Last weekend was a very standard one in the world of Virginia athletics. In typical fashion, the No. 10-ranked Virginia baseball team took two of three from East Carolina. The women's lacrosse and women's basketball teams both notched road wins at Syracuse and Virginia Tech, respectively, and the top-ranked men's lacrosse team had a thrilling overtime victory against my hometown Stony Brook Seawolves. But what was perhaps the least surprising outcome of the weekend was the Virginia men's basketball team's 63-44 loss against Boston College at John Paul Jones Arena.
When Boston College came to Charlottesville Saturday, the Cavaliers were riding their first two-game winning streak since their Jan. 8 loss to North Carolina. The game was a microcosm of this year's men's basketball season. The shooting was streaky at best, and the game became out of reach for Virginia during the second half. The team has faced many problems this year, but the most glaring has to be its hot-and-cold shooting. One minute, the Cavaliers are capable of hitting five three-pointers in a row, and then they may not score another point for a number of possessions. Last Saturday was unfortunately one of those days when the Cavaliers could not hit a frat bro if they were walking down Rugby Road. In a perfect world, as the team ages, the consistency will come - then again, Sylven Landesberg was supposedly the next Sean Singletary, and we all saw how that turned out.
Consistency for the 2010-11 Virginia men's basketball team is spelled S-E-N-E. Junior center Assane Sene has my vote for MVP of this Virginia team. Lately, Sene seemingly has stopped making the boneheaded plays - from fumbled passes to inexcusable illegal screens - that plagued his first two years at Virginia and had fans holding their breath each time he entered the game. In 2011, the seven-footer really has established a presence in the frontcourt. Sene has snagged more than 10 rebounds in a game four times this year and also leads the team in blocks. Most recently, Sene was Virginia's top scorer and lone bright spot Saturday against Boston College as he tallied 10 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
The most impressive facet of Sene's season, however, has been his ability to step up after Mike Scott was lost to season-ending ankle surgery in mid-December. Sene was forced to take on the "big man" role when Virginia's veteran leader and most dynamic player was relegated to watching the rest of the season from the bench. Sene's efforts are not going unnoticed, as a blocked shot against Georgia Tech guard Glen Rice Jr. earned him a spot in SportsCenter's Top Plays.
Sene's season leaves me with nothing but hope for next year's men's basketball campaign. With Sene returning as a senior and - pending NCAA approval for a medical redshirt - a potential comeback from Scott, the 2011-12 Cavaliers could have one of the best frontcourts in the ACC. Supplement that with the proven shooting prowess of current freshman guards Joe Harris and KT Harrell along with their extra year of experience, and we could potentially see some competitive basketball down the stretch and maybe even after the ACC Tournament. The football and basketball teams at Virginia always seem like they are looking toward next year, but at least the men's basketball team can take two wins against Virginia Tech and a breakout year from Sene into the off-season as motivation for next year's efforts.
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