For the Virginia men's basketball team, Charlottesville is home, sweet home. But for Clemson, it is a completely different story.
"I'm just glad to get out of here," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said after the Tigers lost to the Cavs last night.
University Hall has proven to be one of the toughest places to play in the ACC. After last night's emotional senior night victory, Virginia finished the season 14-1 at home, its best home record since 1982-83 when the Cavaliers went 11-1. The win also secured Virginia the best home record of any team in the conference.
"It's definitely a big advantage for us" to play at home, sophomore guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "We always automatically play better here on our home court."
Virginia's victories at home this season included big wins over Purdue, Missouri, No. 23 Wake Forest, No. 16 Maryland, and No. 4 North Carolina. University Hall's most monumental win this season was undoubtedly when it witnessed a down-to-the-wire victory over No. 2 Duke. It was the first time the arena had seen a win against the Blue Devils in over five years.
How has University Hall, once deemed one of the nation's easiest places to play earlier this year, all of the sudden become so deadly?
"The fans have just been great," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "It's so good to play here because they give us a cushion. We feed off extra adrenaline they give us."
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From a top 10 national ranking and an exciting full-court pressing style of play, Virginia has received much greater crowd support than it has seen in recent years. When was the last time fans filled all the seats of University Hall? When was the last time students camped out outside for as many as eight days for a basketball game?
It's been a while, but it's coming back.
"It's just a great feeling to know that people care about you," Mason said. "You feel that you're not only playing for yourself and the team, but for the fans too. Just thinking about it and knowing it makes you play harder and go that extra mile out there on the court."
This was apparent in last night's contest, where Donald Hand played one of his most inspired games. The senior point guard continuously out-hustled and out-pressured the Tigers and finished the contest with four steals.
Hand "was more aggressive tonight," Gillen said. "He played hard and defended very well. He had a lot more emotion."
Virginia's lone loss at home went to Georgia Tech on Jan. 9. The contest was a midweek game amidst winter break, when students, arguably the most raucous fans, were not in town.
Although the team played poorly in the loss, it didn't have that extra boost that it received in its other close games against N.C. State and Duke.
The students "get everyone going," Gillen said. "They get the players going, the coaches going, the adult fans going. They are unbelievable."
But there are no more home games left this season and the important question is this: What will the Cavaliers do now with only road and neutral games left?
The Cavaliers, although stunning at home, have not proven themselves on the road thus far this season. Virginia's mediocre road record of 5-5, and the Cavaliers' poor play away from home has kept them outside of the nation's elite. If Virginia wants to make a statement in the postseason, the Cavaliers will need to bring the same intensity and energy they show at home on the road.
"We're not ready yet to be one of the country's best," Gillen said. "We need to show we can beat a top team away from home and we haven't done that yet"
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