The Cavalier Daily
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A trying time

It was a simple comment on washingtonpost.com that best summed up the past week for Virginia basketball:

"There's no shame in losing at Wake Forest; all teams struggle in Winston-Salem. Except Maryland. And Gonzaga. And VCU. And Winthrop. And Stetson. And Presbyterian."

Just days after their 42-point performance against Maryland - the team's lowest scoring effort since 1998and the largest margin of defeat against the Terrapins since 1930 - the Cavaliers put up an abysmal performance against Wake Forest. The 2010-11 Demon Deacons might just be the worst team to play in the ACC since the conference expanded in 2005 . Mark my words - the win against Virginia will be first-year coach Jeff Bzdelik's only one in the ACC during his maiden season.

The startling fact is not that the Cavs are struggling - the sheer number of injuries and freshmen alone could account for that - but rather the shocking reversal of attitudes that have taken place recently.

On Jan. 21, just two days after the Cavaliers' third straight loss, thesabre.com conducted a simple poll asking the question: "Are you encouraged about the future of the U.Va. men's basketball program?"

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Of the 850 votes, 813 of them, or 95.65 percent, responded "Yes."

I bet that number would be more like 10 percent now.

What fans, and I include myself in that category, are discouraged by most is that the team seems to have lost its identity.

Senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan looked like he was emerging as a leader and a reliable scorer to replace injured senior forward Mike Scott. During the last two games, however, Farrakhan has been invisible when needed most. The same could be said for freshmen guards KT Harrell and Joe Harris, who both have had double-digit scoring streaks snapped during the last two weeks. Although their up-and-down performances can be explained by youth, Farrakhan's can't.

The Cavaliers' defense - something that is central to coach Tony Bennett's philosophy - seems simplistic at best. The squad can only focus on one player to stop at a time, allowing everyone else on the opposition to attack. Take, for example, the Maryland game. The Cavaliers came in knowing they had to stop star Maryland sophomore forward Jordan Williams. They succeeded at that. Williams only managed four points, breaking his six-game streak of double-doubles. But, of all people, they let Maryland senior guard Adrian Bowie, who only managed eight points in his last trip to Charlottesville, score a season-high 22 points. For a team that prides itself on its defensive ability, that is simply unacceptable.

The only bright spot for the Cavaliers as of late seems to be Assane Sene. Sene set two career highs in as many weeks, grabbing 15 rebounds against Maryland and scoring 15 points against Wake Forest.

But the simple fact is that the team has just not performed when it has needed to - failing to capitalize on second half leads in three out of their last six conference games. To his credit, Bennett realizes that.

"Your character gets tested when you're going through adversity and that's why you better be able to handle adversity," Bennett said. "You can't just stick your head in the sand and say, 'Hey, you're fine, don't worry about it.'"

Trust me, coach - no one's head is in the sand.

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