The signs are there for Virginia. Maybe, for a change, the Cavaliers will not play like paper tigers that have failed to back up their reputation as they get into their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule.
Maybe, for a change, Virginia will play with heart on the road and win its first postseason game since 1995. Maybe the Cavaliers finally will play good defense as the games get more tense and meaningful.
Virginia has undergone a face lift. Four former starters are gone, including last year's leading scorer in guard Roger Mason Jr., who left after his junior year for the NBA. That has opened the door for freshman forward Derrick Byars and transfers Todd Billett, Nick Vander Laan and Devin Smith to help form a more effective supporting cast around senior center Travis Watson, the team's best player.
And as the 6-2 Cavs prepare for tomorrow's visit from Georgetown, another tuneup before hitting the ACC road at North Carolina State on Jan. 5, Virginia coach Pete Gillen sees defense as the key to their fate.
"I think our kids realize you just can't try to outscore people. You have to play good half-court defense, and we were like Virginia swiss cheese defense by the end of last year," Gillen said.
Gillen was so disturbed after Virginia's late collapse from No. 4 to the land of the unranked that, after assistant Tom Herrion left Charlottesville, Va., to become head coach at College of Charleston, Gillen reached outside to bring in an experienced defensive-minded coach in Rod Jensen, 49, formerly the seven-year head coach at Boise State.
Jensen's task is clear. Toughen up the Cavs, who had become a full-court pressing, fast-breaking team that could not fall back on physical, half-court play against good competition.
"My first inclination was to move up an assistant through the ranks, but I put my ego in my pocket. You've got to do what's best for your program," said Gillen, who likens Jensen to a defensive coordinator. "Rod is using terms I've never heard of. He's adding a lot of expertise and a lot of energy."
The adjustments are ongoing. Virginia beat Kentucky and lost a close decision to Indiana in last month's Maui Invitational. The Cavs also gave up 86 points in a season-opening victory over Long Island and could not stop Michigan State on the road in an 82-75 loss in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Virginia has played excellent defense on other nights, as in last week's 61-57 victory at Rutgers, which was 15-2 at home a year ago.
Virginia played without Watson, the team's best rebounder, who was nursing a sprained right ankle. The Cavaliers, with a huge boost from Billett - a Rutgers transfer - put the clamps on the Scarlet Knights with a 3-2 matchup zone.
Williams makes his point
Maryland coach Gary Williams has listened to his share of criticism over the years regarding his point guard. And after senior Steve Blake recorded nine assists to help the Terps roll to a 101-60 victory over UMBC on Monday, a night in which Blake became only the 23rd player in NCAA history to reach 800 career assists, Williams had to take a swipe at the critics.
"It's like when a quarterback throws an interception, everybody says he's a terrible quarterback. But the [offensive] lineman that let a guy through and forced a throw too quickly, nobody sees that guy," said Williams, referring to how misleading a point guard's perceived mistakes can be.
"A lot of times, [Blake] could turn it over because another guy made the wrong move or the other team made a great play. But Steve is usually bouncing back to make another great play," Williams added.
"It bothers me when somebody criticizes a player who has given so much to the program. I remember the scrawny little guy going up against Kentucky at [Madison Square] Garden in his first game, then coming back and beating them two weeks later at Cole Field House. That told me what kind of competitor he was."
Spoken like a former point guard coaching a point guard.
Blake now ranks 21st on the all-time list with 806 assists. The next player he will pass is former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves (816).
Youth is served
Freshmen continue to lead the ACC in scoring and rebounding. North Carolina's Rashad McCants leads the league with a scoring average of 20.0 points a game while Georgia Tech forward/center Chris Bosh averages 10.9 rebounds. ... One of Maryland's tall orders of business in Sunday's conference opener against visiting Tech will be to contain sophomore guard B.J. Elder, who is leading the ACC with 3.5 three-pointers a game and a .538 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. ... Maryland is one of only two teams in the Top 25 with three losses, with Kansas being the other. The Terps have lost to three opponents currently ranked in the Top 15 and lead the ACC in blocked shots, assist/turnover ratio (1.31), three-point field-goal percentage (.402) and three-point percentage defense (.276) and rank second in overall field-goal percentage defense (.354).