As I searched for the seat reserved for The Cavalier Daily in Cameron Indoor Stadium's press row, which lies immediately in front of the student section, I began to worry -- I couldn't find my seat. I walked up and down the row, becoming more frantic as I read and reread the label at each chair, before I heard a rather hostile voice say, "Hey you, are you Cavalier Daily? You're right here."
I looked to the spot that the student, who was decked out in Devil Blue, was pointing to and discovered why I had missed it: The students had graciously covered the label in towels with the Duke insignia on them.
"And don't touch the towels," he warned, adding, "Did you have fun covering that Xavier game?"
It was then that I understood -- they don't call them Cameron Crazies for nothing. (I may have just recovered my hearing in my left ear.) I was in for a long night.
As it turned out, so were the Cavs. In Duke's 87-65 dismantling of Virginia, there is scarcely a single statistical category in which Duke did not have the edge, whether it was second chance points (15-10), points off turnovers (17-4) or points in the paint (42-30).
When one reporter asked Virginia coach Dave Leitao if he was at least satisfied with the effort of his team, he replied feebly, "We lost by 20 points. I don't know that right now, or at any point, I'm real good at picking out positives, either collectively or individually."
Admittedly, the Cavaliers' play of late should have Leitao sweating. No one necessarily expected Virginia to win on the road against ranked foes Xavier and Duke, but then again few would have predicted that the Cavs would lose by a combined 56 points while allowing the two opponents to shoot an absurd 56.8 percent from the floor. Even in the previous home contest against Hartford Dec. 30, there were premonitions of what was to come; against a Hartford team ranked a whopping 226th of 336 Division I teams, the Cavaliers only scraped by the Hawks 78-70.
So yes, the Cavaliers are playing their worst basketball at the most inopportune moment of the season -- the beginning of conference play. Unlike Leitao, however, I saw a few things in the blowout loss to Duke that can give Cavs fans a chance to relax. Here are some reasons why the Cavaliers can turn it around in the next few weeks.
1. Senior Sean Singletary looked good offensively, especially in the second half. As the Blue Devils tried to push their 12-point halftime lead out of Virginia's reach midway through the second period, Singletary singlehandedly kept the game respectable, scoring 10 straight points in a 2:30 span, while making Duke's premier defender senior DeMarcus Nelson look foolish on several occasions. Though Leitao was not enthralled with Singletary's heroic display -- "There's a thin line between trying to take over a game and trying to keep everybody else involved," he said -- Singletary's desire to pull Virginia out of a hole in such a hostile environment was nothing short of admirable.
2. Sophomore Calvin Baker can create his own shot, and boy do the Cavs need that. Baker had shown the capacity to penetrate and create offense in prior games, but that was against soft non-conference opponents, not Duke's suffocating pressure defense. With someone else besides Singletary who can take his man to the basket to finish or dish to an open shooter, Virginia becomes much more difficult to guard.
3. It's a new day. The last two blowouts at No. 20 Xavier and at No. 9 Duke undoubtedly represent Virginia's toughest stretch of the year. The Cavs return to the comforts of John Paul Jones Arena for their next two home contests against Virginia Tech tonight and Boston College Saturday, then travel to Florida State Jan. 23, before returning to Charlottesville for a date with Georgia Tech Jan. 27. If the Cavaliers do what they are supposed to do, then they should take at least three out of four of those games and get right back in the thick of things in conference play.
Don't take it from me. Take it from Singletary.
"If we can string together some practices and string together some wins in the ACC at home, we'll be good," Singletary said.
A few home ACC games are just what the doctor ordered for the Cavaliers to get back on track. I have a feeling that when Duke comes to town March 5, Virginia will be a different team then it was Sunday; if memory serves, the Cavs fared pretty well last time they played Duke at home. Did you have fun watching that game, Cameron Crazies?
Read More
Cavaliers collapse, lose 3-2 in walkoff to North Carolina
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayVirginia will head to the loser's bracket Sunday after a disappointing loss to North Carolina.
Gertrude out for season after scooter accident
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayThe hype around his second season will have to wait.
Tony Bennett’s contract extended to 2030
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayWith the legendary coach secured in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers can focus on returning to a standard of postseason success.
