coach Dave Leitao. Pete Gillen saw Cain's potential but was unable to tap into it. Leitao has pushed Cain hard and the consequent positive results are clear.
Freshman Mamadi Diane joined in on the glass-cleaning party, notching a career-high 10 rebounds. Diane has been invisible at times on the court but he has also shown the potential to become a stellar all-around player.
His biggest rebound of the day came with 35 seconds left and the score tied at 73. Sophomore Adrian Joseph missed a three-point attempt but Diane was able to pull down the offensive board. The shot clock was turned off and Virginia was able to set up the play that resulted in J.R. Reynolds' game-winning baseline shot with less than five seconds left. Wake Forest had double-teamed Singletary, leaving Reynolds open. Following the game, Prosser likened defending Singletary and Reynolds to "picking your poison."
Laurynas Mikalauskas and Tunji Soroye both struggled with foul trouble for much of the game. Of the two, Mikalauskas is the one with the most potential upside. He plays with a level of emotion on the court that pumps up not only his fellow teammates but also the fans. He brought the crowd to life early in the second half with a dunk over Kyle Visser while being fouled. A facebook group with the name "L-A-R-S: Lars, Lars, Lars!" has sprouted up to honor the Lithuanian freshman. Anyone who enjoys watching Lars play should join this group. I already have.
Leitao also played a role in pumping the crowd up when he received a technical with 4:13 remaining in the first half and Virginia down 30-28. Leitao had fired his jacket to the ground after Mikalauskas was charged with an offensive foul on a questionable call. Watching Leitao stare down a referee is high-quality entertainment.
Gary Williams's Maryland Terrapins are next on the plate for the Cavaliers. Virginia has lost four straight to the Terrapins but Maryland is struggling after its leading scorer, senior guard Chris McCray, was removed from the team Jan. 23 for academic reasons. With the exception of the Jan. 15 win at Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers have yet to post a significant road win this season. If Virginia can go into the Comcast Center and beat Maryland Tuesday evening, expect the talk of a potential NCAA bid for Virginia to intensify.
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