The teams go back and forth on runs in the first half, battling to an essential stalemate at halftime. Virginia rallies to a double-digit lead midway through the second half, then has its offense collapse in the final minutes and loses a nail-biter.
Sound familiar?
The similarities with the Virginia Tech game are all too eerie. Even the score -- 69-67 -- sure sounds a lot like the 70-69 loss to the Hokies at John Paul Jones Arena. (Although it did take overtime to reach that mark.)
For the second time in three games, the Cavaliers had the game won, and again, they took a shot to the heart when they looked at the final score.
But, this one wasn't quite as painful.
Behold: Sean Singletary had 2 points through 28 minutes, and Virginia was winning by 9.
Huh?
You tell me that Singletary was 1-4 from the floor on the road midway through the second half, and I tell you that Virginia must be down at least 15 points.
After all, for the last three games, it's been the Sean Singletary show.
When Virginia took its first ACC win against Boston College, Singletary picked up a double-double (in points and rebounds for the 6-foot point guard, mind you.)
Virginia lost a nail-biter to Virginia Tech in the previous game, and Singletary again had a double-double (in points and assists), and scored (ahem) 34 points.
When the Cavs stayed within screaming distance of Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Singletary scored 10 points in a 2:30 span on his way to 18.
But last night, Singletary's game wasn't there. As Virginia coach Dave Leitao put it, "Sean was not Sean today."
And yet, Virginia could have -- and should have -- won the game.
Adding to the shock, sophomore Calvin Baker -- the second-most able Cavalier at taking the ball to the rack -- wasn't too hot either, scoring just 7 points on 3-11 shooting.
Rather, it was senior Adrian Joseph and junior Mamadi Diane who were raining threes. Joseph was 3-7 from the arc, and Diane was 5-9. The two scored 38 of the 67 points.
It's funny. After many Virginia football games, the theme of the afternoon seemed to be, "Gee, there were so many bad things about that game. How did they manage to win that one?"
In these two similar losses to the Seminoles and the Hokies, the theme seems to be, "Gee, there were so many good things about that game. How did they manage to lose that one?"
But, per the norm, Leitao was not eager to point out the positives in a losing effort.
"We lost the game by two points, I don't look at [Diane and Joseph's scoring] as encouraging," Leitao said. "If you're a good player, then there's an expectation that they're supposed to play well."
But, as frustrating and hard as it is to say after barely losing two ACC games and three overall, all of which are huge in determining NCAA Tournament status, last night's game was an encouraging sign.
The great thing about sports is that the team that deserves to win the game usually wins. Unfortunately, by my judgment, Virginia deserves to be 3-1, but is 1-3 instead.
And last night, Singletary didn't even have to play great -- just not poorly. Not only did he pitch in just 11 points, but he also got his pocket picked twice near half-court with less than three minutes remaining, once by 6-foot-9 forward Ryan Reid, which in essence cost the team the game. That's not the Singletary we know and love.
Nor do Diane, Joseph and company need to play out of their minds -- they too need to merely make par. In the 1-point loss to the Hokies, the two shot a combined 7-23. That is certainly not what Leitao expects out of them, either.
No, what the Cavaliers need is for everyone to play OK. See: Boston College. Singletary hit his 19 points, Diane and Joseph pitched in a combined 37, and Baker added 15. The Cavs blew the Eagles out by 18.
Virginia is 1-3 in the ACC, but there is no need to hit panic mode. The Cavaliers have reached the corner; all they have to do is turn it.
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