"Must-win" is a term that is thrown around quite a bit in the world of college basketball. It is a phrase most teams don't want pinned to their names. Unfortunately for the Virginia men's basketball team, it was facing a red-hot Wake Forest squad in a game that reporters around press row were calling, that's right, a "must-win" game. There is only one word to describe what a team needs for a victory in a must-win situation: intensity. And the Cavaliers didn't disappoint.
Following a so-so performance against a down North Carolina team and horrid contests against N.C. State and Clemson, it seemed questionable whether the Cavaliers had the intensity and will necessary to be a top 10 team. But if Virginia plays hard and gutsy for the rest of the season, as it did tonight, there is no question that the Cavaliers can compete with any team in the country.
Roger Mason Jr. and company were out to show that they can play with an intensity and confidence that many may have believed wasn't in the Cavaliers game.
"I wanted to come out and lead this team," Mason said after the game, holding an injured shoulder that he dislocated late in the second half. "I wanted to get that swagger back that we had been missing. We are 2-2 [in the ACC] now. We are going to contend."
Though Mason was quick to show he was ready to put the team on his back by scoring 25 points and Watson held his own, coming up with another double-double, it was Virginia's freshmen who came up with the strength to lead the team to victory.
With Adam Hall sidelined for the night with a foot injury, all four freshmen off Virginia's bench logged major minutes. They did not disappoint: Their effort culminated in success that has been missing in the previous three games.
"We had to try and play hard the entire game," freshman Jermaine Harper said. "With Adam getting injured, we knew we were going to have to step up."
Step up they did, as the Virginia freshmen provided 22 points. But what was more telling was the fact that they controlled the court with no fear of a team full of veterans.
Harper and fellow freshman guard Keith Jenifer were in the shirts of the opposing point guards the entire night, making it difficult for the Demon Deacons to get into a rhythm. Virginia forwards Jason Clark and Elton Brown also contributed on the defensive end, covering two of Wake Forest's better players in Darius Songaila and Josh Howard.
Virginia coach Pete Gillen was quick to point out the importance of his freshmen and their intensity.
"Jermaine and Keith were great," he said. "They kept [Wake's] offense out of synch the entire game," Gillen said. "Both of them have big hearts.
"We beat a terrific basketball team tonight. They are a special team. It was an important game, no doubt about it"
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